Master of Education, Master of Arts in Clinical Pscyhology | Master of Arts, Master of Education, Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology
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Academic information
Experience in LGBT2SQ research
Inspired by Mexican Feminist and Transgender social movements, my commitments aim to disrupt harmful gender norms, build connected communities, and restructure mental health systems to better support Trans and Nonbinary people of diverse backgrounds.
Drawing from her Master of Education and an ethic of love, Sofia is passionate about contributing to grassroots collectives and teaching institutional leaders about anti-oppressive practices. Their commitments span across North America, where they have led teams to create educational resources that integrate gender affirming practices in higher education and mental health.
Sofia am training to become a clinical psychologist with experience at St. Michael’s Hospital and Toronto Psychology and Wellness Group where she serves diverse members of Toronto’s community. Their research at Toronto Metropolitan University uses participatory action research to improve the training that mental health professionals receive about trans and nonbinary health.
Interest in LGBT2SQ research
Sofia Melendez hopes to build better lives for trans people by transforming training for mental health clinicians.
As part of a seven-year research program, the Psychology PhD student is creating case studies for mental health clinicians to learn about trans health, and enabling trans people to lead this process of educational transformation. The free case studies will help mental health clinicians learn concrete ways to improve the well-being of trans people and alleviate many of the barriers they face. In addition, improving trans health education will help the Canadian health-care system align with standards set by the Transgender Professional Association for Trans Health and human rights laws in Canada.