Panel Discussion 25 - Queer Joy, from Surviving to Thriving: Perspectives from Cbt’s Next Generation

In the context of challenging sociopolitical events, it is easy to focus on grief, sadness, and anger. Legislature restricting access to gender affirming care and limiting classroom discussion around LGBTQ+ topics can amplify minority stress and traumatic invalidation experiences (Cardona et al., 2021). Unsurprisingly, it is well-established that LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+) individuals experience significant mental health disparities relative to cisgender and heterosexual individuals (e.g., King et al., 2008). To support mental health, cognitive behavioral therapies provide strategies for not only coping with challenges, but also engaging in values-driven activities that foster positive emotions (Kanter et al., 2010). Yet little work focuses on queer joy, despite evidence that positive aspects of LGBTQ+ identity and compassion may buffer against the negative effects of stressors (Cardona et al., 2023; Chang et al., 2021; Katz et al., 2023). While honoring those understandable emotions, we suggest that queer joy is not the absence of unpleasant emotions but an act of resistance that may coexist with painful emotions.
This panel focuses on the importance of queer joy from the perspective of our next generation of CBT researchers and clinicians, diverse trainees who vary in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity. Panelists will discuss the dialectic between painful emotions and joy. Then, they will discuss how to conceptualize queer joy, as well as its role in larger social movements in the context of Queer Theory. A key focus of the panel will be on how to harness principles and lessons from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to cultivate queer joy across levels of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1974). With cultural shifts impacting the mental health field, this panel intentionally centers the voices of trainees who bring diverse and intersectional perspectives, and have established themselves as thought leaders on this topic. The presenters will draw from clinical examples, research expertise, and lived experiences. The session will conclude with audience questions. Overall, this panel will contribute to the discussion about using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to cultivate joy.