Zan Haggerty
Bio
Zan Haggerty is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New Jersey. They earned a BA in Human Rights & Development from George Washington University and a Master’s in Social work from the Rutgers School of Social Work. Zan’s professional experience began through community-based education and advocacy programs internationally and in the US. Their clinical career began in an intensive outpatient setting where they provided Dialectical Behavior Therapy to adolescents in acute distress with an emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community. Zan currently works for Rutgers University Counseling center (CAPS) at the innovative Next Step Program where they provide intensive group and individual treatment for students who require concentrated, enhanced mental health services. At CAPS, Zan leads the DBT Consultation team as well as the Gender and Sexual Diversity team. Their professional areas of interest include: working with trans and queer communities, program development, and diversity and inclusion workshops. Zan has a private practice called Solidarity, LLC where they provide integrative care and advocacy for individuals. They also provide guest lectures and trainings on DBT and working with the trans community. Zan hopes by learning new skills and knowledge through the DSW program to make further clinical and scholarly contribution to the trans and non-binary community within the social work profession. In their spare time, they hope to train Stromboli (a rescue dog) to be certified as a therapy dog.
Multimedia Project Summary
Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) individuals in higher education settings find themselves simultaneously free to affirm their gender identity in ways that perhaps were not safe prior to leaving home and restricted by a system that was built for cisgender, binary identities. Because of these oppressive systems, they experience higher levels of adverse mental health challenges including suicidality, mood difficulties, and academic challenges.
Accomplishments
Current Research & Projects
- Collaborative autoethnography on the use of Liberatory Consciousness in Clinical Social Work I from the perspective of instructors. (PI: Dr. Angela Malorni, Co-PIs: Dr. Jackie Duron, Zan Haggerty, Kerry Hennessy, Dr. Rachel John)
- Queer Mentorship through Liberatory Consciousness: A Conceptual Framework. Zan Haggerty & E. Goldblatt Hyatt
Resarch2Practice Fellowship
The Research2Practice Program engages scholars in translating their expertise into practical tools to enhance equity, access, diversity, inclusion and belonging at Rutgers–New Brunswick. Projects must address one of the following pathways to inclusive excellence in higher education: 1)Interrupt bias and harassment, 2)Broaden understanding of diversity, equity, access, belonging, or inclusion; 3)Advance intersectional approaches. Award recipients will receive $1,000 in addition to the educational fellowship.
Transgender Project of Belongingness
Statement of Proposed Deliverable
The Transgender Project of Belonging (TPB) aims to increase the sense of belongingness among transgender and gender diverse Rutgers students. The TPB will offer a multimedia guide for administrators, faculty, staff, and students to use that will increase the understanding of gender inclusivity. It will include information for how to engage with transgender students in an affirming manner as well as resources to increase explore and challenge societally accepted gender norms through an intersectional lens. It will reduce the labor typically demanded of TGD individuals and put the burden of understanding on the cisgender community to build a campus of inclusion and belongingness.
In the news
These are some recent articles about the program (Next Step) that I’m running. We’ve been gaining publicity and trying to expand our services to meet more students as their mental health needs are shifting:
Inside Higher Ed Journal:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2023/04/25/campus-outpatient-program-addresses-complex-student
RU Student Affairs:
https://studentaffairs.rutgers.edu/news/caps-next-step-program-fills-gap-students-rutgers-university
Trans Day of Remembrance 2022
https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/news/interview-dsw-student-zan-haggerty-transgender-day-remembrance