Sasha Ayad is a Licensed Professional Counselor who works in private practice, and has treated adolescents for over 13 years. Her work focuses on teens and young adults struggling with issues of gender dysphoria and gender identity. She became interested in the sharp rise in teenagers who declare a trans identity for the first time during adolescence. She discovered, through working with hundreds of families, that teens were developing gender dysphoria only after adopting a transgender identity. She questions the practice of medical transition for children and teenagers, and her clinical work focuses on developmentally appropriate, least-invasive-first talk therapy.
Sasha has been working with gender-questioning adolescents in individual therapy since 2016 and has consulted with over 900 families and parents.
Here are several ways she offers support to ROGD parents:
On Substack, she writes monthly articles which are available for free (though paid subscriptions support her work and are much appreciated)
Sasha has co-authored the book When Kids Say They’re Trans
In her Private Parent Membership Group (on SubscribeStar), she has built a robust library of resources in the form of Essential Topics videos available to the lower tier.
In the highest tier Sasha’s group, parents can attend intimate live monthly Q+As — here, Sasha selects and answers questions submitted by parents. With selected questions, Sasha invites parents to join her as they talk through various scenarios, challenges, and stuck points.
Common themes in both the Essential Topics and Q+A tiers include communication strategies, managing affirming school staff or therapists, holding parental authority, and setting boundaries.
The most in-depth strategy and coaching takes place during 1-1 consultations after parents submit a detailed intake form to help Sasha understand the context and details of each unique family situation.