Lance Hicks (he/him)

I'm a femme trans guy with a commitment to fighting transmisogyny in all the ways it shows up around me. As your gender therapist, I am down to either help you explore your identity, support you in navigating gender-affriming healthcare, or leave the gender stuff out of it completely, if you figured all that out for yourself years ago. I have been writing letters accepted by surgeons and insurance providers since 2017, have taken the GALAP pledge, and am a member of TPATH.

I have been studying trauma healing since 2009, and supporting therapy clients with PTSD since 2017. I use a combination of community interventions, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, polyvagal theory, and Acceptance and Commitment therapy to support my clients' healing process. I believe that we each have the innate inner wisdom we need to heal ourselves, and that therapy is just a means of getting support as we do so.

Being Black/biracial and from the City of Detroit, I learned about intergenerational trauma on my grandparents' knees. Being a trans person of color, I know trauma spans not only bloodlines, but communities. Through changes to the ways our genes are expressed over generations, our bodies hold trauma responses within. I use Internal Family Systems, polyvagal theory, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy to help my clients heal these legacy burdens and move forward.

I have been practicing harm reduction since 2005, when I started volunteering to hand out bleach kits to youth experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness outside of my hometown: Detroit, MI. Since then, I have worked with sex workers, folks living with various addictions, people in recovery, individuals who self-harm, clients facing chronic suicidality, and others often navigating risk, to do so as safely as possible, and with dignity.

I am currently a student of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1 - Trauma Themes, expected graduation Feb., 2022). I am especially passionate about helping QTPOC navigate our relationships with our bodies. As a trans person, I know firsthand what dysphoria feels like... and as a biracial person, I know how it feels to not love the skin I'm in. SP has been a great tool to help folks like me learn to feel safe and confident in our bodies, and I look forward to sharing this experience with you.

I am trained in IFS (through Level 2: Trauma and Neuroscience concentration, adding Addictions and Eating Disorders concentration Oct, 2021). I love the way this model helps us address Legacy Burdens -- specifically, patriarchy, white supremacy, materialism, and individualism -- as well how it helps us heal our inner children. In my opinion, this model is the most social-justice focused, non-pathologizing intervention I have encountered in my work.

I have been studying traumatic dissociation since 2016, and treating traumatic syndromes since 2017. I am especially passionate about supporting folks with significant childhood trauma, and those holding marginalized identities that mean the world feels like a traumatizing place. In particular, I am honored to serve dissociative trans folks, whose experiences of embodiment often necessitate this survival resource. I am committed to continued growth and receive regular consultation in this area.