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This paper was developed as part of a panel for the International Psychoanalytic Association's (IPA) 53rd Congress in July 2023. In this paper I discuss treatment with students from the American University of Afghanistan as part of a team at New York University's Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. The paper reviews the themes that I identified while working with three students from the university. The themes include issues of identity and power, role confusion, and finally the question "am I doing a good thing?" Simultaneously, I discuss my own countertransferential process and disavowed material based on my own cultural background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Identity Process Treatment Model for transgender and gender-nonconforming clients addresses an important development in the identity development models. Specifically, this theory and treatment model provide an alternative or adjunct to existing stage theories. Unique to this model is the ability to understand how the client's identity is impacted by their day-to-day experiences. We propose that clients adopt an identity style that they rely upon in most situations. In this model we discuss three different identity styles and the style that is expected to be the most adaptable and to promote psychological health across time. A six-step treatment model is provided to guide clinicians providing service to transgender and gender-nonconforming clients. These steps include an assessment period, conceptualizing the client's identity style, providing psychoeducation to both the client and support system, working toward a more balanced identity style, and consolidating the learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]