Relational Counseling Factors, Self-Compassion, Minority Stress, and Posttraumatic Growth Among TGD Clients

This study examined associations among counselor factors, self-compassion, proximal minority stress, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) clients engaged in mental health counseling. A theory-informed, conceptually organized associational model examined self-compassion and proximal stressors as intervening constructs that may explain associations between counselor factors and PTG. Participants included 226 TGD individuals recruited via crowdsourcing and community outreach. Structural equation modeling evaluated measurement models, latent construct associations, and overall model fit, with bias-corrected bootstrapping used to examine indirect associations. Counselor factors were significantly associated with PTG. Self-compassion was indirectly associated with PTG through proximal stressors but did not explain the association between counselor factors and PTG when examined independently. In contrast, proximal minority stress processes partially explained the association between counselor factors and PTG. Findings underscore the relevance of counselor relational factors, self-compassion, and proximal minority stress as interrelated constructs associated with growth-oriented outcomes among TGD clients.