Student Health Services and Behavioral Medicine have a new free support group for transgender and gender-diverse students. TRANScendence meets Wednesdays in the Student Health Services building.

LGBTQ

Student Health Services Launches New Support Group for Trans and Nonbinary Students

TRANScendence meets in person weekly

Student Health Services and Behavioral Medicine have created a new, and free, support group for transgender and nonbinary students at Boston University.

The group, TRANScendence, launched October 18. According to Behavioral Medicine, it is a “safe, supportive group for students who identify as trans, nonbinary, gender expansive/nonconforming and/or gender questioning.” The group meets in person Wednesdays from 5 to 6 pm in the Student Health Services building (find more details here). 

Creating a specific support group for transgender and gender-diverse students was one of the formal recommendations made by the LGBTQIA+ Student Task Force, a student-led coalition dedicated to making BU more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ students. The students were inspired by the University’s LGBTQIA+ Task Force for Faculty & Staff, whose work culminated in the creation of the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff in 2021. (Among the other Student Task Force recommendations was a fully staffed center for students, which is set to open later this academic year.) 

“The establishment of a trans/non-cis student support group is an important step in providing culturally responsive healthcare at BU,” says LGBTQIA+ Student Task Force cofounder Kris Berg (CGS’20, CAS’22, SSW’27, SPH’27). “Our Task Force recommended that SHS create this support group in response to the urgent need among trans/non-cis students for more trauma-informed, gender-affirming, and mental health–focused community spaces.”

Historically, not all traditional LGBTQIA+ spaces have been prepared to meet the needs of transgender and gender-diverse individuals, explains Ilana Licht, groups coordinator for Behavioral Medicine. “The TRANScendence group aims to provide a supportive space for these students,” she says. “Ideally, the students who attend the group will feel a sense of community, which can be healing in and of itself—having connection with people who are experiencing something similar can be powerful in navigating those experiences, too.”

TRANScendence is still getting its footing in terms of focus. According to Behavioral Medicine, it’s likely the group plans to discuss topics such as relationships, body image, and identity. Also on the agenda: covering personal empowerment and self-care strategies, as well as how to build safe and supportive communities. The group is led by Finn Lopez (SSW’22), a mental health counselor who specializes in working with LGBTQ+ patient populations.

All Behavioral Health support groups are free for students, regardless of their health insurance plans. The groups are also flexible, Licht says: “Students can join the groups at any point in time and attend as often as they feel would be helpful to them. If they can’t attend weekly or for the entire semester, that’s okay, too—they can still benefit from groups.” 

Student Health Services offers additional gender-affirming services to students, including primary care, hormone therapy, and letters of support for surgical procedures. (Learn more here.)

“Community-focused resources like these are essential and life-saving,” Berg says. “I look forward to seeing continued progress to more holistically support LGBTQIA+ BU students.”

Find more information about Behavioral Medicine’s support groups here.