FOCUS
Daniel believes that mental health care is a right and not a privilege, and that being able to access affirming mental health care is of the utmost importance. LGBTQ+ persons of color (POC) face numerous barriers to finding affirming mental health services, and often experience racism and/or discrimination, even while in mental health care. Daniel’s hope is to be a part of the change that creates a health and mental health care system where racism, homophobia, and transphobia are not tolerated or perpetuated. His current focus is on the experiences of racism within the therapeutic context for LGBTQ+ POC within a predominately white mental health care workforce. His scholarly interests focus on developing interventions to improve the clinical interactions between therapists and clients, to better address the unique challenges and strengths of LGTBQ+ POC.
MORE ABOUT DANIEL
Daniel is a first-generation American and is a practicing social worker providing mental health care. His practice prior to school was focused on providing mental health care for LGBTQ+ POC. He heard first-hand how his clients had experienced racism and discrimination from their previous therapists and was motivated to pursue his PhD to change how we train therapists.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — SUMMER 2022
COVID-19, Racism, and Mental Health Services
This dissertation is comprised of three studies, using a mixed-methods convergent design, to better understand how institutional, societal and policy responses to COVID-19, alongside an increased attention to racism in the U.S., impacted mental health access, treatment and engagement. The qualitative component focuses on the narratives of women of color on their experiences to better contextualize the quantitative data. The quantitative papers utilize a nationally representative claims-based dataset and will apply data analysis methods that advance intersectionality research.
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