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The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook: Skills for Navigating Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression
How can you build unshakable confidence and resilience in a world still filled with ignorance, inequality, and discrimination? The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook will teach you how to challenge internalized negative messages, handle stress, build a community of support, and embrace your true self. Resilience is a key ingredient for psychological health and wellness. It’s what gives people the psychological strength to cope with everyday stress, as well as major setbacks. For many people, stressful events may include job loss, financial problems, illness, natural disasters, medical emergencies, divorce, or the death of a loved one. But if you are queer or gender non-conforming, life stresses may also include discrimination in housing and health care, employment barriers, homelessness, family rejection, physical attacks or threats, and general unfair treatment and oppression—all of which lead to overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness. So, how can you gain resilience in a society that is so often toxic and unwelcoming? In this important workbook, you’ll discover how to cultivate the key components of resilience: holding a positive view of yourself and your abilities; knowing your worth and cultivating a strong sense of self-esteem; effectively utilizing resources; being assertive and creating a support community; fostering hope and growth within yourself, and finding the strength to help others. Once you know how to tap into your personal resilience, you’ll have an unlimited well you can draw from to navigate everyday challenges. By learning to challenge internalized negative messages and remove obstacles from your life, you can build the resilience you need to embrace your truest self in an imperfect world.
224 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2018
73 people are currently reading
589 people want to read
About the author
Anneliese A. Singh
11 books28 followersAnneliese A. Singh is a nationally recognized expert on transgender resilience. Her research and advocacy centers on the resilience of transgender people of all ages, transgender people of color, survivors of trauma, immigrants, and South Asian survivors of child sexual abuse.
Dr. Singh is the Program Coordinator for the Counseling and Student Personnel Services, Ph.D. Program (Gwinnett), and she teaches in the School Counseling and Professional Counseling, M.Ed. Programs. Dr. Singh has worked on several national competencies and guidelines projects for the American Counseling Association and American Psychological Association (e.g., ACA Transgender Counseling Competencies, ACA LGBQQIA Competencies, ACA Multicultural and Social Justice Competencies, ASGW Multicultural and Social Justice Principles for Group Work, APA Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Guidelines, APA Prevention Science Guidelines).
Dr. Singh has been published in more than 100 publications in the areas of LGBTQQ and social justice counseling, and is the recipient of over 11 national awards for her work. She is the co-author of two books (Qualitative Inquiry in Clinical and Educational Settings, and Social justice in group work: Practical interventions for change), and the upcoming Handbook of Transgender Affirmative Counseling and Psychological Practice. Dr. Singh is the Past-President of the Southern Association of Counselor Education and Supervision and the Past-President of the Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues (ALGBTIC).
Dr. Singh is the Program Coordinator for the Counseling and Student Personnel Services, Ph.D. Program (Gwinnett), and she teaches in the School Counseling and Professional Counseling, M.Ed. Programs. Dr. Singh has worked on several national competencies and guidelines projects for the American Counseling Association and American Psychological Association (e.g., ACA Transgender Counseling Competencies, ACA LGBQQIA Competencies, ACA Multicultural and Social Justice Competencies, ASGW Multicultural and Social Justice Principles for Group Work, APA Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Guidelines, APA Prevention Science Guidelines).
Dr. Singh has been published in more than 100 publications in the areas of LGBTQQ and social justice counseling, and is the recipient of over 11 national awards for her work. She is the co-author of two books (Qualitative Inquiry in Clinical and Educational Settings, and Social justice in group work: Practical interventions for change), and the upcoming Handbook of Transgender Affirmative Counseling and Psychological Practice. Dr. Singh is the Past-President of the Southern Association of Counselor Education and Supervision and the Past-President of the Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues (ALGBTIC).
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 15, 2018
This is one of those books that are definitely needed in the queer community. This book deals with self-respect and how you can get motivation to keep going. I have to say that this would be perfect for people who have just come out or are thinking of coming out because it deals with many things that could be beneficial for those people to know.
There were a few things that surprised me. The first one is that is written by a nonbinary person, which is honestly great because it's hard to find books written by nb writers. The second one is that it mentions asexuality, aromanticism and pansexuality, which is something that rarely happens in more academic and serious writings about sexuality and identity. The third one is that it acknowledges nonbianry genders, which is absolutely amazing. The fourth one is that it focuses on intersectionality, this makes sense because the writer is a person of colour but it's great seeing it acknowledged.
This workbook focuses on many things that go through your mind when you are thinking of coming out or you have just come out but I feel like it could also be used to help improve the different associations that already exist. I think this is the case because of the importance that it gives to intersectionality and the different identities that exist in a person. This could be really useful to work through in smaller communities in order to make sure that everyone feels welcomed.
There is something else that has won me over, even though it's not actually very important to the content. The author criticises Dan Savage, which is something that I live for because he always seems to forget intersectionality and privilege in everything that he does. Also, he tends to dismiss new identities.
This workbook can be very useful.
*I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
There were a few things that surprised me. The first one is that is written by a nonbinary person, which is honestly great because it's hard to find books written by nb writers. The second one is that it mentions asexuality, aromanticism and pansexuality, which is something that rarely happens in more academic and serious writings about sexuality and identity. The third one is that it acknowledges nonbianry genders, which is absolutely amazing. The fourth one is that it focuses on intersectionality, this makes sense because the writer is a person of colour but it's great seeing it acknowledged.
This workbook focuses on many things that go through your mind when you are thinking of coming out or you have just come out but I feel like it could also be used to help improve the different associations that already exist. I think this is the case because of the importance that it gives to intersectionality and the different identities that exist in a person. This could be really useful to work through in smaller communities in order to make sure that everyone feels welcomed.
There is something else that has won me over, even though it's not actually very important to the content. The author criticises Dan Savage, which is something that I live for because he always seems to forget intersectionality and privilege in everything that he does. Also, he tends to dismiss new identities.
This workbook can be very useful.
*I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
August 5, 2020
NOTE: I received an advance reader copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions or the way I talk about the book.
I really love the idea of this book! The workbook has tons of activities and worksheets that make it easy to categorize who you feel you are, and seeing these labels and descriptions in front of you can truly help those who are struggling to define themselves. Personally, this is a workbook that would have helped me a lot in high school, but now I'm more secure in my identity and these worksheets were more reinforcement than help. I also like that there were sections about more than just queer identity. It really takes the reader through a personal journey of discovery. One criticism I have is in the title: transgender people are queer because they are transgender. So saying "queer and transgender" is redundant and unnecessary. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with their identity in any way, shape, or form.
Support Me Elsewhere!
I really love the idea of this book! The workbook has tons of activities and worksheets that make it easy to categorize who you feel you are, and seeing these labels and descriptions in front of you can truly help those who are struggling to define themselves. Personally, this is a workbook that would have helped me a lot in high school, but now I'm more secure in my identity and these worksheets were more reinforcement than help. I also like that there were sections about more than just queer identity. It really takes the reader through a personal journey of discovery. One criticism I have is in the title: transgender people are queer because they are transgender. So saying "queer and transgender" is redundant and unnecessary. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with their identity in any way, shape, or form.
Support Me Elsewhere!
February 15, 2018
I'm always happy to read an #OwnVoices book, and this was no exception. Disclaimer: I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
There are quite a lot of things to mention about this book, yet at the same time, I'm not quite sure how to word them all. As an educative work on queer identities, it does an exellent job, not only in what it teaches, but also in whom it includes. The book exells in it's intersectionality, and with an identity inclusion only topped by Ash Hardell's The ABC's of LGBT. I wouldn't say it's, as they say, "all-inclusieve", as there are quite a lot of identities out there, and it might be difficult to fit them all in one short book, but overall it felt good to find a text covering so many different experiences. It's not all-compasing, but really quite inclusive. In adition, all the information is presented in a manner that feels neither dry not academical, but rather friendly, and easy to understand.
I did, however, also come across several things I was less pleased with, though not all are neccecarily to blame on the author. The ebook can only be discribed as poorly planned, or at least porely executed. It's quite clear that the book is meant to be read in it's physical form, leaving pretty much all the workbook tasks looking squed, out of order, and difficult to understand. I also failed to find even a single picture throughout the book - which is nitpicky, I know, but it feels odd to me that a workbook, and a queer one at that, should be nothing but a wall of text.
Also, whilst there were several things I loved about the book, it felt a bit like "Baby-Queer's First Self-Help Book". Not that that's a bad thing at all, as I would have adored to have access to such a fundamental overview over a queer experience. Now however, as I have already made it past most of what the book learns on my own, it probably has less of an inpact than it could have had.
A lovely read I would definetly reccommend to anyone struggling with their identity, or who simply wants to explore it further - 4/5 stars.
There are quite a lot of things to mention about this book, yet at the same time, I'm not quite sure how to word them all. As an educative work on queer identities, it does an exellent job, not only in what it teaches, but also in whom it includes. The book exells in it's intersectionality, and with an identity inclusion only topped by Ash Hardell's The ABC's of LGBT. I wouldn't say it's, as they say, "all-inclusieve", as there are quite a lot of identities out there, and it might be difficult to fit them all in one short book, but overall it felt good to find a text covering so many different experiences. It's not all-compasing, but really quite inclusive. In adition, all the information is presented in a manner that feels neither dry not academical, but rather friendly, and easy to understand.
I did, however, also come across several things I was less pleased with, though not all are neccecarily to blame on the author. The ebook can only be discribed as poorly planned, or at least porely executed. It's quite clear that the book is meant to be read in it's physical form, leaving pretty much all the workbook tasks looking squed, out of order, and difficult to understand. I also failed to find even a single picture throughout the book - which is nitpicky, I know, but it feels odd to me that a workbook, and a queer one at that, should be nothing but a wall of text.
Also, whilst there were several things I loved about the book, it felt a bit like "Baby-Queer's First Self-Help Book". Not that that's a bad thing at all, as I would have adored to have access to such a fundamental overview over a queer experience. Now however, as I have already made it past most of what the book learns on my own, it probably has less of an inpact than it could have had.
A lovely read I would definetly reccommend to anyone struggling with their identity, or who simply wants to explore it further - 4/5 stars.
January 14, 2018
I got a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I liked this workbook. It's original and useful. I think it is worth investing in.
PROS: This workbook is:
a) thorough
b) uses easily understandable, accessible language
c) intersectional
The last point is my favorite and the reason this book got such a good rating. It addresses how your LGBTQ identity is a part of your larger sense of self and mixes and mingles with all your other identities which also must be built up and explored and I haven't seen much of that from workbooks in the past!
CONS:
a) I am reading this as an ebook and the exercises are not formatted correctly, some of them - like the likert scale ones - to the point where you can't really read them in a coherent way. This was the biggest problem for me.
b) There are some spelling mistakes (like 'privele' instead of privilege), sentences that are completely out of order, and obvious parts that need editing like where it randomly says 'UNCORRECTED PROOF' in the middle of a paragraph
c) Not necessarily a con, but just know this workbook is very much for people who are newly queer/out about it. As someone who has been out for almost a decade now I really didn't gain much beyond 'I'm glad baby queers have this resource I didn't!'
d) No pictures or colors, which surprised me for a workbook and made it harder to get through.
This hasn't officially been published yet though, so perhaps cons a & b will be fixed in the final version? If not I would obviously decrease the rating but I believe these will be fixed.
Overall I liked this workbook. It's original and useful. I think it is worth investing in.
PROS: This workbook is:
a) thorough
b) uses easily understandable, accessible language
c) intersectional
The last point is my favorite and the reason this book got such a good rating. It addresses how your LGBTQ identity is a part of your larger sense of self and mixes and mingles with all your other identities which also must be built up and explored and I haven't seen much of that from workbooks in the past!
CONS:
a) I am reading this as an ebook and the exercises are not formatted correctly, some of them - like the likert scale ones - to the point where you can't really read them in a coherent way. This was the biggest problem for me.
b) There are some spelling mistakes (like 'privele' instead of privilege), sentences that are completely out of order, and obvious parts that need editing like where it randomly says 'UNCORRECTED PROOF' in the middle of a paragraph
c) Not necessarily a con, but just know this workbook is very much for people who are newly queer/out about it. As someone who has been out for almost a decade now I really didn't gain much beyond 'I'm glad baby queers have this resource I didn't!'
d) No pictures or colors, which surprised me for a workbook and made it harder to get through.
This hasn't officially been published yet though, so perhaps cons a & b will be fixed in the final version? If not I would obviously decrease the rating but I believe these will be fixed.
July 4, 2019
A great book for young queers, although it is centered on the American queer experience. As a non-American reader, it feels a little difficult for me to relate on some parts of the book as my experience and the power relations behind some of these labels are just different from the ones being told in the book. But in overall, it's a very empowering book and I'm glad I've got my hands on it!
July 14, 2021
This was great. Really lovely and welcoming and soothing, to be honest. I think it'd be great for any queer or trans person, but especially for teens just figuring themselves out.
November 28, 2022
I got this book from a free library loan and I liked it so much I purchased it for my private practice. There are parts that are pretty repetitive, yes, but for a client who is newly exploring their identity, OR a client who comes from a very unaccepting social space and is looking to build their reserve (or someone who is looking to do this in a self-help way), this is a solid book.
January 1, 2025
More of a 4 star read, but with a major deduction:
So much in here that's really really good. The author is knowledgeable and insightful, the overall structure and the chunks of content are easy to digest and yet also meaningful. It is a welcoming and challenging book. Glad I read it and did the exercises, and if I were younger and wobblier I would have found it very useful indeed, except....
As a physically disabled person with chronic pain, I found a few sections very frustrating and even at times ableist in their assumptions. Which was weird because the author was working so hard (and in general succeeding!) at being thoroughly inclusive, and I don't believe for a minute that any of what I read as verging on ableism was intentional. But, that's how I felt.
And, when I was younger, I would not have been nearly as good at sorting the wheat from the chaff, so I probably would have internalized the bad bits along with the great majority.
So much in here that's really really good. The author is knowledgeable and insightful, the overall structure and the chunks of content are easy to digest and yet also meaningful. It is a welcoming and challenging book. Glad I read it and did the exercises, and if I were younger and wobblier I would have found it very useful indeed, except....
As a physically disabled person with chronic pain, I found a few sections very frustrating and even at times ableist in their assumptions. Which was weird because the author was working so hard (and in general succeeding!) at being thoroughly inclusive, and I don't believe for a minute that any of what I read as verging on ableism was intentional. But, that's how I felt.
And, when I was younger, I would not have been nearly as good at sorting the wheat from the chaff, so I probably would have internalized the bad bits along with the great majority.
April 13, 2019
A fantastic workbook full of relevant information and useful written practices. You will want to have your marking pen in hand to highlight parts that really speak to you.
This workbook is written with clarity and fluidity. Each chapter moves easily from one concept to another in an easy to understand format.
You can easily work through this on your own and/or use it as a tool to begin some important conversations.
The author shares personal experiences which help solidify many of the topics as well as making the material more personal.
This is the best book/workbook I've read on this subject matter. I highly reccomend it to others.
This workbook is written with clarity and fluidity. Each chapter moves easily from one concept to another in an easy to understand format.
You can easily work through this on your own and/or use it as a tool to begin some important conversations.
The author shares personal experiences which help solidify many of the topics as well as making the material more personal.
This is the best book/workbook I've read on this subject matter. I highly reccomend it to others.
December 18, 2019
Doing reading for pulling together a list for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of understanding for trans and non-binary intersectional support.
This is a great beginner book for LBGTQ+ people to work through and some useful worksheets that I pulled. If someone has not had a lot of introduction to marginalized identities, power, oppression, microaggressions (in a formal academic context) then this book breaks it down for them.
For what it presents if you're looking for support at a very basic level then it's a solid 4 stars.
This is a great beginner book for LBGTQ+ people to work through and some useful worksheets that I pulled. If someone has not had a lot of introduction to marginalized identities, power, oppression, microaggressions (in a formal academic context) then this book breaks it down for them.
For what it presents if you're looking for support at a very basic level then it's a solid 4 stars.
May 20, 2024
There are a lot of great resources in here and little mental exercises that I can totally see being genuinely helpful to me and other queer people that are just coming out. I think *some* of it feels a little too... I don't know what the right term for this is... LGBTQ acceptance workplace training-y? But those spots were very few and far between. I think this is definitely worth a read for anyone just coming out, but if you've been out for a while I think a lot of this might feel a little repetitive.
November 20, 2020
I love this book, and I wish I'd had it when I first came out. It can be really hard to have confidence to be out and proud in a world that considers the community to be outsiders all too often still. If you're not quite sure where you fall, this book can also help you find words for your identity. Non-binary and Agender are also included, which was a pleasant surprise. With a friendly, easy to read format, this is a guide for both self discovery and self growth. Highly recommend.
October 21, 2019
I absolutely love it, so far. I wish more resources like this existed, for those of us who are trans and queer! I happen to be both, as well as chronically ill, and I love that the workbook discusses different facets of our identities that may lead to more or less oppression/marginalization. I’ve recommended this to nearly every other queer & trans person that I know :)
July 29, 2023
This is a brilliant workbook that focuses on cultivating resilience, hope, self-worth, self-esteem, assertiveness, and self-love. The book includes many activities that encourage one to reflect on past and current experiences and challenge self-defeating thoughts. It is a great resource to learn effective coping strategies to manage daily stressors and embrace one’s true self.
June 29, 2018
Not what I was expecting but still a good resource and still very helpful.
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August 9, 2019note: added after assignment submission!
January 5, 2020
loved this book. Can't recommend it enough.
August 10, 2021
Very helpful for any queer person wrestling with their identities.
November 3, 2022
There's some activities I would definitely use for queer kids in here
September 1, 2023
a good resource for individuals newly exploring their identity and learning about intersectionality
May 13, 2024
A phenomenal resource for anyone dealing with LGBTQ+ youth in any capacity.
January 6, 2018
This insightful #OwnVoices nonfiction resource would enhance any collection of therapeutic tools, as Dr. Anneliese Singh brings both personal and professional understandings to this book as a multiracial South Asian Sikh non-binary femme psychologist!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews