CW: This episode contains a sustained description of self harm from 2:19-2:33

During Dr Helen Webberley’s hearing we’re bringing you Transitions, a new mini-series from the GenderGP podcast. GenderGP team member, Cleo Madeleine, will be joined by members of the community to talk about the journeys they have been on, the transitions they have been through and the moments that changed everything.

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 The GenderGP PodcastTransitions: MarianneHi there. My name is Cleo Madeleine from GenderGP, and I'm stepping in for Dr. Helen Webberley for a special new mini-series of the GenderGP Podcast. Over the next few weeks, we'll hear firsthand accounts from members of the community about the journeys they've been on the transitions they've been through and the moments that changed everything.

Cleo Madeleine:Hi everybody, and welcome to the show. My name is Cleo Madeleine, my pronouns are she/her, and here with me today is Marianne Oakes. Marianne, could you just tell us a little bit about yourself and what it is you do here with GenderGP?

Marianne Oakes:So, yes. I think it's pretty well documented. I am a trans woman. I'm proud of that. I am also the lead therapist at GenderGP, which basically means I just always see the other counsellors, make sure that they're, you know, if they have any dilemmas working with any of our patients that you've got the support that they need, or if they've, you know, if they're challenged in any way. But ultimately I'd like to think that I take charge of the emotional wellbeing of all the patients at GenderGP in some kind of way. And again, I also make sure that anybody joining the team fits with the philosophy that GenderGP has adopted, which is basically gender affirming therapy.

Cleo Madeleine:That's so important. There's so much in there about wellbeing and affirmation. I think really speaks a lot to both of your work, but also to you as a person like this huge commitment to making sure that people who have often had to go through a lot by the time they get to us, get what they need from us. It's certainly been my experience, anyway. You've been here longer than I have.

Marianne Oakes:Well, I'd like to believe, you know, I don't want to big up my department, but I'm going to. I'd like to believe one of the things that makes, one of the things that makes GenderGP unique is that we have a big wellbeing team. There is no lack of support for people and emotional wellbeing. And I think a lot of focus when people are transitioning is on the medical stuff, you know, medically transitioning, but actually a big part of transition is emotionally transitioning. It's about switching our mind to this is happening, this is who I am. And that comes with its challenges. And, you know, we, we get a whole mixed array of people coming to us with different mental health, some have serious mental health issues and eating disorders. I mean, some of the self-harm that I've had the privilege to witness, just seeing the scars from how deep people have cut themselves and to what degree on one end, we've got serious mental health issues driven by gender dysphoria. On the other end, we've got people that are functioning well in the world, but are stuck and can't move forward and just need help w...