School Psychology Forum: RESEARCH IN PRACTICE VOLUME 8 ? ISSUE 1 ? PAGES 38–55 ? Spring 2014 Therapeutic Work With Gender-Variant Children: What School Psychologists Need to Know Marı ´a R. Scharro ´ n-del Rı ´o Eliza A. Dragowski James J. Phillips Brooklyn College of the City University of New York ABSTRACT: In the past 10 years, gender-variant (GV) children (children who do not conform to traditional gender norms) have received increased attention from scholars, mental health practitioners, and popular media. In schools, these students have been shown to be particularly vulnerable to violence and harassment, leading to myriad negative psychoeducational outcomes. School psychologists are often asked to work with GV students and to consult with families about the best therapeutic options in the clinical settings outside of schools. In light of the fact that clinical approaches to GV children are wide ranging and often contradictory in their assumptions and goals, this can be a difficult task. In this article, we begin by defining terms and definitions relevant to the discussions on GV students. We then review and summarize various clinical models of working with GV children and youth. We advocate a stance of awareness, thoughtfulness, and nonpathologizing of gender diversity when working with this student population. Finally, we discuss implications for school psychologists, framed within the structure of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) position statement, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth (NASP, 2011). In recent years, gender-variant (GV) children (children who do not conform to traditional gender norm expectations) have gone from relative social invisibility to being widely recognized by the popular culture. From 20/20 specials (Walters, 2007) and other featured news programming (Park, 2011), to books describing life experiences and clinical work (Brill & Pepper, 2008; Ehrensaft, 2012; Pepper, 2012; Wells, Roberts, & Allan, 2012), these children have been receiving unprecedented media attention. This spotlight has been matched by the longstanding public discussion among scholars and clinicians regarding diagnosis, intervention, and psychosocial outcomes for these children as they grow into adolescents and adults (Zucker, 2010). Medical and psychiatric institutions have revised their standards and approaches to gender variance (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2010, 2013; Byne et al., 2012), and our understanding of this population and of their experiences of oppression has increased. The revision of the former gender identity disorder (GID) diagnosis and its replacement with the new gender dysphoria (GD) category in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) is the outcome of intense and often controversial conversations between mental health Correspondence concerning this article should be directed to Marı ´a R. Scharro ´ n-del Rı ´o, School of Education, 2900 Bedford Avenue, 1107 James Hall, Brooklyn, NY, 11210; MariaRS@brooklyn.cuny.edu. Copyright 2014 by the National Association of School Psychologists, ISSN 1938-2243