Miranda E. Essa is a mental health professional and researcher with a strong history of serving the LGBTQ+ community through both clinical work and research. Their work began at the Tampa VA, focusing on transgender veterans, and now continues at the University of Central Florida, where they obtained their MS in Clinical Psychology . They are developing and validating a quality-of-life assessment for gender-diverse individuals (THRIVE).
Clinically, Mx. Essa was a therapist for two years at Zebra Youth, providing affirming therapy for LGBTQ+ youth, and then served as the LGBTQ+ Victim Advocate at the Victim Service Center. Currently, they are an adjunct professor at UCF while continuing to build a private clinical practice.
Their professional passion lies in creating structured ways to assess quality of life in marginalized communities and identifying what supports well-being and reduces health disparities among these populations.
Dr. Steven L. Berman is an associate
professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida,
Orlando, FL, USA. He obtained an M.A. in Educational Psychology from McGill University, an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Florida
International University in 1996. Dr. Berman’s major area of research centers
on Identity Formation, including the development of career goals, sense of self
(ethnic identity, gender roles, sexual orientation), changing attachment
patterns (family, friendships, romance), and values acquisition (morality,
politics, religion). Specifically, he is interested in the anxiety and distress
often associated with this developmental task. Dr. Berman has been developing
intervention programs to help young people struggling with identity dilemmas
and related symptoms of anxiety and distress.
