connect with Shannon
Relationship Gardening with Shannon
  • Home, Trans
    • Gender Letters Portland
    • Trans in Couples >
      • Partners of Trans Online Support
      • Couples and Families of Trans
      • Trans in Couples' Quotes
    • About >
      • Shannon
      • Rates
  • Antiracism Groups
  • Spouses Group
  • Reviews
  • Telehealth
  • Resources/Events
    • Events for better relationships
    • Walk & Talk
    • Rethinking Psychiatry-alternatives >
      • Coming Off Psych Drugs
  • Retreats for couples
    • workshops for better relationships
  • Store
    • Free Gift
  • Blog
    • IRL Misfit Mom Over 50

Spouse of
​Transgender or Non Binary Partner
Online Support

Picture
When you learn of your partner's gender identity transition, it is hard to know who you can talk to since it is such a private matter. Sometimes you don't yet have the freedom to talk with your friends and family if your person is not quite out. Your partner may be celebratory while you are in shock (normal), and you don't know where to take this grief. Your friends and family are sometimes clueless about how to respond in the way you need, or with love and respect as they deal with their own shock. They may need to catch up on what it all means and how best to be an ally for you and your partner.

For right now though, you as a spouses have a lot of your own questions or are just wondering, "where are the others like me?" You can meet people online who are in a similar situation or already successfully navigated through transitions. Start with the online lists, groups, and chats. The community is growing with 1.4 million transgender people in the US (Williams Institute
), the current estimates...that's a lot of partners too.

The internet is full of negativity and bashing of the relationship in transition. Mute that and move on to people with success stories. Below the video you can find places to visit online to get started on reading positive stories about learning you have a transgender or gender expression changing partner. If you find some new ones that are positive-please send to Shannon to add to this page.
​For in person cisgender Spouses' Group which is meeting by live video during the pandemic (when your partner is transgender or non binary and you aren't) click here. Or watch this video I made about the Portland, Oregon Spouses' Group (also on the in person page). This group is now open to eligible folks from CA and OR and does meet weekly on a drop in basis:

Transgender Partners

Resources for Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies of Transgender People 

My Partner is Trans Reddit site

Click here to read the Share Your Story archived positive stories thread

Have you got a great online group?

In 2020, Spouses Group expanded for Oregonians and Californians by live video session. See the Spouses Group page for more info. 
​
http://www.relationshipgardening.com/spouses-group.html
​

Send info to Shannon as to 
how to direct spouses to your supportive online spouses group at couplescoach@gmail.com to be considered for listing here.

Remember: love remains; we'll sort the rest out together.

Picture
Picture
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) for clients of Approved Member therapist Shannon Batts.
DONATE 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, Paypal.me/shannonbatts
​Thank you!
 
Gottman Approved Member
Proud Member of TherapyDen
verified by Psychology Today
Picture
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?
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!


​

www.couplesintransition.com and www.spousesgroup.com also arrive here at https://relationshipgardening.com/
so as to direct couples facing gender transition to excellence in support for making it through transition together.

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.  Marriage Counseling, couples' 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, gender affirming referral letters, 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. relationshipgardening.com

Photos used under Creative Commons from torbakhopper, tedeytan, tedeytan