Heather Branham, LCSW

Books

LOCAL to Asheville & WNC

Planned Parenthood - Asheville Health Center offers health care services, including hormone treatment, to clients who identify as LGBT.

Tranzmission is dedicated to making the lives of Transgender, Gender Variant, Non-Binary, and GenderQueer individuals healthier, happier and safer. Contact them at info@tranzmission.org for more details.

Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS) has offered high quality, culturally competent transgender health services since 2007.  Today, over 200 gender nonconforming patients including adults and adolescents are enrolled in their Transgender Health Program, which is available to residents of an 18-county service area of western North Carolina.  Those counties include:  Avery, Buncombe, Clay, Cherokee, Cleveland, Graham, Henderson, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey counties. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 828-285-0622 x2144.

Youth OUTright - Founded in 2009, Youth OUTright WNC, Inc. (YO) is the only youth advocacy and leadership non-profit organization in the region solely dedicated to empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual and allied (LGBTQIA+) youth ages 11-20 in Western North Carolina.

For Youth, Families, & Schools

Gender Spectrum is a organization based in the Bay Area dedicated to helping to create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens. Check out their incredible list of resources here. (This is a great place to start reading if your child has come out to you as transgender.) Connect with other teens, parents, and professionals in their virtual "Lounge" here.

Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network is a national education organization focused on ensuring safe and affirming schools for LGBTQ students.

Family Acceptance Project is a research, intervention, education and policy initiative that works to prevent health and mental health risks for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) children and youth, including suicide, homelessness and HIV – in the context of their families, cultures and faith communities. Check out their publications for excellent resources for families and professionals.

Supporting & Caring for Transgender Children explains how families and healthcare professionals are helping transgender children thrive. Produced in partnership between the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP), it reflects the experiences of expert clinicians, including pediatricians and mental health professionals—and features the families of transgender children from across the United States. Download the full guide here: http://www.hrc.org/resources/supporting-caring-for-transgender-children.

TSER: Transgender Student Educational Resources is a youth-led organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment. In addition to our focus on creating a more trans-friendly education system, our mission is to educate the public and teach trans activists how to be effective organizers. We believe that justice for trans and gender nonconforming youth is contingent on an intersectional framework of activism. Ending oppression is a long-term process that can only be achieved through collaborative action.

Healthcare

Center of Excellence for Transgender Health (CoE) is housed at the University of California, San Francisco. The Center's Transgender Health Learning Center includes resource inventories for a variety of audiences, including health care providers, researchers, community organizers, and individuals.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is a non-profit, interdisciplinary professional and educational organization devoted to transgender health. WPATH publishes the Standards of Care and Ethical Guidelines, which helps professionals understand best practices in the psychiatric, psychological, medical, and surgical treatment of transgender clients.

Vancouver Coastal Health Transgender Health Information Program is an information hub providing information about gender-affirming care and supports. Check out their medical page for information about hormones, gender-affirming surgeries, and sexual and reproductive health. While some of the resources are specific to Canada, much of the general information applies to U.S. patients.