Non Binary Support Group for the Gender Non Binary Community

Beyond the Binary:

A Support Group for the Gender Non-binary Community

A virtual support group for people who identify as non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, or gender non-conforming. Based out of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

Beyond The Binary Group Registration Fee: $25

Beyond The Binary Support Group Fee: $20
(or 10$ for existing clients of The Center for Growth living with binary support group who attend individual, couples of family therapy sessions with their therapist at least twice a month)

Why a Group for Non-Binary People?

Queer and gender-expansive people have historically been marginalized and isolated by social structures that have not been designed for them and which provide challenges not experienced by cisgender and heterosexual people. These social structures include public and private life, educational and professional spaces. Often gender non-binary people experience levels of isolation, exclusion, and discrimination from within the LGBTQ community. It has long been known that trans and non-binary people thrive when they are connected to one another in solidarity, support, and encouragement. Despite increased visibility, acceptance, and social power as a community, gender non-binary and gender-expansive people still experience high levels of discrimination, violence, and social marginalization, leading this demographic to experience higher levels of mental health concerns, substance use and abuse, and suicide.

In this space, non-binary and gender-expansive people can be afforded the opportunity to receive and give support and feedback to one another and learn how to advocate for themselves and others.

Common topics of discussion could include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Experiences of queer and gender-expansive people

• Perceptions of gender and sexuality in society

• Discrimination within the LGBTQ community

• Pronouns and names

• Isolation from and within trans spaces

• Isolation from and within queer spaces

• Procrastination, motivation, and productivity

• Gender identity versus gender expression

• Gender fluidity

• Experiences of impostor syndrome

• Increasing self-efficacy

• Social anxiety

• Emotional, physical, and sexual safety

• Relationships, dating, sex, and love

• Heterosexism, misogyny, homophobia, biphobia, panphobia, transphobia

• Well-intentioned but unhelpful allyship

• Professional identity (career planning/networking)

• Work-Life Balance, relationships, and building a support network

• Accessing gender-affirming care

• Stepping back for self-care and community care

• Stepping up for mentoring or leadership

• Communication and collaboration with peers

• Networking with peers

• Self-awareness

• Exploring gender in therapy

• Intersectionality (race, gender, etc.)

• Emotional labor

• Coming out, coming to terms, and inviting in

• Religion, faith, spirituality, and meaning making

• Family relationships

What else can you expect from this group?

You can expect a small gathering of about 8 folks online. We utilize Google Meets to hold our meetings. We hope that you’ll be able to use these meetings as a time to reflect on your experiences in the world, discuss your journey with your gender, and meet others with similar experiences. In addition to the topics listed above, this group will offer attendees a space and time to build a sense of community with others of similar backgrounds. We share the same expectations for each group member that joins, the expectations are listed below…

EXPECTATIONS

• Consistent attendance. You will not miss more than 2 meetings in a row. Meetings are held virtually every other week. In order to keep group conversation progressing and create a feeling of safety and trust among participants, there is an expectation that you are committed to being there. (We will, of course, make exceptions as needed in the event of emergencies, illness, or personal loss.)

• Respect. You will engage in respectful dialogue that comes from a place of understanding that not everyone’s experiences are identical to your own, and as such, opinions may differ. Conflict will be addressed in a calm and open manner among group members, and there will be no willful interrupting or fighting during sessions.

• Non-binary identity. As we stated, this group is for gender non-binary and gender-expansive people*. Additionally, this group is designed for people looking to gain more support in the queer community, learn more about themselves and others’ experience with gender, and explore other topics related to gender identity.

The support group for the gender non-binary community at the Center for Growth encourages participants to follow these group expectations. We are always open to suggestions or feedback from group members on how to enhance their experience or meet unique needs! We understand that everyone in the non-binary community can have unique journeys, and we do our best to honor that by incorporating feedback into our group structure.

*Who is the group for?

For this group, we define Gender Non-Binary and Gender-Expansive people as people of all genders identifying in one of the following categories (not limited to these listed below):

Those whose gender identity and/or gender expression does not align with traditional concepts of binary gender and whose personal gender identity is not well-described by the term cisgender, including the following identities (though this is not an exhaustive list): genderqueer, genderfluid, gender non-binary, agender, queer, demiman, demiwoman, bigender, gender fluid, including people who are questioning their identities and who are at varying degrees of comfort with disclosing their identities to others.

Who is the group NOT for?

This group is not a space for those who identify as either cisgender or heterosexual. While transgender individuals whose gender expression and/or identity align with binary gender are not specifically excluded, this group will focus on the experiences of those who are non-binary (see above). This group is not an appropriate place for “allies” or “supporters” and is not an appropriate space for the family, friends, or partners of gender non-binary persons. This space is designed to be a safe space of, for, and by gender non-binary/gender-expansive people led by queer/trans/gender non-binary counseling professionals.