Shawn V Giammattei, PhD
Family & Gender Coach · TransFamily Alliance
Clinical Family Psychologist · UCSF, Benioff Children’s Hospital · WPATH Mentor · Gender Health Training Institute · Lived Experience
ABOUT ME
If you’ve found yourself here, you’re probably carrying a lot — love for your child, fear of getting it wrong, and a tangle of questions you’re not sure who to trust with. I’ve spent over two decades walking alongside families exactly like yours, and I built this coaching program because parents deserve a guide who truly gets it.
I’m a clinical family psychologist and the founder of the Gender Health Training Institute and the TransFamily Alliance. I’m also a GEI SOC8 Certified Mentor and faculty member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Global Education Institute, an international speaker, a published researcher, and author at the intersection of family work and LGBTQ Affirming Care. I’ve held leadership roles in major family therapy organizations and have trained clinicians and families around the world.
As a man with a trans history, I bring a layer of personal understanding to this work that credentials alone can’t offer — a quiet but meaningful thread woven through everything I do.
HOW I WORK
I’m a gentle guide, not a prescriber. I create a spacious, secure space where you can slow down, tell your story, and begin to make sense of what you’re experiencing — without anyone pushing an agenda.
“Parents don’t lack love — they often just need the right information, the right framing, and someone who can hear them without judgment. That’s what I’m here for.”
I listen deeply to where you are, weave in the latest research, and help you build the communication skills and self-understanding you need to show up for your child and yourself. My approach is collaborative and strengths-based — I’ll help you find the skills you already have and build from there.
I’m also a bridge-builder. I connect parents across difference — across politics, religion, culture, and experience — and help families find community with one another and the broader community. You won’t be navigating this alone.
WHAT WE’LL WORK ON TOGETHER
Understanding the landscape — Making sense of research, media, and competing voices
Communication skills — Talking with your child, your partner, your family, and yourself
Your own journey — Processing your feelings, fears, and growth as a parent
Community & connection — Finding your people and building your support network
Additional affiliations & roles
I am also the founder of Quest Family Therapy, the Associate Director of Mental Health at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, and I teach graduate and post-graduate courses in LGBTQ psychology and family systems. I serve as an advisory member of Mind the Gap and am a past officer of AFTA and the Association of Family Therapists of Northern California.