Grace Michelle O’Connor, a Primary Therapist at Westwind Recovery, on the challenges facing Transgender-identified persons upon entering treatment
Westwind Recovery has one of the most dedicated staffs I have ever had the pleasure to work with,” states Grace Michelle O’Connor, a Primary Therapist at the facility.
“Every client is a part of the family, whether they have been here a day or a year. Westwind also stresses fun and adventure in recovery. It can’t be all about steps and meetings, as important as those things are. Clients need to find a reason to get and stay sober, so the more they are exposed to, the greater the likelihood they will find that thing, that passion, that will carry them through the trials and tribulations of sobriety.”
O’Connor, a Trans woman, says that “Transgender-identified persons face many challenges upon entering treatment.”
“Any discussion of the Transgender person must consider the milieu from which the Transgender person derives. Suicide and self-harm rates are higher in the Trans community than they are in the cisgender population, as are acts of Intimate Partner violence, under and unemployment, and mental health challenges. Those rates for Trans folks are higher even than their LGBQ+ counterparts. So when the Trans-identified individual enters the treatment milieu they have already experienced significant marginalization and oppression as a result of their Transgender status. What is required of the treatment program is a space that respects and understands the Transgender experience. Respecting client’s pronouns, providing a space to address Trans-specific trauma; providing resources are only a few aspects of the treatment that are essential for Trans persons in recovery to thrive.”
“I am proud of the work we are doing at Westwind to provide that environment and those resources,” says O’Connor. “We have an LGBTQ+ specific track that educates Trans client’s on their rich and diverse history, a space that allows client’s the opportunity to expand their understanding of their own Transgender experience and a staff that is familiar with the specific needs Transgender persons in recovery require to find sobriety and reach their full potential. It has been wonderful to watch our Transgender population grow and see them re-integrate into society as the very best versions of themselves. It is awe inspiring!”
For more info visit www.westwindrecovery.com
