Richard Brandon-Friedman

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https://hdl.handle.net/1805/29764

Families in Transition: Development of a Therapeutic Group for Gender-Diverse Youth and Their Caregivers

Professor Richard Brandon-Friedman's academic research focuses on sexual and gender identity development among youth, youth sexual wellbeing, LGBTQ+ identity development, youth sexual behaviors, sexuality discourse within social work, and addressing sexuality within the child welfare system. Professor Brandon-Friedman has spent 15 years working with LGBTQ+ youth and their families in mentoring and clinical capacities. In 2015, he helped found the Riley Hospital Gender Health Program and has worked there clinically and as a researcher since that time.

He continually meets with community members, maintaining a list of needs they have identified. He also works with the community clinically, providing ongoing hands-on experience. When examining research opportunities, Professor Brandon-Friedman starts with the population that would be impacted, turning to the members of the population to see how their needs may fit within funding mechanisms. This grounds his research within community members’ experiences.

Families in Transition is a therapeutic support group designed to meet the needs of gender-diverse youth and their caregivers. Developed collaboratively with GenderNexus, GEKCO, PFLAG Fishers, and members of the gender-diverse community, the group will enhance the social and emotional well-being of participants through psychoeducation, skill development, familial relationship and communication building, and community connectedness.

Professor Brandon-Friedman's translation of community-engaged research into practices that promote health and well-being within the LGBTQ+ community is another excellent example of how IUPUI's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.

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Working with the Gender-Diverse Community to Address the Needs of Gender-Diverse Youth
(Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2024-06-28) Brandon-Friedman, Richard
Dr. Brandon-Friedman, his doctoral students, and gender-diverse community members discuss recent research projects designed to better understand and address the needs of gender-diverse youth. These include tracking the impact of gender-affirming care on gender-diverse youths’ well-being over a two-year period, exploring the impact of educational institution betrayal on gender-diverse youths’ education and social well-being, developing a therapeutic group for gender-diverse youth and their caregivers, and assisting with the development of a life skills curriculum for gender-diverse People of Color age 18-24. These projects all have been funded through various community-based mechanisms and all have included the gender-diverse community in their design, implementation, and evaluation. Learn how researchers can engage with the community to learn about and address their needs.
Sexual identity development and sexual well-being: differences between racial/ethnic minority and non-racial/ethnic minority former foster youth
(Taylor & Francis, 2023) Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.
Little research has examined if there are differences in sexual well-being, negative sexual health outcomes, or levels of sexual identity development between racial/ethnic minority and non-racial/ethnic minority youth in the foster care system. Using a sample of youth formerly in the foster care system (n = 219), this study compared the sexual well-being, sexual identity development, and negative sexual health outcomes of racial/ethnic minority and non-racial/ethnic minority youth and found that racial/ethnic minority and non-racial/ethnic minority youth did not differ in overall levels of sexual well-being and had no significant differences in their levels of sexual identity development. There were differences in incidence of the youth or a partner having an STI/STD. These results indicate that there are few differences in sexual well-being, negative sexual health outcomes, or sexual identity development between racial/ethnic minority and non-racial/ethnic minority youth formerly in the foster care system. All four domains of sexual identity development predicted sexual well-being for non-racial/ethnic minority youth, but sexual orientation identity uncertainty did not predict sexual well-being for racial/ethnic minority youth, emphasizing the importance of sexual identity development. Attention to the sexual development and sexual health of youth in the foster care system continues to be lacking and should be expanded.
Forming Identities of Their Own: Gay Men Reconciling Self-love, Hurt, and the Impact of the Pentecostal Church
(Taylor & Francis, 2023) Swafford, Tayon R.; Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.
According to data analyzed from the Gallup Daily Tracking Politics and Economy survey between 2015 and 2017, nearly half (46.7%) of LGBT adults in the U.S. are religious, and just over half (53.3%) of LGBT adults are not religious. The majority who identified as religious attend Protestant churches. The Pentecostal church is a member of the Protestant Christian tradition. In a Constructivist Grounded Theory study of six U.S. gay male, Pentecostal Christians, our study excavates and chronicles their journey toward wholeness. Three major themes emerged from our study: embracing the journey, belonging to a community, and living unapologetically. From these themes, we learned that wholeness becomes possible when gay male Christians can form identities that are uniquely and holistically their own. We used these themes as a clarion call for clinicians who engage with clients encountering a conflict between their religious/spiritual tradition and their sexual orientation to actively assist their clients with reducing the dissonance they experience.
Former Foster Youths’ Perceptions of Their Acquisition of Sexual Health Information While in Foster Care
(The 6th Annual Riley Maternal and Child Health Partners in Leadership Education Excellence, 2016-04-15) Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; Kinney, Marea K.; Pierce, Barbara; Fortenberry, J. Dennis
In response to disproportionately high rates of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and engagement in sexual risk behaviors, a qualitative pilot study of eight former foster youth was conducted. Semi-structured interviews explored relationships with caregivers, opportunities for sexual health information, and comfort making decisions with current sexual health knowledge. Multiple themes were identified and implications for child welfare systems were discussed.
"An Institution Can Have Good Intentions and Still Be Atrocious": Transgender and Gender Expansive Experiences in Social Work Education
(WMU, 2023) Kinney, M. Killian; Cosgrove, Darren; Swafford, Tayon R.; Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; School of Social Work
Educational settings have been found to be challenging arenas for transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth and young adults due to misgendering, lack of affirming bathrooms, systemic exclusion (e.g., legal names and lack of inclusive gender identity demographic options), and frequent silence or avoidance related to TGE issues. Though studies of TGE adult experiences in higher education are emerging, most explore disaffirming experiences. Social work education focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with how to promote social justice, which suggests more affirming environments for TGE individuals. However, little is known about the experiences of TGE students and even less about faculty in social work education. To help fill this gap, the researchers interviewed 23 TGE social work students and faculty to explore their experiences of gender-related affirmation and challenges in social work educational programs. The findings from a thematic analysis identified examples of affirming and disaffirming experiences and recommendations for improving gender affirmation and inclusion in social work programs. Social work is in a strategic position to serve the needs and impact the social welfare of TGE individuals, starting with educational settings.
Enhancing the psychosocial and sexual well-being of gender-diverse young adults within a multidisciplinary clinic
(Routledge, 2022-12-27) Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; Heinz, Marissa “MJ”; School of Social Work
This chapter focuses on meeting the psychosocial and sexual health needs of gender-diverse young adults through the provision of services within a university hospital-based gender health program. The case study involves a 19-year-old transfeminine youth who has begun the process of hormonal gender affirmation and is navigating the complex process of developing her identity as a transgender woman while exploring her personal, social, and sexual desires. Areas of biases related to care for gender-diverse patients as well as their interactions with others are covered as well.
Social Work Practice with LGBTQ+ Populations
(Oxford, 2022) Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; School of Social Work
Gender Differences in Sexual Well-Being and Sexual Identity Development among Youth Formerly in the Foster Care System in the United States
(MDPI, 2023-02) Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; Swafford, Tayon R.; School of Social Work
Little research has heretofore examined differences in the sexual well-being and sexual health outcomes between female and male youth in the foster care system. This cross-sectional study examined these differences and as well as how sexual identity development impacts sexual well-being using a sample of 217 youth formerly in the foster care system. It found that females have lower levels of overall sexual well-being, lower scores on several components of sexual well-being, and more negative sexual health outcomes than males. The four domains of sexual identity development explored all predicted overall sexual well-being for both females and males, with a pronounced negative impact of being a gay male. These results support the importance of sexual identity development and indicate that the sexual health needs of females within the foster care system are not being addressed as well as those of their male counterparts. To address these discrepancies professionals and caregivers working with youth in the foster care system need to be attuned to the specific needs of female youth and work to address these needs in a manner that considers their gender.
“An Institution Can Have Good Intentions and Still Be Atrocious": Transgender and Gender Expansive Experiences in Social Work Education
(2023) Kinney, M. Killian; Cosgrove, Darren; Swafford, Tayon R.; Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.
Educational settings have been found to be challenging arenas for transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth and young adults due to misgendering, lack of affirming bathrooms, systemic exclusion (e.g., legal names and lack of inclusive gender identity demographic options), and frequent silence or avoidance related to TGE issues. Though studies of TGE adult experiences in higher education are emerging, most explore disaffirming experiences. Social work education focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with how to promote social justice, which suggests more affirming environments for TGE individuals. However, little is known about the experiences of TGE students and even less about faculty in social work education. To help fill this gap, the researchers interviewed 23 TGE social work students and faculty to explore their experiences of gender-related affirmation and challenges in social work educational programs. The findings from a thematic analysis identified examples of affirming and disaffirming experiences and recommendations for improving gender affirmation and inclusion in social work programs. Social work is in a strategic position to serve the needs and impact the social welfare of TGE individuals, starting with educational settings.
Intersections between Body Image, Sexual Identity, and Sexual Well-Being among Gender-Diverse Youth
(Routledge, 2021) Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; Snedecor, Rachel; Ramseyer Winter, Virginia
Body image, sexual identity, sexual well-being, and gender identity interact in complex ways in youths’ lives. While separate concepts, they inherently intertwine as each affects the other socially, emotionally, developmentally, and physically. Gender-diverse youth must navigate the development of their gender and sexual identities in a social environment that often stigmatizes them while also confronting gender dysphoria that can harm their body image. Disruptions in the development of gender and sexual identities and negative body image can lead to reduced levels of sexual well-being, which can negatively impact gender-diverse youths’ overall well-being. This chapter reviews literature regarding body image, sexual and gender identity development, and sexual well-being among gender-diverse youth, with a focus on how the four aspects of gender-diverse youths’ lives intersect. It concludes with recommendations for social work practice, education, and research so that social workers can be better attuned to gender-diverse youths’ complex gender-, sexuality-, and body image-based needs.

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