Gender-diverse youth are children and adolescents who experience their gender in a way that is different than their assigned sex at birth. This includes (but is not limited to) people who identify as transgender, nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, or gender non-conforming. These youth often face an overwhelming number of challenges to their overall health and emotional well-being, including experiences of discrimination, rejection, or lack of access to healthcare services. Elevated rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidality are commonly experienced by gender-diverse individuals. Longitudinal studies on the effects of access to gender-affirming medical interventions for youth and young adults have demonstrated reductions in psychological distress and improvements in quality of life.

To address these needs, the number of pediatric multidisciplinary gender health programs has grown rapidly over the past decade. Pediatric psychologists often function as integral team members within these clinics, providing diagnostic evaluations, therapeutic support services for the patient and their family, and/or assessment of patient readiness for undergoing gender-affirming medical/surgical intervention, in addition to engaging in broader advocacy efforts aimed at supporting the gender-diverse community. However, significant variation in clinical practice exists between centers of care, need for services has largely outpaced the available empirical literature regarding best practices, and many psychologists lack formal training in gender-affirming care.