Adapting DBT for gender non-conforming and transgender emerging adults
Supported by an award from the Seth Buckland Memorial scholarship, our team is currently adapting DBT for transgender and gender non-conforming youth. (PI Jacqueline Tilley PhD; Co-Is Lucero Molina & Leslye Casolaro; Faculty Supervisor: Brittain Mahaffey, PhD, DBT-LBC).
Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth are at elevated risk for depression, suicidality and self-harm compared to their cisgender peers (Connolly, Zervos, Barone, Johnson, & Joseph, 2016; Perez-Brumer, Day, Russell, & Hatzenbuehler, 2017). Studies indicate that these high rates of emotional distress and suicidal behaviors are a likely consequence of discrimination and pervasive environmental invalidation that TGNC youth experience (Grant, Motter, & Tanis, 2011; Haas et al., 2010). The aims of the proposed study are to (1) identify treatment needs and barriers to treatment engagement for TGNC youth who are at-risk for depression and suicidality, and (2) obtain feedback on how to adapt specific DBT modules to better meet their needs (e.g., inclusion of relevant examples) using a community-based participatory research approach. Data from these interviews will be used to develop culturally sensitive adaptations to DBT materials for individual therapy and skills groups.
For more information on this and other research opportunities contact: Brittain.Mahaffey@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Not sure about DBT? Some of our providers are also trained in Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT) for the treatment of personality disorders.
MBT helps to build one’s ability to understand both behavior and feelings and how they’re associated with specific mental states, not just in ourselves, but in others as well.