About Joonwoo & Sebastian
Joonwoo Lee, MEd (he/him, right)
Joonwoo is in his final year of training to become a counseling psychologist. He dedicates most of his therapy work to supporting trans and nonbinary individuals who have experienced relational trauma with parental figures or complex trauma. His dream as a counseling psychologist is to develop effective, culturally sensitive psychotherapy for trans and nonbinary people with this trauma. He is also passionate about training therapists to provide compassionate letter-writing sessions for trans and nonbinary adults and youth.
Sebastian Barr, PhD (he/him, left)
Sebastian is a counseling psychologist licensed in Kansas and Massachusetts. In his independent practice, he sees teenagers and adults for work related to gender/trans-related needs, recovery from traumatic stress, and managing sociopolitical distress. He maintains an active research practice in these areas, as well, and teaches frequently on these topics. Sebastian’s other passions include social cycling, community building, and music. He leads a weekly trans- and queer-centered bike ride in his semi-rural community and is known to make pretty great playlists. You can engage with him more on his substack and instagram, and learn more about his work at www.transpsychologist.com.
Joonwoo and Sebastian first connected when Sebastian presented his research on traumatic stress in the trans community to the TransCARE Collaborative, which Joonwoo is a member of. Joonwoo reached out to Sebastian, asking if he might want to collaborate on a project that looks into trans people’s experiences of relational trauma with parental figures. It was from that first email in 2022 that this project was born.
We each bring unique strengths to this research in ways that have often complemented each other. Two pieces that make us strong research collaborators are our shared deep commitments to the centering of marginalized voices and to the ethical, compassionate care of research participants, particularly those who have experienced interpersonal and systemic trauma.
Over the course of our work together, we have become good friends and chosen community. We have developed a meaningful relationship through intentionally navigating disagreements, differences in approach, and various relational missteps (which are natural in all relationships), as well as celebrating our shared and individual accomplishments and milestones. We are so proud to share this collaborative project with all of you.