About Us

What is Affirm

Affirm is an online training platform offering tailored training to professionals across various sectors, with a focus on enhancing understanding of transgender and non-binary individuals. Our approach is unique, blending recognised clinical expertise in gender diversity with authentic voices from community members. This integration ensures that our training is not only informed by professional knowledge but also deeply rooted in the lived experiences of transgender and non-binary individuals. Central to our ethos is the active participation of these communities in shaping discussions about their healthcare and wellbeing, making our content genuinely responsive to their needs. Moreover, Affirm broadens its scope by providing comprehensive partnership opportunities for organisations, our platform is a beacon for organisations striving to embrace diversity in every professional environment.

Why we founded Affirm

Our journey to founding Affirm is deeply rooted in our extensive experience supporting thousands of transgender and non-binary individuals, along with their partners, children, and parents. Through this journey, we’ve uncovered a profound truth: education is a powerful tool in combating stigma, fostering quality relationships, and sculpting a world brimming with empathy. These experiences have fuelled our passion. We’ve seen first-hand how knowledge and understanding can bridge gaps and transform perspectives. That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to this mission – to spread awareness, nurture empathy, and create an environment where everyone, regardless of their gender or sexual identity, is met with acceptance and support. At Affirm, we believe in the power of education to catalyse positive change, and we’re committed to making this vision a reality.

Meet our team

Laura Scarrone Bonhomme (she/her)

Co-Founder

Laura is a Consultant Psychologist specialised in gender, sexual and relationship diversity. She trained and developed her career internationally, working in Spain, Chile, and the United Kingdom. Laura delivers psychotherapy, assessment, and supervision, and she frequently provides public speaking and training in LGBTQI+ issues and other Psychology related areas.
Laura was Associate Editor of Counselling Psychology Review, the journal of the British Psychological Society (BPS). She has authored ‘Gender Dysphoria and The Mirror: A Mediator Between the First Person and Third Person Perspective’; and the chapter ‘The Age of Rediscovery: What is Like to Gender Transition When You Are 50+’.
Laura is a Committee Member of the Psychology of Sexualities Section of the BPS, a Member of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists, and a member of World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Laura is part of the HM Courts & Tribunals Service List of Specialists in the Field of Gender Dysphoria.
To find out more about Laura’s work visit:

Dr. Michael Beattie (he/him)

Co-Founder

Michael is an HCPC Registered, Chartered Counselling Psychologist with a BSc in Psychology and Counselling and a practitioner doctorate in Counselling Psychology, both from the University of Roehampton. He has a research interest in the psychology of men and masculinities and has worked extensively in the field of gender identity and gender dysphoria as well as with issues of sexuality, sexual identity and sexual health. His book Counselling Skills for Working with Gender Identity & Gender Dysphoria was published with colleagues by Jessica Kingsley in 2018.
Michael works in private practice, offering individual therapy and supervision and he also works as a trainer and speaker in counselling psychology, focusing on gender diversity and the psychology of men and masculinities. He is a Chartered Member of the BPS, a Member of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists and a Member of World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
To find out more about Michael’s work visit:

Dr. Nikita Tarasov (he/him)

CTO

Nikita is a full-stack developer/data scientist, with a PhD in Physics. His industry experience spans various company sizes, ranging from small healthcare startups to global digital transformation consulting companies. He is currently applying his expertise to ‘Affirm’, an online learning platform aimed at enhancing transgender health education. In his role as CTO, Nikita is passionate about using technology to positively transform the experiences of the trans and non-binary community.