Drs. Christian Chan & Jennifer Deaton (CED) Investigate Identity Affirmation and LGBTQ+ Oppression in Project Funded by UNCG New Faculty Internal Grant

Posted on June 16, 2021

Christian Chan Feature Image

Dr. Christian D. Chan and Dr. Jennifer D. Deaton, assistant professors in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development, received a UNCG New Faculty Internal Grant to fund the research project titled “Investigating the Impact of Relational Satisfaction and Identity Affirmation on the Relationship Between LGBT-Based Oppression and Help-Seeking Behaviors.”

This project involves two research studies that examine the factors of relational satisfaction and identity affirmation to explain how LGBTQ+ oppression and race-based trauma can affect help-seeking behaviors among sexual and gender minority (SGM) intimate relationships. The research team includes Dr. Chan and Dr. Deaton as co-investigators, and CED graduate students Nicole Silverio and Jasmine L. Garland McKinney.

Dr. Chan is also the President of the Association for Adult Development and Aging (AADA). As a scholar-activist, his interests revolve around intersectionality; multiculturalism in counseling practice, supervision, and counselor education; social justice and activism; career development; critical research methodologies; and couple, family, and group modalities with socialization/communication of cultural factors. Dedicated to mentorship for leaders and scholars, he has actively contributed to over 43 peer-reviewed publications in journals, books, and edited volumes and has conducted over 120 refereed presentations at the national, regional, and state levels. Learn more.

As a counselor educator, Dr. Deaton facilitates culturally responsive pedagogy that builds self-awareness, fosters a multicultural lens, and promotes evidenced-based practitioners. She aims to drive interdisciplinary collaboration in areas of trauma-informed care, posttraumatic growth, and vicarious posttraumatic growth with methodology expertise in program evaluation and instrument development. Through her research, she aspires to extend a trauma-informed lens to K-12 educational institutions. Dr. Deaton has served as an evaluator for externally funded research and evaluation projects, including university-based teacher induction programs. Learn more.