Theorizing Black Trans Survivance and Care in the Context of COVID 19: A Clinical Case Study

Abstract

Although Trans women of color experience unique stressors to their physical and mental health and bring distinctive survival and resistance strategies to a therapeutic relationship, they are widely underrepresented in the clinical literature. This paper presents a case of a Black transfeminine youth in an urban area, offering questions brought forward to a clinical consultation during the Covid 19 pandemic. It situates the case in the history of Black Trans subjugation It then examines the case from three theoretical perspectives: psychoanalytic thought, queer of color critique, and a neurobiological perspective. The case is interpreted through each theoretical lens, offering both an understanding of the presenting issues as well as implications for treatment planning. The perspectives are then integrated, offering an example of how one might use a synthesis of perspectives in conversation with each other to best conceptualize and plan for treatment.