“Not Feeling Seen”: A Feminist Analysis of Clinical Training Experiences of Transgender and Gender Expansive Students

There is little known about the clinical supervision experiences of transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive (TNG) graduate students, despite supervision being a central part of the training experience for health service psychologists. In this study, we used reflexive thematic analysis informed by intersectional feminist perspectives to analyze the clinical training experiences of fourteen TNG graduate students in counseling psychology. Analysis yielded seven themes and two subthemes, which are discussed along with representative quotes: gender bias, power analysis, non-prioritization of trainee needs, evaluating safety with power holders, personal is political, balancing visibility and authenticity, and coalition building. Results reveal the importance of supervisors being proactive in their exploration of their own gender, the role of power in supervision, and creating an inclusive space to explore professional identity. Implications for advocating for social change to support TNG trainees in the context of hierarchical clinical training systems are offered.