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In 2004, Deborah Coolhart G鈥�01, G鈥�06, a professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) in the at 51爆料网, was receiving more requests for counseling transgender clients in her private practice than she could manage. To remedy the situation鈥攁nd ensure and referrals to much-needed services鈥攕he established what鈥檚 known today as the Transgender Affirmative Support Team (Trans Team). MFT graduate students鈥攚ho comprise the team鈥攔eceive specialized training to provide counseling for trans people and other members of the LBGTQ+ community and their families. 鈥淚 always tell people to never underestimate the value of one affirming voice,鈥� Coolhart says. 鈥淎 lot of times trans people are buried by all kinds of negativity and just having one person who supports them can literally save their life.鈥�

Trans people navigate a host of personal and societal challenges. They may encounter issues with family acceptance and a transition process that can provoke anxiety and depression, says MFT teaching professor Tristan Martin G鈥�20. And while seeking support and understanding, they鈥檙e often subjected to oppression and discrimination. According to the , more than 500 anti-trans bills are currently under consideration in state legislatures across the country. 鈥淎 handful of states have passed anti-trans laws, and that鈥檚 a major stressor for the trans community,鈥� Martin says.

Gaining Clinical Experience

MFT students gain experience through clinical work at the department鈥檚 Couple and Family Therapy Center, which provides free counseling services to area residents and the University community. The students complete 500 hours of supervised internships and clinical practice with individuals, couples and families. They learn to write letters of support for trans clients, a first step in helping a person begin their transition with hormone therapy and medical procedures. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e affirming and supportive of somebody鈥檚 experience, that can be powerful,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淥ur students are budding therapists, so I don鈥檛 expect them to know how to do all the interventions, but if they can listen and validate clients, that鈥檚 all it really takes sometimes.鈥�

According to MFT clinic director Tyler Sliker G鈥�14, about 25% of the center鈥檚 clients are trans or gender-nonconforming in some way. 鈥淭his population makes up a much higher percentage of the clients than our students would have the opportunity to work with in a community internship,鈥� Sliker says. 鈥淥ur community knows that we specially train students to serve this population well, so we鈥檙e one of the go-to referral sources for trans and gender nonbinary folks.鈥�

Many students who enroll in the program have a specific interest in working with the LGBTQ+ community. Trans Team member Josiah Parker G鈥�25 was a development director at a community health center when he shifted his professional focus and enrolled in the after hearing Coolhart give a presentation. 鈥淚 love this program, and the focus is what drew me to it,鈥� Parker says. Indigo Vooris G鈥�25 was interested in working with couples and being a Trans Team member clinched their decision. 鈥淲e鈥檝e created an excellent community space, and I feel supported in my everyday life,鈥� Vooris says. 鈥淔or me, the most special thing about the Trans Team is how it鈥檚 integrated into all the amazing things we鈥檙e learning.鈥�

Coolhart and Martin regularly meet with Trans Team members to discuss cases and provide training and guidance. Trans Team President Kirsten Mathieson G鈥�24 and Vice President Gabby Presutti G鈥�24鈥攚ho established the team as a registered student organization in 2023鈥攕ay the team likes to celebrate client wins together, such as completing their name change or a medical procedure. 鈥淗aving a community that is affirming and supportive of their needs and advocates for what they want can mean everything to a lot of them,鈥� Presutti says. 鈥淪ometimes we are the only people in their lives who support them and are open, loving and caring to their needs.鈥�

Bringing a Community Together

A major undertaking for the Trans Team is organizing and hosting . At this year鈥檚 event, held on a snowy Saturday in March, the team welcomed more than 240 guests to Peck Hall for the second straight year. It was a day of celebration that featured community resource representatives and health providers, a free clothing store, hair and makeup stylists and other offerings. 鈥淲e work on preparing this event all year, but it鈥檚 a labor of love and a privilege to do this for the community,鈥� Mathieson says.

Casen, a Syracuse resident, attended the event for the second time. He began his transition about two years ago with the support of family and friends. Others, he says, aren鈥檛 as fortunate in gaining acceptance. He appreciates that Trans Support Day brings all the available services together in one place where people can receive information and talk in a safe space. 鈥淧eople can come to Trans Support Day and be themselves, be safe and appreciated, and just have fun,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 know when I am surrounded by people who understand and accept me, that affirms me and my gender and makes me feel really good about myself. It鈥檚 also important for a lot of people in the trans community because they don鈥檛 know where to go鈥攈ere, they can learn about the resources they need to take the steps in their journey.鈥�