Anne Dilenschneider, PhD, DMin, QMHP

Licensed Professional Counselor - Mental Health

WPATH Certified Gender Specialist

WPATH Certified Mentor

Pronouns: she/her/hers

In our sessions, we will work collaboratively to affirm your strengths and identify your challenges. In that process, we will find ways to support your growth into the unique human being you are created to be. My areas of doctoral-level specialty training are all related to developing greater integrity between who we are and how we live our daily lives. These include: gender identity and health, sexuality, assessing and treating high functioning Autism/Asperger’s and ADHD, and flourishing through transitions.

Mental Health Training & Experience

I earned a PhD in clinical psychology with a focus on gender-responsive care. I then completed a post-doctoral residency with an emphasis on assessment and treatment of ADHD, high functioning Autism (hfASD)/Asperger’s Syndrome, and related conditions. A particular area of interest is working with women and girls, because research published since 2016 shows that — due to the effects of estrogen -- the symptoms of these conditions appear quite differently in females, and so they are often misdiagnosed and misunderstood.

In addition, I have advanced specialized education, training, and experience in transgender/gender diverse (TGD) healthcare. I have been accompanying persons in exploring their gender identity and sexuality since 1992. I completed the requirements for the international transgender healthcare specialty certification through WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health). In 2019, I became one of the first healthcare providers in the world (and the first in the Dakotas) to become a WPATH Certified Gender Specialist and Mentor.

That training has included sessions at the University of Minnesota Medical School, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, and Harvard Medical School, as well as training through the U.S. Department of Justice. I regularly collaborate with primary care, endocrinology, and surgical teams in South Dakota and across the U.S., including the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and the University of Minnesota. I also work with medical teams in Chicago, Madison (WI), Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Scottsdale, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

I provide education in transgender/gender diverse (TGD) healthcare for the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota, and for regional healthcare systems, healthcare professionals, universities, businesses, and professional organizations.

I am one of 12 international healthcare providers serving on the Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement Committee of the Global Education Institute (GEI) for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The GEI is responsible for developing and leading training for the specialty credential in transgender healthcare. We offer that training for mental health and medical providers throughout the world.

I also have over a decade of cross-cultural training, research, and work in the field of gender-responsive trauma recovery. I helped develop one of the first restorative-justice programs for at-risk girls in the United States. In addition, for a number of years I was the director of a transitional residential program for persons with persistent mental illness. Our 22-person team helped each person transition from inpatient care to independent living with employment, education, or volunteer opportunities..

Leadership Training & Experience

I have a second doctorate in spirituality & transformational leadership, and have served as a spiritual director since 1988. I also lead retreats and workshops on spirituality and leadership.

I have developed workshops for executives, and was honored to be one of the presenters at a San Francisco Bay Area conference on "Soul in Silicon Valley." I have also served as a consultant for corporations, organizations, and faith communities in the midst of transition.

My work with individuals, faith communities, non-profit organizations, and corporations is focused on living with integrity, developing teams of leaders, handling conflict creatively, and making a significant difference in the world. These hands-on, real-world principles have revitalized the organizations and programs I have coached and led.

Volunteer Training & Experience

My dogs and I are trained and certified as teams with the local chapter of Therapy Dogs International. We volunteer throughout Sioux Falls in healthcare facilities (hospitals, hospice and long-term care facilities, and behavioral health inpatient units), schools, and libraries.

I am also a South Dakota Humanities Council Scholar. As a Humanities Scholar, I lead One Book discussion groups. I also share stories of South Dakota history with groups large and small across our state. A particular area of interest and research has been the Hiawatha Indian Insane Asylum (1902-1933) in Canton, SD.

Ages

• Transgender / Gender Diverse Health

• LGBTQ+ Issues

• High-functioning Autism / Asperger's Syndrome

• ADHD

• Anxiety

• Depression

Credentialing

Licensed:

• LPC-MH, South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and MFTs

• LPCC, Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy

• LMHC, Iowa Board of Behavioral Science

• LIMHP/PC, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

additional Credentials:

• Certified WPATH Gender Specialist

• Certified WPATH Mentor

• WPATH Global Education Institute Faculty

• OutCare Health Mentor

• Approved Counselor Supervisor, South Dakota

• Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP)

Memberships

• American Counseling Association (ACA)

• Midwest Region, American Counseling Association

• OutCare Health Mentors

• South Dakota Association of Counselor Educators & Supervisors (SDACES)

• South Dakota Counseling Association (SDCA)

• South Dakota Mental Health Counselors Association (SDMHCA)

• South Dakota State Poetry Society

• Therapy Dogs International (TDI), Chapter 200

• United States Professional Association for Transgender Health (USPATH)

• World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)

• World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Global Education Institute (GEI)

Accepted Insurance Plans

• Aetna

• Amerigroup (Iowa)

• Avera Health Plans

• Blue Cross Blue Shield

• ChampVA

• Cigna

• DakotaCare

• HealthPartners

• Iowa Total Care

• Medica

• Medicaid - Iowa

• Medicaid - South Dakota

• Multiplan

• Optum

• Sanford Health Plans

• Tricare West

• United Behavioral Health

• UMR

• United Healthcare

• Out of Network