Finally, it is also often possible to see how that individual accepts or rejects advice from care providers. Surprisingly, I have often found that a person who questions guidelines presented in the SOCI is often the same individual who will ask multiple questions about treatment options. Asking questions of care providers is an important part of any process forward, and a healthy attitude toward understanding one's choices in life. Within it we developed guidelines with a goal toward insuring that transgender men and women received competent professional services, yet were not hindered in the pursuit of self-identification as transgender people. One of the things we came to recognize in promulgating new guidelines goes as follows.
Guidelines are in fact very much like free advise.
You can adopt, reject or reshape guidelines to suit your transition needs. We believe flexibility is a healthy component to any professional relationship, insofar as mental and medical health precautions remain intact. The preceding comments may seem to be a very cavalier attitude toward our Recommended Guidelines as well as the Standards of Care, however the fact remains that transgender persons are the individuals who must live with the decisions they make. A gender transition is rarely completely reversible for persons who advance beyond a certain stage. The effects of coming out to loved ones or employers are often remembered for the rest of your life.