Bret Alderman is an American psychologist affiliated with anti-transgender hate group Genspect. Alderman is a co-host of Beyond Gender with Mia Hughes and Stella O’Malley. Alderman is a member of other Genspect projects, including anti-trans think tank The Killarney Group, Gender Exploratory Therapy Association, and Beyond Trans.
Background
Bret Thomas Alderman was born in Seattle, Washington in June 1969. Alderman earned a bachelor’s degree from Evergreen State College in 1992 and then attended Pacifica Graduate Institute, earning a master’s degree in 2009 and a doctorate in 2013. Alderman has worked as a teacher and therapist in the San Francisco Bay area.
Alderman’s writing focuses on “ideological possession, deconstruction, gender, and the interface between psychology and philosophy, as well as the encroachment of political ideologies into therapeutic settings.”
Selected publications by Alderman
Alderman, Bret Thomas (2012). Symptom, symbol, and the other of language [dissertation]. Pacifica Graduate Institute
Books
Alderman, Bret (2023). Eternal Youth and the Myth of Deconstruction: An Archetypal Reading of Jacques Derrida and Judith Butler. Routledge, ISBN 978-1003805441
Alderman, Bret (2015). Symptom, Symbol, and the Other of Language: A Jungian Interpretation of the Linguistic Turn. Routledge, ISBN 978-1138926295
Media
The Woke Mind with Ryan Rogers and Bret Alderman (May 7, 2025). Dr. Bret Alderman on Depth Psychology and Postmodern Thought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUaYazP47Q8
The Radical Center with Deborah Knox, Leslie Elliott Boyce, Jennifer Friend, and Bret Alderman (February 6, 2024). Too Much Porn? Solid Ground Livestream 54 with Dr. Bret Alderman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwWPKY21A6M
The Radical Center with Leslie Elliott Boyce and Bret Alderman (January 24, 2024). From Peter Pan to Queer Theory: Bret Alderman on Eternal Youth and the Myth of Deconstruction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPc2I22BluE
Critical Therapy Antidote with Jaco Van Zyl, Christine Sefein, and Bret Alderman (January 21, 2024). A Mythical Analysis of Deconstruction | with Bret Alderman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJIHehO4u0M
Attention Bazaar with Michael Dewan-Herrick and Bret Alderman (July 15, 2023). Questioning Woke Psychotherapy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O46k52TOZnU
Critical Therapy Antidote with Jaco Van Zyl, Christine Sefein, and Bret Alderman (April 16, 2023). Cynical Therapies Book: Bret Alderman – Ep. 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZgwHDHCxLQ
Gender_ A Wider Lens with Stella O’Malley, Sasha Ayad, and Bret Alderman (July 22, 2022). EPISODE 79 – Gender Identity: Literally False, Metaphorically True w/ Dr. Bret Alderman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz-sW8FVUmc
The Masses Podcast with Nadeem Gibran Salaam, Charles Javier Jourdan, and Bret Alderman (December 24, 2021). Dr. Bret Alderman On The Need For Deeper Analysis on Gender. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qR-wK2eh_k
The Masses Podcast with Nadeem Gibran Salaam, Charles Javier Jourdan, and Bret Alderman (December 3, 2021). THE MASSES PODCAST | Interview With Dr. Bret Alderman | Episode 12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni1VthqvTM8
Golden Shadow with Alissa Polizzi, Arran Rogerson, and Bret Alderman (June 20, 2021). Bret Alderman: Symptom, Symbol, and the Other of Language | 58 | Event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLSXeHsv07w
This Jungian Life with Joseph Lee, Lisa Marchiano, Deborah Stewart, and Bret Alderman (April 29, 2021). When Words Lose Their Meaning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S64CRQB4nhI
Converging Dialogues with Xavier Bonilla and Bret Alderman (March 8, 2021). #25 – Postmodernism, Phenomenology, and Lived Experiences: A Dialogue with Bret Alderman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R835KyzqxD4
Resources
Alderman Life Coaching (aldermancoaching.com)
Open Therapy Institute (opentherapyinstitute.org)
- Bret Alderman
- opentherapyinstitute.org/alderman-bio
Psychology Today (psychologytoday.com)
- Bret T Alderman
- psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/bret-t-alderman-oakland-ca/720996
Substack (substack.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)