Ep 47: Dr. Leah Goodman (she/they) on Support Groups & Group Therapy for Queer Healing

This week’s guest is Leah Goodman, OTD, OTR/L, MSW, CYT (she/they). Leah is a therapist and education manager at The Expansive Group, a collective of queer and trans affirming therapists, led by Casey Tanner (also known on instagram as @queersextherapy). At The Expansive Group, Leah runs a support group for LGBTQ+ folks who are coming into/discovering their identity in adulthood (essentially going through their Second Adolescence!). This is the reason why I wanted to talk with Leah!In this episode, we talk all things support groups and group therapy, and how these can be tools to support LGBTQ+ healing and liberation. Leah lets us in to really what goes on in a group, discusses the various obstacles/fears/stigmas that might keep people from pursuing joining a support group, why its particularly a fun and powerful space for LGBTQ+ folks, and so much more. This was such a tender conversation, I’m so grateful to Leah for joining us! About the guest:Dr. Leah Goodman (she/they) is a queer-identified therapist and educator based in Chicago, IL. She strives to build inclusive spaces full of warmth, humor, and affirmation, and finds joy in supporting folks as they navigate identity, relationships, sexuality, self-worth, and life transitions. Leah is a doctoral-level licensed occupational therapist and trained social worker with substantial educator experience in the fields of mental health, well-being and sex education. She has worked as a university professor, curriculum developer, and consultant, and is currently a therapist and the education manager at The Expansive Group. She is also a certified yoga instructor. For more about Leah, visit their website here. For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com or @secondadolescencepod.