The Trans Peer Mentor Program provides a safe space for transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse community members to receive peer mentorship as they navigate their journeys of self-discovery and expression.
We pair transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse mentees with similarly identified, experienced mentors. These mentorship pairings provide mentees with an opportunity to discuss issues of interest, to feel heard and affirmed by a supportive role model, and to receive assistance in processing their journey of self discovery and expression.
The Importance of Mentorship
Personal mentorship relationships provide mentees with a safe space to discuss topics of interest and collaboratively navigate challenges. In these relationships, mentees gets to see themselves mirrored in a well-adjusted adult, internalize healthy messages of self-worth, and be heard in a nonclinical setting. Research shows that trans teens with accessible role models exhibit less psychological distress than teens whose role models are inaccessible, such as actors and politicians.
The mentors have reported a profound sense of value, purpose, and pride. The relationships they build with their mentees and each other provide them with a strong and treasured community.
Our Community Based Model
The Trans Peer Mentor Program is a small program coordinated by community members. Pairs meet 1-on-1 about twice a month. Our model addresses the need for trans youth to see themselves mirrored by successful trans adults in a non-stigmatizing setting.
Our Team
Tanisha Stewart, Psy.D (she/her)
Co-Founder & Program Facilitator
Dr. Stewart co-founded and facilitates the Trans Peer Mentorship Program. She specializes in providing psychotherapy services for transgender and gender-expansive youth and their families and is a member of Mind the Gap, a mental health consortium of the UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender Center (CAGC). Dr. Stewart has worked extensively with children and adolescents in private practice, school, and group home settings. Her interests are in exploring identity and lived experiences within the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class.
Eddy Funkhouser
(they/he)
Program Director
Email Eddy
Eddy is a transmasculine non-profit professional at PFLAG National where they work with the LGBTQ+ community and their families and allies. In previous roles, they have been an educator for K-8 youth and facilitated Rainbow Clubs, support groups for elementary-aged LGBTQ+ youth and allies. In addition to their position as Program Director for the Trans Peer Mentor Program, they were been a mentor with TPMP from its inception in 2018 until 2020.
Trans Peer Mentor Program 