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Client Profile

The name of the client is Jacqueline, originally Jack. Jacqueline is a 25-year-old,

transgender female. She is an immigrant from Brazil who came to Canada with her family in

2016. She graduated from college with a General Arts and Sciences diploma but couldn’t find a

job related to her studies. She works full-time at a bar and has trouble affording medications and

therapy. She has a mother, a father, and an older sister named Martha. She moved out of her

parents’ house with her sister, and they share an apartment together. Her support system is

consisted of her best friend Sarah, her gay friend Tim, and an online support group. In terms of

spirituality, she considers herself an agnostic. Her leisure activities are watching movies,

listening to music, and knitting.

Jacqueline had always felt different. She grew up in an invalidating environment, often

shaming her for being feminine. She was pressured to act in a masculine way, and she always

found it hard. When she came to Canada with her family, she talked to a doctor and started her

transitioning. Her family were not supportive, and they oftentimes reproached her for the

decision she made. She started hormone-replacement therapy two years ago and had to go

through a lot of side effects. She had to pay for medications, so she started borrowing money

from her sister while she was at school. Her parents became more distant and would shame her

sometimes. She moved out to get rid of the negative influence her parents had on her. Her sister,

although supporting the transition, has expressed negative feelings towards her not paying for

rent when her work hours are cut. She is overwhelmed with her increasing financial need due to

treatment costs, her emotional instability and inner shame, and her toxic relationship with her

parents. She has two best friends. Sarah is her best friend and had always been there for her. Tim
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is her gay friend, and he is in a relationship with another man. However, Tim’s boyfriend

sometimes feels insecure and expresses his dissatisfaction about Tim hanging out with

Jacqueline, in turn making the friendship hard to maintain. She needs a safe place to talk,

suggestions on how to manage her emotions, how to handle the relationship with her family, and

possibly any financial assistance available.

I have chosen this profile because I am interested in knowing more about diversity in

gender identity and the specific challenges posed on these communities. I have chosen Brazil

because I’ve encountered people from that country, and other South American countries, that

have expressed certain biases, jokes, and intolerances of gay and transgender people. Through

profile practice and doing research, I will get a clearer picture of what being trans is like, and

how families of trans people magnify the challenges they have by excluding them. I wanted also

to know more about the violence trans people encounter in third world countries. I’m also

interested in knowing the financial challenges specific to being a trans woman. Knowing more

will help me develop better connections and understanding of trans women in case I come across

a client.

According to Spizziri et al. (2021), transgender people make up 0.69% of the Brazilian

population. Violence against the transgender population, and specifically murder, in Brazil has

been the highest in the world: “According to the Transgender Europe organization, in 2020,

Brazil also remained in first place among the nations that kill the most transgender people

worldwide for the 13th consecutive year.” (Sundré, 2021). Brazilian trans people are facing

greater psychological challenges as suicide rates soar in Brazil “The number of trans people - 16

- who died by suicide in the first six months of 2020 is a third higher than last year as well,
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ANTRA said.” (Lopez, 2020). In terms of transitioning, the costs can be financially crippling to

many people, especially recent immigrants. As stated in CNN:

Many transgender people transition without surgery. Some say they don’t want surgery,

or are interested in only some of the medical options available. But many cite the cost of

the procedures – potentially more than $100,000 out of pocket – and the lack of insurance

coverage as a barrier to their transition. Still, they worry about how going without might

affect their mental health and safety. (Jackson, 2015).

While transitioning, transgender women suffer from various side effects that can be challenging,

as indicated in the following: “Many trans women are interested in estrogen through injection.

Estrogen injections tend to cause very high and fluctuating estrogen levels which can cause

mood swings, weight gain, hot flashes, anxiety or migraines.” (Deutsch, 2020). Unfortunately,

families of transsexual persons can be a source of distress when they choose not to accept the

reality of the transformation, making the transsexual person suffer alone psychologically and

financially as stated in the following: “The process is also anguishing, in that transsexuals often

face rejection from family and friends. In addition, there are the problems of finding ways to pay

for therapy, electrolysis, hormone treatment, and surgery.” (Mason-Schrock, 1996). Transgender

people tend to feel alone more than the general population according to the following: “Of the

1,009 young people from within London who were surveyed, 40 per cent of trans young people

expressed feelings of loneliness “all of the time”, compared to 15 per cent of girls and 14 per

cent of boys who don’t identify as transgender.” (Duffy, 2020). Suicidality, as mentioned earlier,

is something trans people can suffer from. However, certain factors can help reduce the risk of

suicide as stated in the following: “Social support, reduced transphobia, and having any personal

identification documents changed to an appropriate sex designation were associated with large
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relative and absolute reductions in suicide risk, as was completing a medical transition through

hormones and/or surgeries (when needed).” (Bauer, Scheim, Pyne, Travers, & Hammond, 2015).
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References

Bauer, G.R., Scheim, A.I., Pyne, J., Travers, R., Hammond, R. (2015). Intervenable factors

associated with suicide risk in transgender persons: a respondent driven sampling study in

Ontario, Canada. BMC Public Health, 15, 525. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1867-

Deutsch, M. (2020, July). Information of Estrogen Hormone Therapy. UCSF Transgender Care.

https://transcare.ucsf.edu/article/information-estrogen-hormone-therapy

Duffy, N. (2020, August 28). Trans young people much more likely to say they’re lonely ‘all the

time’, according to new data. inews.co.uk. https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/transgender-

young-people-loneliness-612821

Jackson, A. (2015, July, 31). The high cost of being transgender. CNN.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/31/health/transgender-costs-irpt/index.html

Lopez, O. (2020, September, 8). Reported murders, suicides of trans people soar in Brazil.

Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-lgbt-murders-trfn-idUSKBN25Z31O

Mason-Schrock, D. (1996). Transsexuals’ narrative construction of the “true self.” Social

Psychology Quarterly, 59, 176

Spizziri, G., Eufrásio, R., Lima, M.C.P., Nunes, H.R.C., Kreukels, B.P.C., Steensma, T.D.,

Abdo, C.H.N. (2021). Proportion of people identified as transgender and non-binary

gender in Brazil. Science Reports, 11(2240). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81411-4

Sundré, L. (2021, January, 29). Brazil: transgender murders increased 41% in 2020. (Í. Piva,

Trans.). Brazil de Fato. https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2021/01/29/brazil-transgender-

murders-increased-41-in-2020