ECP Counseling Psychology LGBTQ+ Emphasis Announces First Practicum at New County of Santa Clara Gender Affirming Care Clinic
“We have amazing ‘trans-cestors’ who have fought so hard for this and for gender diverse care to be brought to the forefront. On the shoulders of our trans-cestors, we’re really fighting hard to close that gap.”
This upcoming academic year, Michael Kiggins, a Counseling Psychology student in the Santa Clara University School of Education & Counseling Psychology (ECP) LGBTQ+ Emphasis, will hold the first ever Practicum spot at the new County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Gender Affirming Care Clinic. ECP is proud to establish this partnership, as the new practicum spot is a significant step forward for both the highlighting of gender care in graduate counseling psychology education, and the growth of gender care in Santa Clara County. Outside of therapy rooms, the Gender Affirming Care Clinic team writes positive messages for clients to see as they exit their sessions.
The Clinic
Opening the doors to its physical location in December 2023, the County of Santa Clara Gender Affirming Care Clinic represents a culmination of dedication and advocacy by County officials and staff to open a clinic for gender affirming mental health support. Headed by Program Manager Ben Geilhufe, LPCC, the clinic is a unique offering not only within the County, but for gender affirming care as a whole.
“There really isn’t a whole lot like our clinic out there,” says Geilhufe. “Not only are we one of few county-operated clinics devoted to gender diverse clients, but we are also one of the few that accept Medi-Cal and uninsured clients. We’re also one of the few out there that support both youth and adult clients under one roof, and we go beyond the usual 10-12 threshold to support youth as young as five years old.”
The clinic houses a library of literature focused on the queer and gender diverse experience.
A hub for gender affirming resources, County and community service information, and education for caregivers and people with questions about gender diversity, the Gender Affirming Care Clinic aims to find a way to support every person that walks through their door. In addition to mental health support provided by on-staff clinicians and medication support by a psychiatrist, the clinic also houses a library of literature focused on the queer and gender diverse experience and an inventory of gender affirming garments that folks can browse and try-on on-site.
Each client that comes in for mental health support not only sees a clinician, but also works closely with a Mental Health Peer Support Worker that provides both practical and emotional support on their journeys. “A day for me can consist of anything from helping people to fill out the forms necessary to change their gender designation to accompanying them in buying gender affirming clothes together for the first time,” says Mental Health Peer Support Worker and current ECP Counseling Psychology student Ves Mahanian.
When tasked with developing the clinic and getting it off the ground, Geilhufe was intentional about creating a space and hiring staff that would help the clinic achieve its goal of being a safe space for anyone who walks in. “We welcome people across language capacity, abilities, race, ethnic background, citizen status, and more. With this in mind, I’ve been mindful to hire a diverse staff and ensure they’re all doing the work that’s needed to be able to support people with identities that differ from their own,” says Geilhufe. “We’ve also worked really hard to create a space where all who come in feel at ease and seen.”
With the intention of curating a warm, colorful space so everyone who walks in feels welcome, the clinic worked with local queer and trans artists to create artistic representations of the clinic's values, including liberation, community, and joy. The art series is shown here on the walls of the clinic lobby.
This carefully crafted space and team is what makes the clinic such a special place to work, and such a rich experience for an incoming practicum trainee.
“It’s a dream job, truly. Having coworkers that bring their own rich personal journeys to this work is something I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before in a workplace. I’ve never seen a space so quickly loving and warm to people, and you never feel alone, which makes it the perfect place for a practicum trainee to learn and grow,” says Mahanian.
The Practicum
In adding a practicum trainee to the team, Geilhufe is not only continuing to diversify the experiences that the staff brings to the clinic, but also bringing the clinic closer to his goal of it being a teaching clinic. “I’ve gathered quite a bit of gender knowledge over the years, but I’m just one person. I’d love to be able to spread that knowledge,” says Geilhufe. “I want the clinic to be a place of learning from practicum through licensure, because every clinician should be able to support gender diverse folks.”
Kiggins and future practicum trainees will have the opportunity to work directly with clients, and apply didactic knowledge to hosting individual and group therapy, supporting drop-in hours, psychoeducation, and research support. They’ll also get crucial exposure to working within a Medi-Cal system, which serves people who are unhoused, food insecure, inexperienced with mental health care, or may carry some sort of medical trauma.
“I’m just so happy to be part of the clinic’s growth and just be in the room – a place filled with training opportunities, resources, and collaboration with compassionate people that are all so passionate about what they do,” says Kiggins. “I want to incorporate social justice and intersectionality into whatever practice I end up doing, and help my clients resist and overcome the oppressions they face. In this position, I’m able to be work alongside colleQTive and figure out how best to do this.”
Ben Geilhufe, Ves Mahanian, and the Gender Affirming Care Clinic team.
A Growing Emphasis
The new practicum spot is also a signal of the growing LGBTQ+ emphasis at ECP – an Emphasis that is not only one of few but an especially important part of students’ educational and personal experiences at the university.
“As a queer, non-binary, Filipino American, it’s been pivotal for me to find a tight knit group of peers within the Emphasis who either share my identities or values or a combination of the two. I was expecting to just come here, get my degree, and move on. But the people I’ve met here have not only become a professional network but also an essential support system for me,” says Kiggins.
“I went through my process of gender exploration about 20 years ago, when there weren’t a lot of people doing gender care, and those that were, weren’t really adequately trained. It’s amazing that there are gender-focused programs being supported by institutions like Santa Clara University, and by the County,” says Geilhufe. “When these larger institutions are able to see how impactful it is to devote funding and time to creating something like the Emphasis and this clinic, the impact is just massive. I feel grateful for these larger institutions and I hope more counties and MA programs follow suit.”