Counceling Turkish immigrant families with transgender members

Immigrants with origins in Turkey expect that specialists from Turkey will understand them better and take a sensitive approach regarding our cultural values. Consequently, during their holidays they come to their native... [ view full abstract ]

Immigrants with origins in Turkey expect that specialists from Turkey will understand them better and take a sensitive approach regarding our cultural values. Consequently, during their holidays they come to their native physicians for counseling. This assumption is especially prevalent with elder immigrants when there are issues about sexuality and sexual identity.

The aim of this presentation is to describe transgender Turkish individuals and their families who live in different European countries. Secondly, our methods of working with immigrant families who have TG members in them... [ view full abstract ]

The aim of this presentation is to describe transgender Turkish individuals and their families who live in different European countries.
Secondly, our methods of working with immigrant families who have TG members in them will be described.

Families have a difficult time understanding, accompanying and supporting transgender individuals, it’s a difficult situation to empathize with. They may think that specialists who are not from their culture might not be sufficient to evaluate them. Some families might bring TG individuals to specialists in their hometown and request the specialist to make them give up their will to sex-change.

Families’ coming from different backgrounds for consultation and their demands will be explained with single case examples. Counceling: First meetings were done with individuals claiming to be TG. Their story and their... [ view full abstract ]

Families’ coming from different backgrounds for consultation and their demands will be explained with single case examples.
Counceling: First meetings were done with individuals claiming to be TG. Their story and their reason for help seeking was understood during intake interview.
Then, we met with families. In family members meetings, focus was on understanding their personalities, socio-cultural specificities, especially their understanding regarding faith and traditional living.

During interviews, family members repeatedly asked the same questions in different forms like the repetition of traumatized people. Even though they started their talk by saying that they came to us to obtain scientific... [ view full abstract ]

During interviews, family members repeatedly asked the same questions in different forms like the repetition of traumatized people. Even though they started their talk by saying that they came to us to obtain scientific information, they tried to dictate us what had to be done to their children or siblings.

The level of their religious commitment and the degree of conservatism played an important role in rejecting their children’s’ and siblings’ transformation. It was seen that there were individuals within the same family with different levels of acceptance. In situations when it was appropriate, watching a film made by families of TG individuals helped them.

The principals of working with people who come from Europe are esentially not any different from the ones we do with individuals who live in Turkey. Similar themes like religion and family are always on the forefront,... [ view full abstract ]

The principals of working with people who come from Europe are esentially not any different from the ones we do with individuals who live in Turkey. Similar themes like religion and family are always on the forefront, whether they live in Turkey or in Europe. Immigrants live as extended families with remote control who are always in interaction with each other even if they live as nuclear families. Naturally, not all family members were similar in attitude and behavior. We supported family members who were close to understanding to be discovered. The only difference was, that the immigrant TGs were also living the difficulties of being immigrants during the “I want both my family and my identity” process.

Our observations show that TG individuals of migrant families living in different countries experience the same ostracisation, pressure and violence from their families same as the TGs living in Turkey. These families living... [ view full abstract ]

Our observations show that TG individuals of migrant families living in different countries experience the same ostracisation, pressure and violence from their families same as the TGs living in Turkey. These families living in foreign countries believe that the “acceptance” of TGs belongs to others, those “foreigners” and that professionals there are incapable of assessing the situation. That’s why they come to seek help from doctors who they hope and think will understand their values. They think that’s how they’ll stop their relatives from becoming TG. Professionals might also have a hard time assesing the difficulties of TG people and approaching them. While TG families living in Turkey frequently say “this doesn’t happen in our family, these are other families’ problems”, Turkish families living abroad have the prejudice that “this doesn’t happen to Turks.”