Diane Ehrensaft
Biographic Data
| ID | 1267113 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Diane Ehrensaft |
| GIVEN NAMES | Diane |
| FAMILY NAME | Ehrensaft |
| SIGNATURE | EHRENSAFT D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2708-6310 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 108 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Scientific Integrity and Pediatric Gender Healthcare
Order 14187 ("Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation"; The President of the United States, 2025), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, 2025) released a review of pediatric gender care for transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) children and adolescents that is replete with factual errors, distorts current scientific evidence, and defies expert medical consensus.The review joins a growing list of White House-endorsed actio…
Healthcare Mistreatment is Associated With Psychological Distress, Suicidality, and Substance Use Among Transgender and Nonbinary Emerging Adults
Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) emerging adults in the United States experience mistreatment inside and outside healthcare settings, which may contribute to known mental health and substance use inequities. The purpose of our study was to examine associations between provider and healthcare setting mistreatment with past 30-day severe psychological distress, illicit substance use, binge drinking, and past year suicidal ideation among TNB emerging…
A look at Covid-19 and transgender youth through a psychoanalytic lens
Prepubertal social gender transitions
Background : This article provides a review and commentary on social transition of gender-expansive prepubertal youth, analyzing risks, and benefits based on a synthesis of research and clinical observation, highlighting controversies, and setting forth recommendations, including the importance of continued clinical research. Methods : This article involved: (1) a review and critique of the WPATH Standards of Care 7th edition guidelines on social…
Family Functioning and Mental Health of Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Youth in the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project
Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGN) youth are at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes, but better family functioning may be protective. This study describes TGN youth's mental health and associations with family functioning in a community-based sample. Participants were from 33 families (96 family members) and included 33 TGN youth, ages 13 to 17 years; 48 cisgender (non-transgender) caregivers; and 15 cisgender siblings. Part…
Lessons from a community-based participatory research study with transgender and gender nonconforming youth and their families
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) involves community members collaborating with academic investigators in each step of the research process. CBPR may be especially useful for research involving marginalized populations with unique perspectives and needs. In this paper, we discuss successes and challenges of using a CBPR approach for the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project, a longitudinal mixed-methods study to examine how the fam…
The Gender Affirmative Model
In the summer of 2013, Dr. Jack Drescher published an editorial opinion about gender-nonconforming children in the New York Times in which he stated: ‘‘Currently experts can't tell apart kids who outgrow gender dysphoria (desisters) from those who do not (persisters), and how to treat them is controversial'' [Drescher, 2013, p. 1]. As members of a four-site child gender clinic group, we concur with Dr. Drescher regarding the controversy, but take…
Look, Mom, I’m a Boy—Don't Tell Anyone I Was a Girl”
Interventions with a school-aged youth are presented to demonstrate a child's gender transition from female to male with the support of a single mother, grandmother, therapist, pediatric endocrinologist, gender education and advocacy group, and gender-affirming school. This single case study illustrates both the positive psychological effects of resilience-building therapy and family/community supports in facilitating a transition to an affirmed …
From Gender Identity Disorder to Gender Identity Creativity
True gender self child therapy is based on the premise of gender as a web that weaves together nature, nurture, and culture and allows for a myriad of healthy gender outcomes. This article presents concepts of true gender self, false gender self, and gender creativity as they operationalize in clinical work with children who need therapeutic supports to establish an authentic gender self while developing strategies for negotiating an environment …
Boys will be girls, girls will be boys
I'm a Prius”
This article presents the treatment of a young gender nonconforming boy caught in the cross-fire of a gender and cultural warfare between his divorced parents. D.G., of mixed Mexican/American heritage, went through a course of therapy which is presented to illustrate the fluidity of a child's gender identity and expressions and the need to take a developmental approach that allows for the unfolding of a child's authentic gender self over time. Th…
It Ain't Over Until the Fat Lady Sings
In full support of Marsha H. Levy-Warren's thesis that adolescence is another key focal point of oedipal negotiations, this discussion stretches the argument further, inviting us to dispense with the notion of normative developmental progression in oedipal resolution and replace it with a nonlinear model that makes room for variation, marginality, and multiplicity regarding gender and sexual identity, with none privileged over the other in defini…
Just Molly and Me, and Donor Makes Three
The psychological experiences of lesbian mothers, both coupled and single, are compared and contrasted with heterosexual and gay parents who use assisted reproductive technology, focusing on issues of parental desire, fertility, babies conceived from science rather than sex, presence of an outside party in conception, genetic asymmetry, social anxieties, legal protections, disclosure, and gender. The psychological meaning of the donor or surrogat…
Raising Girlyboys
An increasing number of children are expressing themselves in gender-expansive or gender-variant ways. A subgroup of those children are girlyboys: boys who accept themselves as boys but cross culturally defined gender lines in their attitudes, behaviors, and desires. Using clinical material, written accounts, and personal observations, this paper investigates the experience of parents raising these boys. Facilitative parenting is differentiated f…
Alternatives to the Stork Fatherhood Fantasies in Donor Insemination Families
Reproductive technology has presented a challenge to families and clinicians alike in making sense of the psychological experience when a child is born with the use of donated sperm or ova. This article addresses one specific aspect of this challenge: father imagos and fantasies for parents, donors, and children in donor insemination families. Pour psychodynamic issues are explored: denial of reality and denial of the Unconscious, the power of di…
Preschool child sex abuse
A case study is presented of girls who were among the preschool victims of sexual abuse linked to occult rituals that occurred at the Presidio Army Base Child Development Center. Components of the trauma, together with its effects on the victims and their families, are investigated, and implications for the mental health profession are discussed
Las feministas pelean contra (por) los padres
Las feministas pelean contra (por) los padres
From Gender Identity Disorder to Gender Identity Creativity
True gender self child therapy is based on the premise of gender as a web that weaves together nature, nurture, and culture and allows for a myriad of healthy gender outcomes. This article presents concepts of true gender self, false gender self, and gender creativity as they operationalize in clinical work with children who need therapeutic supports to establish an authentic gender self while developing strategies for negotiating an environment …
Family Functioning and Mental Health of Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Youth in the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project
Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGN) youth are at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes, but better family functioning may be protective. This study describes TGN youth's mental health and associations with family functioning in a community-based sample. Participants were from 33 families (96 family members) and included 33 TGN youth, ages 13 to 17 years; 48 cisgender (non-transgender) caregivers; and 15 cisgender siblings. Part…
Prepubertal social gender transitions
Background : This article provides a review and commentary on social transition of gender-expansive prepubertal youth, analyzing risks, and benefits based on a synthesis of research and clinical observation, highlighting controversies, and setting forth recommendations, including the importance of continued clinical research. Methods : This article involved: (1) a review and critique of the WPATH Standards of Care 7th edition guidelines on social…
Raising Girlyboys
An increasing number of children are expressing themselves in gender-expansive or gender-variant ways. A subgroup of those children are girlyboys: boys who accept themselves as boys but cross culturally defined gender lines in their attitudes, behaviors, and desires. Using clinical material, written accounts, and personal observations, this paper investigates the experience of parents raising these boys. Facilitative parenting is differentiated f…
Alternatives to the Stork Fatherhood Fantasies in Donor Insemination Families
Reproductive technology has presented a challenge to families and clinicians alike in making sense of the psychological experience when a child is born with the use of donated sperm or ova. This article addresses one specific aspect of this challenge: father imagos and fantasies for parents, donors, and children in donor insemination families. Pour psychodynamic issues are explored: denial of reality and denial of the Unconscious, the power of di…
Just Molly and Me, and Donor Makes Three
The psychological experiences of lesbian mothers, both coupled and single, are compared and contrasted with heterosexual and gay parents who use assisted reproductive technology, focusing on issues of parental desire, fertility, babies conceived from science rather than sex, presence of an outside party in conception, genetic asymmetry, social anxieties, legal protections, disclosure, and gender. The psychological meaning of the donor or surrogat…
Lessons from a community-based participatory research study with transgender and gender nonconforming youth and their families
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) involves community members collaborating with academic investigators in each step of the research process. CBPR may be especially useful for research involving marginalized populations with unique perspectives and needs. In this paper, we discuss successes and challenges of using a CBPR approach for the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project, a longitudinal mixed-methods study to examine how the fam…
Look, Mom, I’m a Boy—Don't Tell Anyone I Was a Girl”
Interventions with a school-aged youth are presented to demonstrate a child's gender transition from female to male with the support of a single mother, grandmother, therapist, pediatric endocrinologist, gender education and advocacy group, and gender-affirming school. This single case study illustrates both the positive psychological effects of resilience-building therapy and family/community supports in facilitating a transition to an affirmed …
Preschool child sex abuse
A case study is presented of girls who were among the preschool victims of sexual abuse linked to occult rituals that occurred at the Presidio Army Base Child Development Center. Components of the trauma, together with its effects on the victims and their families, are investigated, and implications for the mental health profession are discussed
Las feministas pelean contra (por) los padres
Las feministas pelean contra (por) los padres
Alternatives to the Stork Fatherhood Fantasies in Donor Insemination Families
Reproductive technology has presented a challenge to families and clinicians alike in making sense of the psychological experience when a child is born with the use of donated sperm or ova. This article addresses one specific aspect of this challenge: father imagos and fantasies for parents, donors, and children in donor insemination families. Pour psychodynamic issues are explored: denial of reality and denial of the Unconscious, the power of di…
Raising Girlyboys
An increasing number of children are expressing themselves in gender-expansive or gender-variant ways. A subgroup of those children are girlyboys: boys who accept themselves as boys but cross culturally defined gender lines in their attitudes, behaviors, and desires. Using clinical material, written accounts, and personal observations, this paper investigates the experience of parents raising these boys. Facilitative parenting is differentiated f…
It Ain't Over Until the Fat Lady Sings
In full support of Marsha H. Levy-Warren's thesis that adolescence is another key focal point of oedipal negotiations, this discussion stretches the argument further, inviting us to dispense with the notion of normative developmental progression in oedipal resolution and replace it with a nonlinear model that makes room for variation, marginality, and multiplicity regarding gender and sexual identity, with none privileged over the other in defini…
Just Molly and Me, and Donor Makes Three
The psychological experiences of lesbian mothers, both coupled and single, are compared and contrasted with heterosexual and gay parents who use assisted reproductive technology, focusing on issues of parental desire, fertility, babies conceived from science rather than sex, presence of an outside party in conception, genetic asymmetry, social anxieties, legal protections, disclosure, and gender. The psychological meaning of the donor or surrogat…
I'm a Prius”
This article presents the treatment of a young gender nonconforming boy caught in the cross-fire of a gender and cultural warfare between his divorced parents. D.G., of mixed Mexican/American heritage, went through a course of therapy which is presented to illustrate the fluidity of a child's gender identity and expressions and the need to take a developmental approach that allows for the unfolding of a child's authentic gender self over time. Th…
Boys will be girls, girls will be boys
From Gender Identity Disorder to Gender Identity Creativity
True gender self child therapy is based on the premise of gender as a web that weaves together nature, nurture, and culture and allows for a myriad of healthy gender outcomes. This article presents concepts of true gender self, false gender self, and gender creativity as they operationalize in clinical work with children who need therapeutic supports to establish an authentic gender self while developing strategies for negotiating an environment …
The Gender Affirmative Model
In the summer of 2013, Dr. Jack Drescher published an editorial opinion about gender-nonconforming children in the New York Times in which he stated: ‘‘Currently experts can't tell apart kids who outgrow gender dysphoria (desisters) from those who do not (persisters), and how to treat them is controversial'' [Drescher, 2013, p. 1]. As members of a four-site child gender clinic group, we concur with Dr. Drescher regarding the controversy, but take…
Look, Mom, I’m a Boy—Don't Tell Anyone I Was a Girl”
Interventions with a school-aged youth are presented to demonstrate a child's gender transition from female to male with the support of a single mother, grandmother, therapist, pediatric endocrinologist, gender education and advocacy group, and gender-affirming school. This single case study illustrates both the positive psychological effects of resilience-building therapy and family/community supports in facilitating a transition to an affirmed …
Prepubertal social gender transitions
Background : This article provides a review and commentary on social transition of gender-expansive prepubertal youth, analyzing risks, and benefits based on a synthesis of research and clinical observation, highlighting controversies, and setting forth recommendations, including the importance of continued clinical research. Methods : This article involved: (1) a review and critique of the WPATH Standards of Care 7th edition guidelines on social…
Family Functioning and Mental Health of Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Youth in the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project
Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGN) youth are at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes, but better family functioning may be protective. This study describes TGN youth's mental health and associations with family functioning in a community-based sample. Participants were from 33 families (96 family members) and included 33 TGN youth, ages 13 to 17 years; 48 cisgender (non-transgender) caregivers; and 15 cisgender siblings. Part…
Lessons from a community-based participatory research study with transgender and gender nonconforming youth and their families
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) involves community members collaborating with academic investigators in each step of the research process. CBPR may be especially useful for research involving marginalized populations with unique perspectives and needs. In this paper, we discuss successes and challenges of using a CBPR approach for the Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project, a longitudinal mixed-methods study to examine how the fam…
A look at Covid-19 and transgender youth through a psychoanalytic lens
Healthcare Mistreatment is Associated With Psychological Distress, Suicidality, and Substance Use Among Transgender and Nonbinary Emerging Adults
Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) emerging adults in the United States experience mistreatment inside and outside healthcare settings, which may contribute to known mental health and substance use inequities. The purpose of our study was to examine associations between provider and healthcare setting mistreatment with past 30-day severe psychological distress, illicit substance use, binge drinking, and past year suicidal ideation among TNB emerging…
Scientific Integrity and Pediatric Gender Healthcare
Order 14187 ("Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation"; The President of the United States, 2025), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, 2025) released a review of pediatric gender care for transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) children and adolescents that is replete with factual errors, distorts current scientific evidence, and defies expert medical consensus.The review joins a growing list of White House-endorsed actio…
Psychology (15 works) · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (10 works) · Developmental psychology (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Gender Roles and Identity Studies (7 works) · Gender Studies (6 works) · Reproductive Health and Technologies (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Transgender (6 works) · Gender Studies (5 works)