Biography:
Dr. Berman is currently assistant professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and was an associate professor of clinical psychology at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University. Berman conducts research on intervention development in women’s mental health, and was a recipient of the 2015 Hitchcock Foundation Scholars Career Development award for her research and development of the Accept Yourself! intervention for women with obesity and depression. Berman is a feminist cognitive-behavioral therapist who trains clinicians in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and self-acceptance based interventions throughout the U.S. Berman authored the self-help workbook and clinician manual for Accept Yourself! Berman is on the editorial board of The Journal of Counseling Psychology.
Education:
Ph.D. in Counseling and Social psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2006
BA from the University of Minnesota
Research Interests:
Content areas: Psychotherapy process and outcome, intervention development, eating disorders, body image, women’s mental health, romantic relationships and human sexuality, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Health At Every Size, feminist therapies.
Research methodology: Varied: Expertise in recursive partitioning, small-N designs, simulation modeling analyses, consensual qualitative research
Population(s): Adults
Professional Contributions:
Unstoppable Voters Faculty Fellowship 2024.
Presentation at the American Psychological Association (2023): Non-dieting, weight-acceptance approaches for clients with weight-associated diseases
Presentation at Hamm Clinic (2023): Weight stigma in psychodynamic clinical supervision: Navigating the impact of fat hatred on clients, trainees, and supervisors
Presentation at the Heartland International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Foundation (IAEDP), (2023, May): “Implementation of Accept Yourself! An acceptance-based intervention for weight-concerned clients.”
Presentation at the American Psychological Association, (2022): What Causes Improvement in Diabetes Prevention Programs?
Named Associate Editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology.
Presentation at Weight Neutral 4 Diabetes Care Symposium, (2021): How Weight Biased Research Contributes to Health Inequity. This presentation asks, how does weight stigma and bias enter the research process? Critique studies whose findings might have been affected by weight stigma, by identifying common sources of weight bias in the research process.
Received the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology’s (NCSPP’s) President’s Leadership Award in 2021.
Symposium presentation at Eating Disorders Registered Dietitians and Professionals: From Struggling to Thriving: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Dietitians
Presentations at the American Psychological Association, (2020):
- Skills-Building Session on Sizeism in Mental Health (listed in the APA 2020 program)
- Continuing Education Workshop on Acceptance-Based Approaches for Weight and Body Image Concerns (listed in the APA 2020 program)
First Friday Forum Encore for MPA, (2019): Acceptance Based Approaches for Weight Stigma and Client Weight Concerns
Publications:
Quoted in VA Boston Psychology Diversity Newsletter (2023, July): Diversity Matters
Berman, M.I., Park, J., Kragenbrink, M.E., & Hegel, M.T. (2022). Accept Yourself! A pilot randomized controlled trial of a self-acceptance-based treatment for large-bodied women with depression. Behavior Therapy, 53(5), 913-926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2022.03.002
A Clinician’s Guide to Acceptance-based Approaches for Weight Concerns: The Accept Yourself! Framework, 2018
A Workbook of Acceptance-based Approaches for Weight Concerns: The Accept Yourself! Framework, 2018
Berman, M.I. (2008). Book Review: Young women in the therapy room: Psychotherapy with adolescent girls and young women: Fostering autonomy through attachment. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32, 486-487.