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

Abstract

The 2022 Charles Bantz Community Scholar Award was presented to Richard Brandon-Freidman, Assistant Professor in the Indiana University School of Social Work and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Indiana University School of Medicine. The project, “Families in Transition: Development of a Therapeutic Group for Gender-Diverse Youth and Their Caregivers,” is a collaboration between GenderNexus, Gender Expansive Kids & Co. (GEKCO), and PFLAG-Fishers. This research project will evaluate a therapeutic support group designed to meet the needs of gender-diverse youth (GDY) and their caregivers. The group will enhance the social and emotional well-being of participants through psychoeducation, skill development, familial relationship and communication building, and community connectedness.