King Street Psychology Clinic (KSPC) is a Sydney-based clinical psychology service with established expertise in gender identity, sexuality, and neurodiversity. As a result, clinicians at KSPC have substantial experience with clients who identify as furries, therians, or otherkin, or are exploring these identities. KSPC provides respectful and culturally informed clinical psychology support for these communities. Where distress is related to non-human identity experiences (e.g., dysphoria or rejection) they might be the focus of treatment; however other times folk might just want to work on mental health with a therapist who is non-judgemental and informed about non-human identities.

Typical presentations

Clients might be seeking understanding identity related feelings, plan whether and how to disclose to partners, family, or workplaces; to address shame or rejection; to sustain relationships (including furry–furry and relationships with partners who don’t share furry or non-human identities); to manage species dysphoria; and to balance online/offline engagement. Co-occurring concerns (e.g., anxiety, mood disturbance, trauma histories, attentional or ASD burnout) are addressed within standard evidence-based care.

Research context

Qualitative work with therians describes consistent identity-development processes and community participation that can be integrated into case formulations (Grivell, Clegg, & Roxburgh, 2014). Quantitative research reports mixed wellbeing profiles among therians and associations with autistic traits, supporting case-by-case assessment rather than global assumptions (Clegg, Collings, & Roxburgh, 2019). Overall mental health and wellbeing are broadly comparable to other fan communities, with variability best understood through standard psychological predictors as well as minority stress (Reysen & Plante, 2023).

Service model

Care begins with a biopsychosocial assessment and collaborative goals. Interventions draw on established therapies (e.g., cognitive-behavioural-therapy and Schema-therapy) adapted as appropriate you current struggles. KSPC provides psychoeducation and consultation; support for disclosure planning and management of shame/stigma; relationship-focused work; and guidance on boundaries, time-use, and neurodiversity.

Clegg, H., Collings, R., & Roxburgh, E. C. (2019). Therianthropy: Wellbeing, schizotypy, and autism in individuals who self-identify as non-human. Society & Animals, 27(4), 403–426. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341540 r

Grivell, T., Clegg, H., & Roxburgh, E. C. (2014). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of identity in the therian community. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 14(2), 113–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2014.891999

Reysen, S., & Plante, C. N. (2023). The kids are alright: Furry well-being and mental health. In C. N. Plante, S. Reysen, C. Adams, S. E. Roberts, & K. C. Gerbasi (Eds.), A decade of psychological research on the furry fandom. International Anthropomorphic Research Project. https://tinyurl.com/3p3jhy8b