Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalia Zhikhareva.
Natalia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
People either ask me how I got to specialize in the transgender field or they are quick to congratulate me for the work I do. The latter always eludes me and leaves me feeling confused. The former, well the former often feels in need of a polished story. Something along the lines of “I want to fight for marginalized communities, or I want to save under-represented groups.”
What I often want to say is, “What’s the big deal about gender?”
Seriously. I can never fathom why so many people give a damn about other gender preference. Gender identity. Gender expression. Or gender role.
And yet so many people spend tremendous amounts of their personal, precious time focused on debating the concepts of gender. Working hard to prove their personal inner views.
Why? Have you ever thought about it? I do. I think about this all the time. Why do others care?
The concept of gender is fascinating to me. Sure there are sexes. But I am not talking about biology here. I am talking about social constructs of what constitutes gender, more specifically male and female.
We seldom ponder how these constructs were created. Even more terrifying, we seldom question who they serve. What power they possess. What institutions these constructs benefit. Who profits from them. Why is it important to keep people within the constructs of binary and why is it so scary to expand them?
As you can see, this question I started with is a loaded one. And as much as I want to remain naive in asking it, I have to confront the shadow side of it.
And because I have an inner sense of justice and always enjoyed to expose injustice, nothing gives me more pleasure and passion than to fight for the underdog in today’s world.
That’s how I ended up specializing in transgender care as a clinical psychologist.
Once I started working with trans people, I knew I was a fish in my own water. I love working with trans people. To me, they are artists and sculptors of life who are constantly creating and carving out their own Self. Deep from within, chipping away, piece by piece each layer of the socially constructed cage until they liberate what’s truly hidden within.
It’s a painful process for many trans people and one that no one wishes to go through. Despite the potential pain, many decide to undertake it. Perhaps thats why many tend to use the word “brave” to describe trans folks. Personally, I don’t see brave. I see resourcefulness, drive, strength, and perseverance. I also smell rebel spirit. A scent deeply familiar to me and one I personally identify with.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t been a smooth road but it also hasn’t been an impossible one either and I attribute much of it to how passionate I feel about working with trans people. I am a strong believer that if you truly love what you do, obstacles along the way will be seen as opportunities and challenges as potential growth.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My personal mission as a transgender therapist at DR Z PHD is first and foremost to respect people’s autonomy and their right to make decisions about their medical care and ultimately there life.
I work solely with adults who are questioning their gender identity or individuals who want to undergo gender transition but don’t know where to begin. People who often come to see me have been struggling with Gender Dysphoria for a number of years, finally making the decision to reach out for help. Others are certain they identify as trans and are terrified to embrace this part of themselves. The rest are ready to begin transition and need the guidance of an expert in the field to help them navigate it.
Apart from managing a private practice, I am most proud of the work I do for the trans community. One of the biggest barriers transgender people face is access to the medical care they so badly need. Written evaluation letters from a therapist certifying the presence of Gender Dysphoria remains to be the biggest obstacle toward receiving medical help. For this reason, I provide evaluations and letter write-ups completely for free, at no cost to the transgender community (sorry CA and FL residents only, licensure rules). And maybe somehow this is my own small way of fighting injustice.
I am also a strong believer that education and knowledge holds power. The kind of power able to aid transgender people in making better decisions toward their rightful body autonomy. Access to the right information saves them precious time when it comes to making decisions about transition. Most importantly, it helps them become the person they always wanted to be! For this reason, I provide people with expert, up-to-date, research-based information by writing blogs and creating video content on my DR Z PHD YouTube channel accessible to all. This content covers subjects on Gender Dysphoria, transition, and the medical procedures necessary to achieve the congruency people are striving for.
Being solely specialized in the transgender field enables me to have an abundance of knowledge on Gender Dysphoria and how to properly distinguish issues of gender identity vs gender expression vs gender role confusion vs sexuality. My exclusive specialty on trans issues is what sets me apart from other therapists who work with gender diverse people and what makes me stand out as an expert in the field. Oh, and of course my iconic hair bob and huge glasses resembling Edna Mode!
What were you like growing up?
I was born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a former part of the Soviet Union. Growing up I was and still am very much mischievous. Come to think of it, I must have been bending gender roles back then playing only with boys, rummaging through the dirty grounds of the neighborhood. My mom was always surprised how my two sisters managed to maintain the cleanliness of their dresses as I came home covered in dust and dirt.
It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of sixteen that I became obsessed with books. Reading everything I could put my hands on to help me ease the insomnia often accompanying chemo treatments. To this day, I find the most solace when I am surrounded by books.
Maybe that’s why I love psychology so much. It’s a never-ending learning endeavor of human behavior and human psyche, as we ponder the complexity of life questions we are confronted with.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1626 Westwood Blvd Suite 104, Los Angeles, CA 90024
- Website: www.drzphd.com
- Phone: 310-946-6361
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drz.phd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DRZPHDpractice/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/c/DRZPHD
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