ABOUT US
The Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity was established at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the spring of 2004. The mission of the institute is to further our understanding of sexual and gender identity, their development and synthesis, particularly in relation to a person’s religious identity, and to be a resource to students in training and those in the community who are stakeholders in these discussions.
Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D., is the Hughes Endowed Chair and Professor of Psychology at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he is a core faculty member in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Yarhouse has spent several years promoting dialogue between people who view the topic of sexual identity differently. In 2000, he chaired a groundbreaking symposium at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention that brought together gay psychologists and Christian psychologists to discuss common ground in treatment options for those who experience sexual and religious identity conflicts. He chaired similar dialogues at the APA on the many meanings of marriage (among different religions and among various groups within the gay community), services for adolescents experiencing sexual identity concerns, and an approach to services referred to as the sexual identity therapy framework.
Dr. Yarhouse has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and is author or co-author of several books, including Homosexuality and the Christian: A Guide for Parents, Pastors, and Friends andUnderstanding Sexual Identity: A Resource for Youth Ministers. His most recent book is titled Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a Changing Culture.
Dr. Olya Zaporozhets is an associate professor in the School of Psychology & Counseling at Regent University. Having been an international student herself, Dr. Zaporozhets has a passion for the international community. Through first-hand experience, she has not only made friends with students across the globe, but also has learned about the need in counseling training in many places of the world.
Dr. Zaporozhets is Director of Research for ISSI. She spearheaded the analysis of qualitative data from 200 interviews of Christian patents whose children came out as LGBTQ, which led to several dissertations and national conference presentations. She is currently working on a study of over 200 celibate gay Christians.
In 2016, Dr. Zaporozhets led a mental health missions trip to Ukraine where several institute team members assisted in the training of counselors and presented at an international conference on sexual identity in Kiev.
Dr. Zaporozhets has diverse clinical experiences, including drug and alcohol treatment as well as having facilitated sexual offender groups and conducted crises work in Ohio. During her internship at a partial hospitalization program, she worked with children, adolescents and their families in the environment of daily crises. She has trained Christian leaders in mental health counseling in Europe and Asia. As a native of Ukraine, Zaporozhets finds conducting a unique cross-cultural supervision project in Ukraine, where Regent counseling students train and supervise local Christian counseling students in their practice, especially rewarding.



RESEARCH
At the institute, we have anywhere from 5-6 lines of research being conducted at any one time. Here are three we are currently highlighting.
Christian Parental Responses
Olya Zaparozhets is leading a team of students in the analysis of data from Christian parents whose son or daughter came out as LGBT. Melissa, Justin, and Ashley are conducting their dissertations based on some of the data, and Katy are co-coordinators of the project.
Celibate Gay Christian Project
This a research project on the experiences of celibate gay Christians. We are doing a line of research that includes both qualitative and quantitative studies. An initial qualitative study was published in Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, and Christine conducted a quantitative study for her dissertation that looked at attachment styles.
Christian Sexual Minority Project
This is a line of research related to the dilemma faced by Christian college students who are sexual minorities. Mark Yarhouse, Stephen Stratton (Asbury Theological Seminary), Janet Dean (Asbury University), and Michael Lastoria (Houghton College) are conducting the longitudinal study with Julia as Project Coordinator.
VIDEOS
What is Sexual Identity Therapy?
Dr. Mark Yarhouse provides a brief description of Sexual Identity Therapy as an approach to care that facilitates congruence.
CONTACT
issi@regent.edu
ADDRESS
1000 Regent University Dr, Virginia Beach,
VA 23464
PHONE
+757 352 4829
