School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology research labs and projects

The Health Equity Advancing Research Team (HEART)

Email: [email protected]

Description:
Members of Dr. Frank Dillon’s Health Equity Advancing Research Team (HEART) apply rigorous research methods (primarily quantitative) to study evolving cultural and social determinants of health and health disparities including disproportionate levels of psychological distress, substance use, HIV, and access to healthcare. Our work promotes inclusive, culturally-informed interventions as well as educational efforts to advance health equity.

Student participants:
Doctoral, masters and undergraduate students.

Recent products (*indicates student co-author): 

*Sasa Marsiglia, S., Dillon, F. R., *Lobos, J., Eklund, A., & Ebersole, R. (in press). Ethnic identity commitment as a moderator for perceived access to healthcare among Latinx sexual minority men. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.

Dillon, F. R., Ebersole, R., Lara-Lerma, C., *Hanson, E., & *Rambeau, J. (2022, August). Development and validation of the sexual minority affirmative practice scale. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association conference.

*Lara-Lerma, C., Ebersole, R., & Dillon, F. R. (2022, August). Development of the sexual minority affirmative practice scale-Spanish translation. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association conference.

*Puleo, B. P., Dillon, F. R., Ertl, M. E., Da Silva, N., Cabrera Tineo, Y. A., Verile, M., & De La Rosa, M. (2022, April). Collective efficacy: A longitudinal social 1 determinant of access to medical care among recently immigrated Latina young adults. Poster presented at the Society of Behavioral Medicine conference, Baltimore, MD.

*Romero, A., Dillon, F. R., Lara-Lerma, C., & De La Rosa, M. (2022, February). The effects of family separation on Latina young adult mental health. Poster presented at the Society of Cross-Cultural Research conference, San Diego, CA.

*Lara-Lerma, C., Dillon, F. R., *Romero, A. C., & Wiebe, J. S. (2021, August). Fatalism, alcohol use, and ART adherence among HIV+ Latino MSM living at the U.S./Mexico border. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association conference, Online.

*Altamirano, E. & Dillon, F. R. (2021, April). Su verdad! The experiences of undocumented Latina survivors of intimate partner violence. Poster presented at the Institute for Social Science Research at Arizona State University contest, Online.
 

At this time, the lab is not accepting applications for PhD students.

Empowerment Lab

Email: [email protected] | empowermentlab.wordpress.com

Description:
The Empowerment Lab aims to uplift, center, and empower Two-spirit, trans and nonbinary (2STNB) people as scholars, researchers, practitioners, activists and healers in the field of psychology. In our research, we aim to center our voices by including 2STNB members in our research team and collaborating with 2STNB community members. The research in this lab is informed by minority stress theory (Brooks, 1981; Meyers, 2003), which emphasizes the impact of societal stigma on mental health, as well as the protective function of resilience factors. Using this framework, our research goals are to 1) identify the minority stressors and resilience factors that 2STNB people experience, 2) create and validate psychological measures of minority stressors and resilience for 2STNB people, 3) examine the pathways between minority stressors, resilience factors, and mental health outcomes for 2STNB people, and 4) develop and test interventions to reduce minority stressors and/or increase resilience factors for 2STNB populations.

Em Matsuno is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 17 (Counseling Psychology), Division 35 (Psychology of Women), Division 44 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity), Division 45 (Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race), and the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH).

Student participants:
Doctoral, master's and undergraduate students. To learn more visit empowermentlab.wordpress.com​​​​​​​

Products:
Matsuno, E., Bricker, N. L., Savarese, E., Mohr, R., Jr., & Balsam, K. F. (2022). “The default is just going to be getting misgendered”: An investigation of minority stress among nonbinary adults. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000607

Matsuno, E., Hashtpari, H., Domínguez, S., Jr., Maroney, M. R., Gonzalez, K., & Knutson, D. (2022). “There’s no real roadmap that I know of”: Experiences of trans and nonbinary graduate students in counseling psychology programs. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000647

Matsuno, E., & Israel, T. (2021). The parent support program: Development and acceptability of an online intervention aimed at increasing supportive behaviors among parents of trans youth. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 17(5), 413–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2020.1868369

Matsuno, E., McConnell, E., Dolan, C., & Israel, T. (2021). “I am fortunate to have a transgender child”: An investigation into the barriers and facilitators to support among parents of trans and nonbinary youth. LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 18(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2021.1991541

Matsuno, E. (2019). Nonbinary-affirming psychological interventions. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 26(4), 617–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2018.09.003

Matsuno, E., & Israel, T. (2018). Psychological interventions promoting resilience among transgender individuals: Transgender resilience intervention model (TRIM). The Counseling Psychologist, 46(5), 632–655. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018787261

At this time, the lab is not accepting applications for PhD students.

Email: [email protected]

Description:
The research team is currently split between a focus on sports and performance psychology as well as Latinx mental health and spirituality. In the realm of sports psychology, the team is working on a large-scale, cross-country, study of football coaches and players and their multiple roles, experiences, and mental health trajectories. In the realm of Latinx spirituality and mental health, the team is collecting qualitative and quantitative data related to traditional healing and Western treatment in the U.S. In collaboration with the University of New Mexico, the team is also participating in program development and evaluation related to reconnecting youth with ancestral knowledge to promote overall health and wellness.

Student participants:
Undergraduate and graduate students.

Products:
Gonzalez, T., Chavez, T., & Ocampo Hoogasian, R. (2023, Spring). De Nuestro RAÍCES: Traditional healing, education, and research in Mexico and the U.S. southwest. Presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education.

Gonzalez, Z., Ramer, E., & Ocampo Hoogasian, R. (2023, Spring). Division 1 football players’ experiences mental health and development through athletic engagement across the lifespan. Poster presentation at the ASU CISA Student Showcase.

Kowal, H., Jones, E., Barnett, A., & Ocampo Hoogasian, R. (2023, Spring). African American football coaches’ approaches to coaching. Poster presentation at the ASU CISA Student Showcase.

Smith, L., Joy, E., & Ocampo Hoogasian, R. (2023, Spring). African American< football coaches’ experiences of racism. Poster presentation at the ASU CISA Student Showcase.

Perez, I., Barnett, A., & Ocampo Hoogasian, R. (2022, Spring). Latinx youth’s perspectives on faith, social justice, and change. Poster presentation at the ASU CISA Student Showcase.

Wallace, D., Bustamante, G., & Ocampo Hoogasian, R. (2022, Spring). Latinx youth’s perspectives on family, faith, and values. Poster presentation at the ASU CISA Student Showcase.

Ocampo Hoogasian, R., McNeill, B. W., & Chavez, T. (2020) Healing with Curanderas: Exploring the conceptions of illness, healing processes, and outcomes of Mexican American clients in Curanderismo. In J. Cervantes & B. W. McNeill (Eds.), Latinx healing practices: Psychospiritual counseling interventions. Cognella Academic Publishing.

At this time, the lab is not accepting applications for PhD students.

Psicología Latinx en Acción (PLENA) Lab

Email: [email protected] | www.plenaresearch.org

Description:
Our lab’s name honors Puerto Rican musical tradition and history. Plena is a musical genre created by the genius of Black Africans and Black Puerto Ricans in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Plena music was designed to communicate the struggles, social issues, and news of the day using movement, words, and drumming. Today, plena is associated with protest, healing, emotional expression, mobilization, creativity, enjoyment, and relaxation. In the spirit of our name and the music tradition, our mission as a lab is to conceptualize and disseminate research and interventions that speak to the issues important to the Latinx community and help us help and connect. Using an intersectional and decolonial framework, we produce research that examines how individual, interpersonal, psychocultural, and political determinants of health intersect to impact the psychological well-being, identity development, and pre- and post-migration adjustment of Latinx immigrant families. For example, our team has published on the impact of US colonialism on Puerto Rico and its influence on Puerto Rican migration, Puerto Rican mental health, and Puerto Rican identity. 

Student Participants:
PLENA welcomes doctoral, masters and undergraduate-level student researchers.

Products (Selected publications):
Capielo Rosario, C., Mattwig, T., Hamilton, K. D., Wejrowski, B. (2023). Conceptualizing Puerto Rican migration to the United States. Current Opinion in Psychology. Available online, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101584

Capielo Rosario, C., Abreu, R. L., Gonzalez, K. A., Adames, H. Y., & Grzanka, P. R. (2023). “What surprised me is that they try to humiliate me”: Conceptualizing the role of colonial power dynamics and logics in Puerto Rican postmigration experiences. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 11(1), 55-75. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000218

Capielo Rosario, C., Muro-Rodríguez, N. J., & Adames, H. Y. (in press). How colonialism blames Puerto Rico for its corruption. CENTRO Journal. 

Capielo Rosario, C., Faison, A., Winn, L., Caldera, K., & Lobos, J. (2021). No son complejos: An intersectional evaluation of AfroPuerto Rican health. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 9(1), 45–64. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000183

Capielo Rosario, C., Torres Fernández, I., & Wejrowski, B. (2021). Puerto Rico se levanta: Advocacy service and research in the aftermath of Hurricane María. Qualitative Psychology. Advance online publication. http://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000199

Capielo Rosario, C., Abreu, R. L., Gonzalez, K. A., & Cardenas Bautista, E. (2020). “That day no one spoke”: Florida Puerto Ricans reaction to Hurricane María. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(3), 377–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019899382

This lab is currently accepting applications for PhD students for the 2026 academic year.

R and R (Race and Relationships) Lab

Email: [email protected] | https://www.raceandrelationshipslab.com/

Description:
Research includes topics on 1) the impact of racism on health outcomes, 2) developmental protective factors including racial-ethnic socialization, parenting, and attachment, and 3) promoting positive psychological outcomes and healing through psychotherapy, prevention/intervention programs and evidence-based video interventions.

Student participants:
Doctoral, master's and undergraduate students.

Products:
Ahn, L. H., Yang, N. Y., & An, M. (2022). COVID-19 racism, internalized racism, and psychological outcomes among East Asians/East Asian Americans. Invited submission for The Counseling Psychologist, Special Issue on “The Coronavirus Pandemic and Counseling Psychology”, 50(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/00110000211070597

Ahn, L. H., Dunbar, A. S., Coates, E. E., & Smith-Bynum, M. A. (2021). Cultural and universal parenting, ethnic identity, and internalizing symptoms among African American adolescents. Journal of Black Psychology, 47(8). https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984211034290

Ahn, L. H., Keum, B. T., Meizys, G., Choudry, A., Gomes, M., & Wang, L. (2021). Second-generation Asian American women’s gendered racial socialization. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(2), 129–145. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000575

Ahn, L. H., Kivlighan, D. M., & Hill, C. E. (2021). Helping skills courses: The effects of diversity and numeric marginalization on counseling self-efficacy, counseling self-stigma, and mental health. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(1), 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000573

Ahn, L. H., Yee, S. E., Dixon, K. M., Kase, C. E., Sharma, R., & Hill, C. E. (2020). Feeling offended by clients: The experiences of doctoral student therapists. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(2), 125–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000511

Ahn, L.H., & Atkin, A.L. (in press). Racism, attachment style, and mental health among Asian American adolescents. The Counseling Psychologist. 

At this time, the lab is not accepting applications for PhD students.

Sex and Gender Lab

Email: [email protected]

Description:
The lab broadly focuses on psychological topics related to human sexuality and gender norms. Recent and ongoing topics studied by the lab include the impact of purity culture on sexual health; the role of male norms in fraternity members’ resistance to harm-reducing interventions for alcohol use; the psychological effects of stigmatized identities among people who identify as LGB and atheist; and rape myth acceptance among male athletes.

Student participants:
Doctoral, master's and advanced undergraduate students.

This lab is currently accepting applications for PhD students for the 2026 academic year.

Tran Ethnic and Minority Psychology and Experiences (TEMPE) Lab

Email: [email protected] | sites.google.com/site/tempelab

Description:
The research in the TEMPE Lab is heavily focused on student-athlete mental health, with a specific emphasis on minority student-athletes. TEMPE Lab members also research discrimination, ethnic-racial socialization, cultural identities, financial stressors, socioeconomic disparities, and social justice.

Student participants:
Doctoral, master's and undergraduate students.

Products (Selected publications):
Tran, A. G. T. T., Eustice, K. L., Mintert, J. S., Lam, C. K., & Holzapfel, J. (2023). Perceptions of peer mental health: Impact of race and student-athlete status. Journal of American College Health, 71(2), 626–638. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1903477

Tran, A. G. T. T. (in press). Racial/ethnic differences and retirement involvement: A latent profile analysis. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 33(3), 1–14. http://doi.org/10.1891/JFCP.2021-0062

Tran, A. G. T. T., Holzapfel, J., Lam, C. K., & Eustice, K. L. (in press). Race and student-athlete status: Peer appraisals of academic skills, intelligence, and favorability. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000339

Tran, A. G. T. T. (2021). In or out of the game? Counter-stereotype paradoxes and Asian-identified student-athlete mental health. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 27(4), 579–592. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000387

Tran, A. G. T. T. (2021). Looking forward to student-athlete mental health: Racial/ethnic trends from 2010 to 2015. Journal of American College Health, 69(8), 942–950. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1725018

Tran, A. G. T. T., & Lee, R. M. (2014). You speak English well! Asian Americans’ reactions to an exceptionalizing stereotype. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61(3), 484–490. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000034

At this time, the lab is not accepting applications for PhD students.

Multicultural Training & Supervision Lab

Email: [email protected] | Web: https://ankita1216.wixsite.com/sahulab

Description:
The Multicultural Training and Supervision Lab examines the application of multicultural theories and principles in graduate training and supervision to improve skills-based outcomes in health service psychology. We seek to understand how graduate trainees in health service psychology are taught to identify, explore, and examine multicultural data to inform clinical decisions in all aspects of their professional work. The work in the lab critically examines:

• Effective teaching and evaluation strategies for multicultural case conceptualization skills
• Development of comprehensive training intervention on multicultural skills
• Assessment strategies and tools for multicultural skills in training contexts
• Integration of multicultural and social justice principles in the graduate curriculum

Student participants:
Doctoral, master's, and advanced undergraduate students are welcome.

Products (Selected publications):
Sahu, A., Bell, A.-S., Ridley, C. R., & Tran, V. (2024). Multicultural Counseling Skills Evaluation Form: A Tool for Clinical Supervision. The Counseling Psychologist, 52(6), 842-873. https://doi.org/10.1177/00110000241248099

Sahu. A., & Ridley, C. R. (2024). Effects of training on multicultural case conceptualization skills. Training and Education in Professional Psychology. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 18(2), 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000475

Ridley, C., Sahu, A., Console, K., Surya, S., Tran, V., Xie, S., & Yin, C. (2021). The Process Model of Multicultural Counseling Competence. The Counseling Psychologist, 49(4), 534-567. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000021992339

Sahu, A., Console, K., Tran, V., Xie, S., Yin, C., He, X., & Ridley, C. (2021). A case using The Process Model of Multicultural Counseling Competence. The Counseling Psychologist, 49(4), 568-585. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0011000021990762
 

This lab is currently accepting applications for PhD students for the 2026 academic year.

Hope, Equity, Affirmation and Liberation (HEAL) Lab

Email: [email protected] | Web: www.drjoshuagparmenter.com

Description:
The HEAL Lab uses an intersectional framework to understand how intersecting systems of oppression (e.g., racism, colonization, heterosexism, cissexism, monosexism) create unique experiences of inequity that shape mental health outcomes for queer, trans, and nonbinary (QTNB) communities-- specifically QTNB Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Further, our research seeks to center the experiences of strength, resilience, joy, and healing among QTNB communities as many narratives of QTNB experience are deficit-focused. Through this line of work, we aim to: 1) identify specific intersectional experiences of inequity and resilience among QTNB-BIPOC; 2) create measures that capture unique QTNB experiences; 3) examine the pathways between experiences of inequity, resilience, and mental health outcomes for QTNB people; and 4) develop frameworks and interventions that aid in promoting healing among QTNB communities and transforming oppressive systems.

Student participants:
Doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students are welcome.

Publications:
Parmenter, J. G., Winter, S. D., Clements, Z., Alexander, K., & Taylor, H., (2025). How community and individual strengths “fill our cup”: A strengths-based psychological mediation framework for LGBTQIA+ communities. Journal of Counseling Psychology. Advance online publication.

Parmenter, J. G., Winter, S. D., & Taylor, H. (2025). Considering community inequity within the psychological mediation framework. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication.

Papa, L. A., & Parmenter, J. G. (2025). At the intersection of intersectional identity and microaggressions: An examination of the experiences and identity of sexual and gender diverse BIPOC individuals. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 31(1), 175–186. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000624

Parmenter, J. G., Gao, S., Khan, N. S., Lê, D., Staton, D. R., & Galupo, M. P. (2024). “My healing journey gives back to my communities”: Experiences of intersectional resilience and liberation among queer and trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000750

Parmenter, J. G. & Barrita, A. M. (2024). A preliminary model of intersectional minority stress among sexual and gender diverse Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000748

Pradell, L., Parmenter, J.G., Galliher, R.V., Grace Wong, E., Chi, K., Huenemann, H., Rowley, L., South, S. (2025). “It was oddly cathartic and just good - freeing”: An adaptation of a cognitive restructuring task for nonbinary people experiencing sexual objectification. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 19(1), 71–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/26924951.2024.2439603

Parmenter, J. G., & Galliher, R. V. (2024). Development and initial validation of the LGBTQ+ Community Resilience and Inequity Scale. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 11(1), 56-68. doi: 10.1037/sgd0000601
 

This lab is currently accepting applications for PhD students for the 2026 academic year.