Briana Dominguez, a child and family therapist within our Family Wellness Program, was recently awarded a Special Recognition Research Award by Touro University for her research examining the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with undocumented children in New York City.
Briana, who joined ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥â€™s Aid in 2021, graduated this year from the University’s Graduate School of Social Work. Her focus on therapy for undocumented and unaccompanied children is deeply personal – Briana moved to the United States from Mexico with her mother as a toddler. While she faced challenges, working as an interpreter at a law school clinic for minors in immigration and family courts taught her that many children make this move without a trusted adult.
Mental health services to help these young people process trauma and dislocation they may have experienced as a result of their journey are scarce, and Briana’s research highlights the critical need for interventions for this vulnerable population.
about her research and what she learned as a result.
