Congratulations to Julia Susan Brewer, Doctoral Researcher and Trainee Counselling Psychologist at Regent’s University London, who recently received the Delegate’s Choice Award and came first place in the Poster Prize after giving a poster presentation of her research with non-binary youth at the British Psychological Society (BPS) the Division of Counselling Psychology Annual Conference.
Julia’s thought-provoking research investigates the emerging presence of diverse gender identities within the UK and the lack of knowledge of their lived experiences.
Research showed that non-binary youth (those identifying outside the commonly assumed male-female gender binary) face challenges navigating a male-female society but there is a significant lack of qualitative data of their experiences.
Julia’s doctoral thesis, which is due to be submitted in December 2018, responds to calls from LGBTQ+ communities and academics to centrally involve non-binary youth in research to develop positive practices and increase the community’s visibility.
On receiving her double award, Julia said: 'I am honoured to have received the BPS awards and I am very pleased to be able to contribute in some way to much needed non-binary visibility within the field.
'I have worked therapeutically with transgender and non-binary clients throughout my doctoral training and feel passionately about raising awareness and understanding of issues facing the community.'
