We recently connected with Casey Weitzman and have shared our conversation below.

Casey, appreciate you joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

I grew up in a family where marriage was stressed upon me, I realized that as a young, gay person, getting married would never be in the cards for me. (I didn’t know any gay people) I fell in love with my first girlfriend at 15. We had no idea what it was but we knew we couldn’t talk about it publicly. I felt so alienated because of this secret, so I tried to keep “normal” by going to prom and on dates with boys. Fast forward some time and I ended up getting my first job with GLASS in which i finally saw people out and thriving. i was so happy to have a job where i could be myself. i began to think of all the people much like me that has been hiding from life and opportunities because of who they love. It was at that job and during this time that i met a cis woman that identified as lesbian, but did not believe she was a woman. I was deeply intrigued. I started to wonder, how can I help this person? Curiosity led me.

If you say you’re just a “therapist” i knew i’d be one of a thousand people doing the same thing. I knew i needed to find a niche, and it happened organically. I leaned into this woman and her story, not knowing that the beauty and complexity of transgender people would become my life’s work.

Casey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi everyone, my name is Casey and I am the President and Founder of Gender Wellness of Los Angeles. I have been a licensed marriage and family therapist for over 34 years, counseling children and adults who are exploring gender identity and/or sexual orientation. In addition to working one-on-one with my clients, I may work with their support systems, including their partner, spouse, parents, employer or friends.

I am an active member of WPATH (World Professional Association of Transgender Health), CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists), and AAMFT (American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists).

Through the years of my interactions with clients, along with my own life experience, has shown me the reason why many of us do not pursue what we want. It is due to feeling unworthy. We all share a desire of fitting in and being accepted by our peers. It becomes critical that we address this self-acceptance first. Healing the practice of self-recriminations and self-judgments is my priority. For when we learn to accept ourselves, it becomes an easier journey to ask others to accept us in return. Oftentimes, it is our own judgments that hold us back from living a full and authentic life. There is nothing inherently wrong with being true to ourselves and expressing ourselves fully, and not what others think we should be.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My family and support system did not believe in my vision as a therapist…i listened to them, but I continued to move forward in my journey. I was so honored to be a non trans person that was trusted by transgender individuals.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Perseverance. Resilience. Deep belief. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it or you will not succeed. If you have a belief just go for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://genwell.org
• Instagram: @genderwellnessla