ABOUT
Overview
Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in working with gender diverse and transgender children, adolescents, and adults.
Dr. Edwards-Leeper is Professor Emerita of the School of Graduate Psychology at Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon. In this position, she trained graduate students to work in an affirming and supportive way with gender diverse youth and their families. She created a Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation graduate emphasis within the program allowing students to gain additional training in this area.
Currently Dr. Edwards-Leeper has a full-time private practice near Portland, Oregon where she works almost exclusively with gender diverse children, adolescents, and adults. She offers therapy, as well as comprehensive gender/psychological assessments for children and adolescents (and their parents) who want to gain a holistic understanding of the youth’s gender identity and how this intersects with other aspects of their development, identity, and functioning. These assessments are sometimes used for the purpose of determining “readiness” for medical interventions (e.g., puberty blocking medication, gender affirming hormone treatment, surgeries). More information about these assessments can be found on the Clinical Services page. Dr. Edwards-Leeper also works with gender diverse adults who need letters for various medical interventions.
Previously, Dr. Edwards-Leeper worked as the psychologist for the T-Clinic at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon which serves transgender adolescents seeking medical interventions. She also worked at Seattle Children's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She was the founding psychologist for the Gender Management Service (GeMS) at Boston Children's Hospital, the first interdisciplinary, pediatric, hospital-based clinic in the United States to offer assessment and medical intervention to transgender youth. Dr. Edwards-Leeper was trained by the renowned Dr. Peggy Cohen-Kettenis in the Netherlands and adapted the “Dutch Protocol,” currently the only empirically supported assessment and treatment protocol for transgender youth, to be used in the United States.
Dr. Edwards-Leeper was a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force which developed practice guidelines for working with transgender individuals. Additionally, she was selected as a member of the APA and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) committee that created a consensus statement regarding the harmful practice of conversion therapy for gender and sexual minority youth. Dr. Edwards-Leeper served as the chair for the Child and Adolescent Committee for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and was selected as a WPATH Standard of Care (SOC) 8 committee member for the revision of both the child and adolescent chapters.
Dr. Edwards-Leeper has authored numerous peer-reviewed book chapters and journal articles and has been interviewed by various media outlets. She is considered an international expert in this area.
Education
Postdoctoral Internship, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., 2004-2005
Pre-doctoral Internship, Montana State University, Bozeman & Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Crow Agency, Mont., 2003-2004
PhD, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, 2004
Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 2003
BA, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Ore., 1997 (Major: Psychology; Minor: Gender Studies)
Prior Work Experience
Staff Psychologist, Seattle Children’s Hospital, 2011-2012
Staff Psychologist, Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, 2005-2011
Staff Psychologist and founding member of the Gender Management Service (GeMS), Boston Children’s Hospital, 2007-2011
Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School, 2005-2011
Professional Memberships and Involvements
World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH), Chair of Child/Adolescent Committee
World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH), member of Standards of Care (SOC) 8 committee revising the Child and the Adolescent chapters
Member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force which developed guidelines for working with transgender individuals
Member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) committee that created a consensus statement regarding the harmful practice of conversion therapy for gender and sexual minority youth
Member of the American Psychological Association (APA) - Divisions 44 (Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity), 54 (Pediatric Psychology), and 53 (Child and Adolescent Psychology)