How to Set Gender Transition Goals According to a Gender Psychologist!
Jumping into transition without goal-setting creates overwhelm—Dr. Z breaks down three goal types to organize your transition and stay focused.
Goal 1: Main transition goal. Define what transition means for you right now—full congruency? Achieving passability? Minimizing dysphoria? Being very clear on this big overall goal is imperative, even if it changes with time.
Goal 2: Stretch goals (mini goals). Elements of the bigger goal that happen relatively quickly and give immediate results. Examples: top surgery (make appointment, get surgery, wake up with desired chest), starting hormones (see doctor, get prescription, start), setting up therapy session and feeling better.
Goal 3: Maintenance goals. Little things that take time and require patience—the most difficult and frustrating goals. Examples: continuously taking hormones, hair removal (takes 6-18+ months), voice therapy, growing hair out, waiting for HRT results, affirming yourself with loved ones until they use your pronouns. These feel like nothing is happening but they will happen—they're like popcorn that suddenly starts popping after you don't see results for a while.
Watch to find out why having this outlined keeps you organized and focused versus shooting in the dark when dysphoria strikes, why maintenance goals are the hardest part of transition, and how breaking down goals this way helps you celebrate wins and see progress.
