You can find his book TRANS on Amazon here:

Dr Az Hakeem is unique in that he is the only consultant psychiatrist in psychotherapy who specialises in the specialist application of exploratory psychotherapy to persons suffering from gender dysphoria.

Gender Dysphoria is the sense of dissatisfaction or unhappiness with ones sense of gender identity.

Not all people with gender dysphoria are the same – indeed the term ‘trans’ is an unhelpful umbrella term which includes numerous conditions including the following:

• What was formerly known as ‘transsexualism’
• Tranvestism
• Fetishistic Transvestism (of which Dr Hakeem describes 11 differing subtypes in his book)
• Autogynaephilia (AGN): makes presenting with sexual excitation from the fantasy of having female bodily parts
• Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD)

Dr Az Hakeem considers himself a ‘Gender Critical Psychiatrist’. Gender Critical means that he is analytically critically of what persons presume to be the nature of gender and its stereotypes and delineates the social construct of ‘gender’ from biological ‘sex’.  Gender Critical is neither ‘anti-trans’ or ‘transphobic’ although political trans activists who are against anything other than affirmation may like to suppose that anything which critiques the gender ideology may be oppositional and feel the need to convince others that it is ‘anti-trans’ (it is not)

Dr Az Hakeem does not try and persuade or dissuade anyone from pursuing physical sex interventions such as hormones or surgery but his role is to provide a neutral exploration space to think about sex and gender.

In order to be able to provide a safe neutral exploratory space Dr Az Hakeem works independently from any services where physical treatments are offered and does not get involved in referring people to have such interventions as he would then become a ‘gatekeeper’ which would interfere with the therapeutic work.

We are seeing increasing numbers of those who have undergone gender reassignment and later regret their decision and who may be in the process of ‘detransitioning’. Unfortunately there is no therapeutic support available to such persons from the very gender clinics who offered them the transition on the first place. In light of the scant provision for detransitioners Dr Az Hakeem is focussing his current specialist gender dysphoria work on those who consider themselves ‘detransitioners’ in addition to those with atypical gender dysphoria who would like to explore sex and gender and who are able to tolerate thinking critically about such areas.

The website ‘Transgender Trend’ recently interviewed Dr Az Hakeem; and can be viewed HERE

Useful Links:

• Thoughtful Therapists a collection of therapists working with young people, siblings, parents affected by gender dysphoria
• The Bayswater Group a support group for parents of children with gender dysphoria
• SEGM Society for Evidence Based Medicine for Gender
• Clinical Advisory Network for Sex and Gender (CAN- SAG)
• Detrans Network support for those who have regretted a previous gender transition and are in the process or have already ‘detransitioned’. (link to twitter page)