A therapist in Washington state has become the latest whistleblower to raise concerns about so-called “gender-affirming care,” revealing that she was "bullied" into approving all requests from minors seeking gender transition procedures.
In an op-ed published by The Free Press on Monday, Tamara Pietzke outlined her experience working at MultiCare, which she described as “one of the largest hospital systems in the state” of Washington. Pietzke, who obtained a master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington in 2012, worked as a therapist at MultiCare for six years until she resigned from the post last month.
Pietzke began the op-ed piece by detailing the philosophy that guides how she treats her patients: “The therapeutic relationship is a special one. We are the original ‘safe space,’ where people are to explore their darker feelings and painful experiences. The job of a therapist is to guide a patient to self-understanding and sound mental health. This is a process that requires careful assessment and time, not snap judgments and confirmation of a patient’s worldview.”
“In the past year I noticed a concerning new trend in my field,” she recalled. “I was getting the message from my supervisors that when a young person I was seeing expressed discomfort with their gender — the diagnostic term is gender dysphoria — I should throw out all my training. No matter the patient’s history or the other mental health situations that could be complicating the situation,...
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) will pay more than $17 million to settle allegations it violated federal anti-discrimination rules tied to government contracts, the U.S. Department of ...