Everyone has a gender identity—a feeling or sense of being masculine, feminine or something else. Sometimes people’s gender identity matches their bodies, and sometimes it does not. When someone is born with a penis and identifies as a girl or born with a vagina and identifies as a boy, this person may have a gender identity called “transgender.”

The changes of puberty can make any person feel anxious, and it’s possible a person who is transgender may feel especially anxious when their bodies start to change in ways that don’t necessarily match their gender identity. These feelings are totally normal.

If your body is changing in ways that do not match how you feel inside, it may be helpful to talk with a trusted adult such as a parent, caregiver, school-based counsellor, teacher, or health care provider. These adults may be able to help affirm your gender identity and explore ways to support your pubertal development that are more in line with your affirmed gender.

For the trans youth identifying safe people to confide in can be difficult. People familiar to the child may be able to provide emotional support, however are not always knowledgeable about information that can help a trans-youth navigate through the physical changes they are experiencing through puberty. Nor are these adults able to help them navigate the social pressures and self-esteem difficulties that can be experienced by a society that often lacks understanding and inclusion. This can leave gender-diverse youth isolated and extremely vulnerable.

As well as being a Clinical Sexologist is a person that supports people to understand the diversity of gender in humankind, Dave Wells has also worked extensively with gender diverse people, as well as the transgender community. He is equipped through these experiences with the professional networks that are essential for referral in areas that are outside of his scope for example, being able to refer a person to a particular medical practitioner who, importantly specialises in supporting people who identify as a different gender to what they were assigned at birth. This professional can assist with future goals of hormone therapy and surgical changes, should the individual choose to go down this path. Even more importantly has empathy and can create a dialog of respect, acceptance, and a broader knowledge, all of which are necessary for the individual to feel comfort and safety to discuss any health needs. Dave Wells can not only initiate referral process with a suitable specialist but also offers to accompany and support the person through the medical process.

Summing up, Dave Wells does not identify gender by a person’s genitalia, nor necessarily how that person presents. Gender is how a person identifies and whatever choice the person has made about their gender he respects it. Whether a person identifies as being transgender, female, male, or fluid, Dave Wells works with the person to express themselves their way, and to develop the strength of self-acceptance as well as an extended family and professional life characterised by inclusion and harmony.