(paperback, 200 pages) Boston, Mass., Different Path Press, 1996.
Reviewed by Ms. Lee Etscovitz, Ed.D.
As the reviewer of Counseling in Genderland, I want to say to the book's author: "Thank you, Niela Miller, for writing so clearly about a variety of issues basic to the transgender experience. Although you are addressing counselors, at the same time you are speaking to all who are transgendered as well as those who live and work with them. Thank you for your sensitive, caring, and perceptive presentation of a complex phenomenon."
At first glance, Counseling in Genderland, with its large print and easy to read format, looks overly simplistic, but appearances are deceiving. The depth is there, as well as a breadth of topics. Ms. Miller discusses, for example, the counseling process in terms of the client's agenda, stages of gender development, and problem areas. A very insightful section of the book deals with relationships, especially in couples and families. Some well-written personal histories give a real immediacy to the discussion, though throughout the book there is a sense of the here and now and thus the reality of it all. Some bibliographical and organizational listings provide a helpful resource for further inquiry, study, and help.
The whole book, and therefore the author's whole approach to counseling, places gender change in the wider context of personal growth. This placement reflects Ms. Miller's overall humanistic orientation. At the end of the volume she presents what she sees as future trends, primarily involving social acceptance of the transgendered. Whether what she says constitutes trends or possibilities or a combination of both may be a matter of debate, but the sense of optimism and hopefulness predominates.
For those who educate and counsel the transgendered, this book is immensely valuable as an overall guide to the helping process, for it provides a workable perspective. For the transgendered themselves who are seeking education and guidance concerning their usually difficult and often puzzling situation, this book provides a basis for evaluating professional help. Again, "Thank you, Niela Miller. "