About

Stephanie Budge is a Professor and the Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on improving medical and psychotherapy treatments and access to care for Two Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary (2STNB) clients. She founded the Trans CARE Collaborative in 2014, a group of scholars and community advocates dedicated to enhancing research related to 2STNB populations. Stephanie provides clinical trainings nationally and internationally on LGBTQ issues, emphasizing practitioners’ self-efficacy, knowledge, awareness, and skills. At UW-Madison, she promotes 2STNB advocacy on campus through workshops for students, faculty, and staff to navigate gender identity within a university environment. She serves as an Associate Editor of Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Transgender Health and LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Her academic background includes a PhD in Counseling Psychology from UW-Madison, an MS in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BS in Psychology from the University of Utah.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Social psychology
• Sociology
• Clinical psychology
• Political Science
• Developmental psychology
• Criminology
• Nursing
• Medical emergency
• Psychoanalysis

Selected publications

• Transness is our salve: How trans identity facilitates healing from relational trauma with parental figures

  Journal of Traumatic Stress · 2026-01-28

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals experience high rates of relational trauma from parental figures, yet their pathways to healing remain underexplored. This qualitative study used constructivist grounded theory to develop a theoretical framework of how TNB adults heal from parental relational trauma. In-depth interviews with 15 racially and socioeconomically diverse U.S.-based TNB adults who experienced parental relational trauma generated the core phenomenon: "TNB identity and experiences initiate and sustain pathways of healing from parental relational trauma." This captures that rather than being a source of this trauma, recognizing and actualizing one's TNB identity is the central catalyst for healing from it. The healing process began with three conditions: (a) connecting with one's TNB identity/self, (b) gaining new clarity in parental harm through TNB-related parental harm, and (c) experiencing joy and oppression as TNB while lacking parental support. These conditions gave rise to strategies including (d) creating safer homes through queer/TNB chosen family, (e) committing to individual healing through therapy, and (f) reimagining life through ongoing actualization as TNB. The consequences of these strategies, in turn, created conditions that enabled subsequent strategies, including (g) attempting repair and intergenerational work with families of origin, (h) distancing as self-preservation, and (i) returning to TNB communities to sustain healing across generations. The consequences of these processes included personal, intergenerational, and collective healing. The study offers implications for research, clinical practice, and advocacy, calling for approaches that frame TNB identity not as a source of familial conflict but as a central resource for recovery.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Initial efficacy of a novel web app for adults experiencing gender dysphoria: A pilot study of the trans care intervention.

  Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity · 2026-03-05

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• “Despite the odds being stacked against me”: a qualitative analysis of client perceptions of radical healing and internalized stigma frameworks in therapy

  International Journal of Transgender Health · 2025-11-25

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Measurement Invariance and Mental Health Disparities in Distress and Well-Being Scales Between LGBTQ+ and General Population Samples in German-Speaking Countries

  Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development · 2025-09-05

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Testing an online program to help transgender and nonbinary youth cope with gender dysphoria

  http://isrctn.com/ · 2025-11-13

  datasetSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Building and practicing anticolonial psychotherapy: Using the psychology of radical healing to address the coloniality of gender.

  American Psychologist · 2025-05-01 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Colonial structures that persist in contemporary society are described as coloniality (Bhatia et al., 2024; Comas-Díaz et al., 2024; Maldonado-Torres, 2007) and encompass hierarchies that normalize and idealize White Western notions of gender (Bryant et al., 2024; Chavez-Dueñas et al., 2022; Lugones, 2016). Such structures perpetuate violence against people whose gender identities, expressions, and embodiments diverge from Western ideals, including two-spirit, trans, and nonbinary people of color. This article examines the role of psychology in perpetuating coloniality and commends the efforts of scholar-activists in developing radical healing methodologies. Moved by our engagement with two-spirit, trans, and nonbinary people of color, we explore the interplay between coloniality, racism, and Western gender expectations. We discuss how these dynamics foster the internalization of stigma at both individual and collective levels. Motivated by scholar-activists who challenge the colonial foundations of gender, we detail practical ways in which clinicians can employ the five anchors of radical healing-collectivism, critical consciousness, radical hope, strength and resistance, and cultural authenticity and self-knowledge (French et al., 2020)-to address what Lugones calls the coloniality of gender (2016), and Chavez-Dueñas et al. (2022) have described as racial-gendered colonialism. The article introduces reflection prompts and therapeutic activities aimed at addressing racial-gendered colonialism. The article concludes by inviting therapists and clients to pursue envisioned, albeit imperfect, decolonial futures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Longitudinal Outcomes of an Open Psychotherapy Clinical Trial with Two Spirit, Transgender, and Nonbinary Clients of Color

  Transgender Health · 2025-02-19 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Purpose: Given the notable lack of psychotherapeutic services tailored to the needs of Two Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary (2STNB) people of color (POC), this open clinical trial aimed to develop and implement the Healing through Ongoing Psychological Empowerment (HOPE) intervention, a psychotherapy intervention explicitly designed for 2STNB POC clients. Methods: Forty-nine 2STNB POC clients started and completed the HOPE intervention. Participants were provided with 15 free virtual therapy sessions by nine 2STNB POC therapists. Assessments were conducted at baseline, during the intervention, immediately following completion, and 6 months following completion. Surveys measured internalized transnegativity (IT), working alliance, and mental health symptoms and functioning. Results: The HOPE intervention demonstrated initial clinical efficacy, with significant improvements observed in both mental health symptoms and IT from pretreatment to post-treatment; improvements were sustained at the 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: These findings propose HOPE as an exciting culturally specific therapeutic approach for the 2STNB POC community. Future randomized controlled trials comparing HOPE to existing evidence-based treatments are needed.

  PublisherDOI

• The Healing Through Ongoing Psychological Empowerment Telehealth Intervention With Two Spirit, Transgender, and Nonbinary Clients of Color in the United States: Open Clinical Trial Feasibility and Implementation Analysis

  JMIR Formative Research · 2025-03-12 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Background: There is a notable lack of psychotherapeutic services tailored to the needs of Two Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary (2STNB) people of color; research indicates that 2STNB clients who are people of color report a lack of competence and cultural humility on the part of their therapists. Objective: The purpose of this study was to report the feasibility and acceptability of the Healing Through Ongoing Psychological Empowerment (HOPE) teletherapy intervention using deductive content analysis. Methods: We used an open clinical trial design (testing one intervention without a comparison group) to test the feasibility and acceptability of the HOPE intervention. At baseline, 51 clients were enrolled in the open clinical trial, with 49 2STNB clients who are people of color starting and completing the HOPE intervention. Clients were recruited primarily from social media and therapist waitlists. Clients completed up to 15 free face-to-face telehealth psychotherapy sessions that were provided by nine 2STNB therapists who are people of color. Feasibility and acceptability interviews were conducted prior to the intervention, immediately following the intervention, and at 6 months after completing the intervention. Results: The HOPE intervention demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability, specifically regarding data collection, psychometric adequacy, interventionist recruitment or training or retention, delivery of the intervention, acceptability of the intervention to clients, and client engagement with the intervention. Conclusions: These findings propose HOPE as a potentially feasible, culturally specific therapeutic approach for the 2STNB community who are people of color. Future randomized controlled trials comparing HOPE to existing evidence-based treatments are needed.

  PublisherDOI

• Minority stress and protective factors for body image concerns and disordered eating among a cohort of transgender and nonbinary youth: A preliminary longitudinal study

  International Journal of Transgender Health · 2025-01-26 · 7 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A Thematic Analysis of Teletherapy Benefits and Challenges for Two Spirit, Transgender, and Nonbinary People of Color: Qualitative Results from the HOPE Trial

  Telemedicine Journal and e-Health · 2025-11-28

  article1st authorCorresponding

  INTRODUCTION: Teletherapy is an increasingly common delivery platform that can increase access to mental health care for marginalized and underserved populations seeking competent therapy providers. To date, little empirical work details the teletherapy experiences of multiply marginalized populations, such as Two Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary people of color (2STNB POC). METHODS: = 47) were interviewed postintervention to gather data about their experiences with teletherapy for the intervention. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data and to identify common themes. RESULTS: Among positive experiences using teletherapy, we identified 10 subthemes, which included increased access, the ability to be in a familiar space, alignment with personal preference, and personalization with therapists. Among negative experiences with teletherapy, we identified 12 subthemes, which included distractions, technology issues, difficulties with body language, affect, and engagement with the therapy process, lack of privacy or a safe environment, and lack of a dedicated therapeutic or transition space. DISCUSSION: Overall, most participants reported a positive experience with teletherapy and satisfaction with the services received. Teletherapy appears to be a feasible and acceptable way to deliver psychotherapy to 2STNB POC, having many significant positive aspects. However, providers should be mindful of the challenging aspects of teletherapy to reduce barriers with the modality.The registration number for this clinical trial is ClinicalTrials.Gov: NCT05140174.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Sabra L. Katz‐Wise

  Boston Children's Hospital

  27 shared

• Kimberly A. S. Howard

  Wheelock College

  14 shared

• Elliot A. Tebbe

  12 shared

• Louis Lindley

  11 shared

• Bruce E. Wampold

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  10 shared

• Christoph Flückiger

  University of Kassel

  8 shared

• Jesse Owen

  8 shared

• Jill L. Adelson

  8 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Counseling Psychology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2007

• M.S., Counseling Psychology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2004

• B.A., Psychology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2002

Awards & honors

• American Psychological Association Fellow (2021, 2023)
• Division 17 Distinguished Contribution to Counseling Psychol…
• Division 29 Social Justice Award (2021)
• UW-Madison Exceptional Service Award (2021)
• School of Education Impact 2030 Faculty Fellow (2020)