Empowerment Lab
Faculty Mentor: Em Matsuno, PhD, Assistant Professor
Email: Em.Matsuno@asu.edu | empowermentlab.wordpress.com
Description: The Empowerment Lab aims to uplift, center, and empower Two-spirit, trans, and nonbinary (2STNB) people as scholars, researchers, practitioners, activists, and healers within the field of psychology. In our research, we aim to center our voices by including 2STNB members in our research team and collaborating with 2STNB community members. The research within this lab is informed by minority stress theory (Brooks, 1981; Meyers, 2003), which emphasizes the impact of societal stigma on mental health, as well as the protective function of resilience factors. From this framework, our research goals are to 1) identify the minority stressors and resilience factors that 2STNB people experience, 2) create and validate psychological measures of minority stressors and resilience for 2STNB people, 3) examine the pathways between minority stressors, resilience factors, and mental health outcomes for 2STNB people, and 4) develop and test interventions to reduce minority stressors and/or increase resilience factors for 2STNB populations.
Dr. Matsuno is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 17 (Counseling Psychology), Division 35 (Psychology of Women), Division 44 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity), Division 45 (Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race), and the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH).
Student Participants: : The lab currently includes four doctoral students, two master's students, and two undergraduate students. Students are welcome to apply to volunteer with the lab starting in Fall 2023. To apply, fill out the online form.
Products:
- Matsuno, E., Bricker, N. L., Savarese, E., Mohr, R., Jr., & Balsam, K. F. (2022). “The default is just going to be getting misgendered”: An investigation of minority stress among nonbinary adults. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000607
- Matsuno, E., Hashtpari, H., Domínguez, S., Jr., Maroney, M. R., Gonzalez, K., & Knutson, D. (2022). “There’s no real roadmap that I know of”: Experiences of trans and nonbinary graduate students in counseling psychology programs. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000647
- Matsuno, E., & Israel, T. (2021). The parent support program: Development and acceptability of an online intervention aimed at increasing supportive behaviors among parents of trans youth. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 17(5), 413–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2020.1868369
- Matsuno, E., McConnell, E., Dolan, C., & Israel, T. (2021). “I am fortunate to have a transgender child”: An investigation into the barriers and facilitators to support among parents of trans and nonbinary youth. LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 18(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2021.1991541
- Matsuno, E. (2019). Nonbinary-affirming psychological interventions. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 26(4), 617–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2018.09.003
- Matsuno, E., & Israel, T. (2018). Psychological interventions promoting resilience among transgender individuals: Transgender resilience intervention model (TRIM). The Counseling Psychologist, 46(5), 632–655. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018787261
Accepting PhD Students for 2024? Yes