Peggy T. Cohen-Kettenis, Ph.D., is Professor of gender development and psychopathology at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht. She was a pre- and postgraduate student in developmental and clinical psychology at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. She was trained to become a registered clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at the Utrecht Institute for Multidisciplinary Psychotherapy. After completing her Ph.D. thesis, she worked at the Department of Clinical Psychology of the Utrecht University. There, she conducted a study evaluating sex reassignment, promoted by the advice of a committee of the Health Council, the medical advisory board of the Ministry of Public Health. The outcome of this study would also be the groundwork for a new law allowing transsexuals to adjust their birth certificates. In 1987, she started the first outpatient clinic in Europe for children and adolescents with gender problems and intersex conditions. In September 2002, she will become Professor of Medical Psychology at the Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam. There, she will be the head of a gender clinic for children, adolescents, and adults. Her main areas of research are gender identity problems and gender-related psychopathology.
Transgenderism and Intersexuality in Childhood and Adolescence: Making Choices presents an overview of the research, clinical insights, and ethical dilemmas relevant to clinicians who treat intersex youth and their families. Exploring gender development from a cross-cultural perspective, esteemed scholar Peggy T Cohen-Kettenis and experienced practitioner Friedemann Pfafflin focus on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment issues. To bridge research and practical application, they include numerous case studies, definitions of relevant terminology, and salient chapter summaries.