New Group for Trans & Nonbinary People Navigating Family Estrangement

I’m excited to be launching a winter group (November 26 - February 25) to meet needs I’m seeing in my clients and in the community. The group is titled The Love We Keep: Healing From & Navigating Family Estrangement This Winter. Across biweekly sessions, we’ll share our stories in supportive and trauma-informed ways, engage with and challenge social norms about families and estrangement, address the reasons we may stay connected to harmful family, discuss the concept and practice(s) of real love, reflect on grief experiences related to distancing from family, and collectively imagine other pathways to belonging, ancestry, and identity. This is a facilitated group that is not designed to be a stand-in for therapy, but will include space for personal reflection and sharing/receiving support.

This group is for you if you are working to set boundaries with harmful family members, navigating complex feelings related to distance from family of origin, and/or want to be in community with other trans and nonbinary people who are facing similar experiences related to family estrangement particularly during a season associated with family in mainstream society. This group is also designed to be facilitated through readings and discussion, which might be a particularly good fit if the idea of a support group is overwhelming, intimidating, or generally unappealing to you.

This group is exclusively for people who identify as part of the trans community, including nonbinary people who identify as trans. Group members will commit to completing short readings for each session and occasional reflection exercises. We will meet virtually so participants must have access to reliable internet. Because this is not a therapy group, there is no geographic limitation to where participants join from. In order to allow for a meaningful experience, this group will be between four and ten people.

Schedule

We will meet virtually on Tuesdays, 6:30-8:00pm (Eastern), typically every other week from November 26 to February 25. There will be an optional winter holiday celebration on Thursday, December 26 from 6:30-8:00pm (Eastern). Note that in February, session 5 and 6 are just one week apart.

  • Session 1 - November 26: Our Stories

  • Session 2 - December 10: Models of Families & Estrangement / Social Norms

  • Optional Holiday Gathering - December 26

  • Session 3 - January 7: Why We (Might) Stay Connected to Harmful Family

  • Session 4 - January 21: Expansive & Critical Understandings of Love

  • Session 5 - February 4: Grief

  • Session 6 - February 11: Alternative Pathways to Belonging, Ancestry, & Identity

  • Session 7 - February 25: Goodbyes and Next Chapters

Cost

The fees for this group are offered using a tiered rate framework of either $50, $65, or $80 per session. Each tier is designed to respect your financial situation and the needs of the practice, while ensuring that therapy remains within reach. Please choose the tier that best aligns with your current circumstances. See below for guidelines regarding the fee tiers. Group participants are expected to commit to all seven sessions, though payment may be made either all at once or in installments.

  • Tier 1 - Standard Rate ($80/session | $560 for seven-session group, across 13 weeks): This option reflects the full fee for services and is best suited for those who are financially stable. If you are employed, have savings, or generally feel comfortable with your current financial situation, this tier would be a good fit. Paying the standard rate helps support the practice, allowing me to offer lower-cost options to others in need.

  • Tier 2 - Reduced Rate ($65/session | $455 for seven-session group, across 13 weeks): This tier offers a discount on the standard rate and is designed for clients who might be feeling some financial pressure. If you’re working and managing your expenses but find that paying the full rate would be a bit of a stretch, this option could work well for you.

  • Tier 3 - Subsidized Rate ($50/session | $350 for seven-session group, across 14 weeks): The subsidized rate is our lowest-cost option, intended for those who are currently facing significant financial hardship. If you’re unemployed, underemployed, or otherwise struggling to make ends meet, this tier is available to ensure that you can still access the support you need.

Next Steps

We are now enrolling for this group! Please email me at drsebastianbarr@gmail.com if you are interested in participating in and/or learning more about the group. We will schedule a 20-30 minute no-cost consultation and I will ask you to fill out a brief questionnaire so that I can answer questions you have and determine that everyone who participates is a good fit for the group. Sessions do not begin until the end of November, but enrollment will stop when the group fills or on November 15. Feel free to share the flyer from this page with folks who might be interested.