Description
This course is based on a comprehensive podcast interview led by Dr. Jeremy Sharp of The Testing Psychologist.
Dr. Emily Trittschuh (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, University of Washington) and Dr. Jae Purnell (Center for Cognition and Communication, New York), two leading experts in gender-affirming neuropsychological practice, sit down with Dr. Sharp to provide essential guidance for mental health professionals working with transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals in assessment contexts.
The content addresses critical knowledge gaps in the field. Research indicates that approximately 98% of neuropsychologists identify as cisgender, and 20-30% report never having received any training in LGBTQ+ health. Given population estimates suggesting that 0.5-6% of individuals are transgender or gender-diverse, neuropsychologists are likely to encounter these individuals in practice whether they recognize it or not.
Key topics covered include:
- Affirming language and terminology for working with TGD populations, including proper pronoun usage and gender descriptors
- Current research on sex-based cognitive differences, publication bias, and the gender role mediation hypothesis
- Practical considerations for test selection and norm application, including the limitations of binary gender norms and recommendations for using collapsed norms
- Clinical interviewing best practices, including avoiding medical voyeurism while gathering clinically relevant information
- Psychosocial factors affecting assessment, including minority stress, resilience, and the impact of hormone replacement therapy
- Report writing considerations that honor patient identity and provide useful information for future providers
- Intersectionality and the compound nature of marginalization for TGD individuals
Throughout the discussion, the experts emphasize that gender-affirming neuropsychological practice requires intentionality, cultural humility, self-education, and a commitment to avoiding perpetuation of gender minority stress and trauma. Participants will gain practical skills for creating safe, inclusive assessment environments and making informed decisions about test selection, norm application, and clinical interpretation when working with TGD individuals across the lifespan.
Target audience: Psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, addiction counselors, nurses.
Format: Asynchronous, distance learning. Non-interactive. Recorded audio with transcript.
This CE course is designated as beginner level.
Content Category: Clinical
There are no known conflicts of interest or commercial support to disclose.
NAADAC Online CE Completion limits: There is a limit of 8 hours (8 CE) of credit for online courses within a 24-hour period.
Do you have questions about this course? Please Contact Us and we'll be happy to help.
Author Bio
Emily Trittschuh, PhD
Emily Trittschuh, PhD, (she/her pronouns) is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and the Associate Director of Education & Evaluation with the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System’s Geriatric Research Education
Clinical Center (GRECC). She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She has specialized in neurodegenerative disease and geriatrics throughout her career. Her clinical work and research has been focused on the full continuum of cognitive aging – from dementia to healthy brain aging into the 90s and beyond. At the VA since 2008, she developed additional and complementary interests in the care of older Veterans who are transgender and gender diverse (TGD) and for those with PTSD and cognitive concerns.
Jae Purnell, PhD
Jae Purnell (he/they) is an early career Clinical Neuropsychologist at the Center for Cognition and Communication in Manhattan, NY. He is queer and transmasculine. While his background has been more generally in neuropsychological assessment of adults and older adults, his passion projects center affirmative care of marginalized demographics, specifically for his community and adjacent LGBTQ+ communities.
Jeremy Sharp, PhD
Jeremy Sharp, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that he founded in 2009. Dr. Sharp earned his undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting his Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, he specializes in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents.
As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, Dr. Sharp provides private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. He live in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife (also a therapist) and two young kids.
CE Approvals
At Health, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. At Health, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
At Health, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6949. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. At Health, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Athealth.com is approved as a continuing education provider by the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, the Association for Addiction Professionals. #148460.
At Health, LLC, Provider #1707, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. At Health, LLC, maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 5/3/2023-5/3/2026.
It is At Health's understanding that these programs meet the criteria of an approved continuing education program for social work in Arkansas. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
It is At Health's understanding that these programs meet the criteria of an approved continuing education program for social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, master's level psychologists, licensed clinical psychotherapists, and alcohol and other drug abuse counselors in Kansas. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
It is At Health's understanding that these programs meet the criteria of an approved continuing education program for mental health practice and for social work in Nebraska. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
It is At Health's understanding that these programs meet the criteria of an approved continuing education program for psychologists, pastoral psychotherapists, clinical social workers, clinical mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and alcohol and drug abuse counselors in New Hampshire. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
It is At Health's understanding that these programs meet the criteria of an approved continuing education program for social workers, professional counselors, marital and family therapists, and clinical pastoral therapists in Tennessee. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
Other jurisdictions may accept trainings offered by At Health, LLC for your continuing education requirements. Restrictions may apply. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.”
.
Page last modified or reviewed by athealth.com on Dec 4, 2025.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this program, you should be able to:
Based on the content of this course, I can:
- Identify and critically evaluate the limitations of overemphasizing diagnosis, numbers, and accommodations (DNA) in psychological assessment reports
- Apply the Four E's framework (Experiences, Expectations, Exceptions, and Experiments) to gather more personalized and meaningful assessment data
- Interpret cognitive test performance through a trade-offs lens, focusing on problem-solving strategies and contextual factors rather than fixed numerical scores
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.