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Gender Letters for Transgender-Affirming Medical Care

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When seeking letters for gender-affirming medical care, start with quality assessments and preparation.  Through training at Brave Space, I studied and learned to apply a collaborative and thorough approach designed to prepare clients for transgender-affirming surgery, and hormone therapy, using a comprehensive assessment, usually only needing 1 session. These appointments are via telehealth starting in 2020 so are available for Californians or Oregonians by video appointment.

In our assessment appointment we work together to
  • screen for factors that can complicate, or be complicated by, medical care.
  • create a holistic treatment recommendation.
  • plan supportive measures through the steps of surgical preparation and recovery.
  • review details of each relevant gender-affirming surgery and hormone intervention.
  • discover the unique requirements of your particular referral letter.​

  My experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) includes creating and leading now in year 9,  support groups for cisgender spouses of gender transitioning partners. My services in general are for both straight and couples in the rainbow, however couples managing gender transitioning sometimes find great relief in just a one or two couples sessions with me.  Workshops, retreats and support groups are also offered tailor made for the gender transitioning couple. Couples Group, and Advanced Couples ongoing group are very exciting, supportive options for members of Spouses and their partners.

My license and private practice began in 1997 in CA as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and in Oregon since 2009 as an LPC.  I have volunteered at the Gender Odyssey conference back when it included partner workshops. I intentionally keep myself in consultation and networking with colleagues in the rainbow, sometimes scheming up more good ideas to support the transgender family.  I also completed over 100 hours of Race Talks facilitation training (training and facilitation concurrently) keeping myself under the mentorship of Black women to learn and see things I couldnt have otherwise, while working on keeping that white bubble burst open, mind and heart. More information about my approach can be found here at http://
relationshipgardening.com
.

My approach to the transgender medical needs of your lives is as a Facilitated Progress Provider-which is all about seeking education and feedback from the transgender community and related experts, on a path of continual learning and growth. Consider our work together as shared knowledge creating planful, purposeful progress forward, while scrutinizing dominant cultural assumptions.


If you would like to be one of my gender letter assessment and referral clients (currently waitlist), contact me at 503-348-0405.
Find out what are the requirements of your particular letter requester, and if you don't know, we can figure it out together.  


        Links for Questioning Gender
​          Read at own risk-I am not responsible for the authors' writing or impact.  However if you find non supportive content from below, please let me know so I can remove it!

My New Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein (read 2nd edition at this link) 
https://archive.org/details/mynewgenderworkb0000born


Simon is One Confused Boi https://thelgbtqiaplace.tumblr.com/post/178859864372/questions-to-ask-instead-of-am-i-trans
​

A Gender Identity Quiz written by trans and non binary authors, includes the Gingerbread Person illustrations, and offer to talk about your results at the end of the quiz  https://www.quotev.com/quiz/11233383/What-is-your-Gender-Identity-version-25?fbclid=IwAR1IXLBKhrz9pYEv5HZaAE-IjC6V3fOoKrTt0avlDAjB2yIUlW6IWm3BZI8
email Shannon
New Enhanced Relationship Check-Up now available with streamlined 30% less questions, an easy way to reassess progress if we'd like, and plenty of information about strengths and what to repair. Available for $39 (to Gottman Institute) for clients of Approved Member therapist Shannon Batts.
DONATE to "Relationship Gardening by Shannon Batts" by clicking here to go to the checkout Square site where you can enter your donation of any amount and support resource redirection of free services to
​marginalized clients. 

​Or donate via Paypal.me/shannonbatts
​Thank you!
 
Gottman Approved Member



​TESTIMONIALS. WOWEEEEE!
(results not guaranteed)
 http://relationshipgardening.com/couples-therapist-reviews-portland.html
Proud Member of TherapyDen
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How to find a good marriage counselor?  Ask Shannon Batts in Portland, Oregon.  Note from Shannon: Make sure they have advanced training (not just degrees and licenses) with couples, can describe what they learned and how they deliver it to you, and are also HAPPILY married!

​Can they speak to their privilege or marginalizations and how they impact counseling with you?


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1. Oppezzo M, Schwartz DL. Give your ideas some legs: the positive effect of walking on creative thinking. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2014 Jul;40(4):1142-52. doi: 10.1037/a0036577. Epub 2014 Apr 21. PMID: 24749966.

​2. Calogiuri G, Evensen K, Weydahl A, Andersson K, Patil G, Ihlebæk C, Raanaas RK. Green exercise as a workplace intervention to reduce job stress. Results from a pilot study. Work. 2015;53(1):99-111. doi: 10.3233/WOR-152219. PMID: 26684708.

3. 
What moves you? Physical activity strategies in older women
Marily Oppezzo, Lauren Wegner, James J Gross, 
Daniel L Schwartz, Tessa Eckley, Abby C King, Sally Mackey, Marcia L Stefanick
First Published May 18, 2021 Research Article Find in PubMed
https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211014593
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Looking for a Marriage Counselor who studies and applies awareness of intersectionality, and the importance of examining her own hidden bias?
Shannon is a Race Talks Facilitator in Portland, Oregon, intentionally under (completed) training (100s+ hours) and ongoing mentorship by Donna Maxey (retired) and Shaina Pomerantz, JD, MSOL.
  





​Shannon Batts, Licensed Professional Counselor of Portland, Oregon, lic# C2379, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for Californians, lic# MFT 34477, is Marriage Friendly, with better than neutrality toward the outcome of your life long love commitment. Shannon Batts is a Portland, Oregon counselor, with advanced skills, education and training in assisting couples (extremely rare among counselors). Lesbian, gay, trans, mixed gender identity, questioning gender, nonbinary, and straight couples of all ages seek out tools and support for their relationships from Shannon Batts. Shannon trains ongoingly to be antiracist and is a facilitator and consultant at Race Talks PDX. Transgender, Black Americans, or unhoused clients will find amazing flexibility in counseling rates if you need it because you've been through enough!


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www.couplesintransition.com
www.spousesgroup.com
www.spousesresourcecenter.com
www.spousesresourcecenter.org
www.relationshipgardening.com
all arrive at Relationship Gardening by Shannon Batts, and Spouses Resource Center so as to increase options for couples, including those facing gender transition to have excellent support for making it through transition together.
Couples with no LGBTQ identities also benefit by Relationship Gardening.
verified by Psychology Today
Electronic/internet based communication is not a guarantee of privacy as it is always subject to security breach or hacking. You do maintain the right to email, text or video chat regardless of the risk.
 Shannon is the counselor's counselor where couples go to grow a happy marriage, with Gottman research based relationship and marriage help and telehealth video sessions. Clinical hypnosis available as Shannon completed the 100-Hour Comprehensive Training in Applying Clinical Hypnosis in Strategic Psychotherapy intensive by Dr. Michael Yapko. Marriage Counseling, marriage therapy, couple's therapy, couple's coaching, premarital counseling, help for transgender or non binary coming out in marriage, support for spouses of transgender or non binary partners, couples group for transgender partners and cisgender spouses, questioning gender in your marriage, marriage retreats, marriage workshops, antiracist coaching for engaged couples, antiracism groups for white people, antiracism couples groups, antiracism groups for professionals, custom antiracism groups, marriage affairs or adultery, porn or sex addiction or compulsion in your marriage, couples communication training-whatever you call it-make sure your best marriage counseling choice in CA, or in Portland, Oregon has Advanced Gottman Institute aka Relationship Research Institute training.  A Gottman trained therapist like Shannon Batts knows how to move couples from sticky negativity to a garden of new possibilities from the very first couples' session.  Services available by Zoom for all of CA and OR. Walking sessions for individual meetings. relationshipgardening.com spousesresourcecenter.com 

Photo from Rachel Demsick PHOTO