Fernando Estrada
Professor Loyola Marymount University
Biography
In the last five years, his research has focused on trauma and minority stress among Latine LGBTQ+ immigrants, including studies on PTSD-related symptoms (Journal of Traumatic Stress), trauma exposure and mental health (Current Opinion in Psychology), and substance use severity and risk correlates (Journal of Latinx Psychology). He has also advanced bilingual and multicultural counselor preparation through scholarship on Spanish proficiency recognition and trauma-informed bilingual training (Journal of Hispanic Higher Education; Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision).
Dr. Estrada teaches courses in research, multicultural counseling, group counseling, and human sexuality. He also mentors graduate students in culturally responsive practice and applied research. His service work has included Faculty Senator, leadership on university teaching excellence initiatives, and national mentorship and advocacy through the National Latinx Psychological Association and American Psychological Association.
Education
University of California, San Diego
B.A.
Psychology
Teachers College at Columbia University
M.A. and Ed.M.
Counseling Psychology
Arizona State University
Ph.D.
Counseling Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Industry Expertise
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Research Focus
Research Focus
Dr. Estrada’s research interests include masculinity and multicultural education. He currently leads a research team on positive masculinity and psychological health. Dr. Estrada is also active in studying the role of affect in a multicultural context. He incorporates stimulus-response technology to study questions related to multicultural education and counseling.
Courses
EDSP 6365
Research Methodology & Statistics
EDSP 6377
Multicultural Counseling
EDSP 6378
Group Counseling
EDSP 6386
Culturally Responsive Counseling with Individuals
EDSP 6394
Helping Skills
Articles
Drug Use and Risk Correlates Among Latinx Sexual and Gender Minority Immigrants
Journal of Latinx PsychologyAlison Cerezo, Fernando Estrada, Roberto Renteria, David B. Rivera, and Amaranta Ramirez
2024-01-01
Latinx sexual and gender minority (SGM) immigrants face significant hardship in the United States that may impact drug use severity. Yet, data on drug use among this community is severely limited. The present study employed latent profile analysis to identify subgroups of drug use severity across sociodemographic (age, years in the United States, and income), psychosocial stress (intersectional discrimination, acculturative stress), and social support.
Recruitment efforts on closed online community groups and immigrant networks yielded a community sample of 195 Latinx SGM immigrants based in the United States. The latent class analysis supported a three-class solution with the highest severity class characterized by low levels of social support and intersectional discrimination but moderate levels of acculturative stress, whereas the lowest severity class reflected low levels of stressors and high social support. Multivariate analysis of variance tests demonstrated significant differences by gender identity and sexual orientation. Notably, transgender participants
reported significantly higher rates of substance use and lower rates of social support than cisgender participants. Recommendations for clinical work and future research are provided.
Ya Era Tiempo (It’s About Time): Latinas/os Training to be Counselors Share the Meaning of Obtaining Recognition for their Spanish Proficiency
Journal of Hispanic Higher EducationFernando Estrada, Brianna Angèle, and Fannie Martinez
2023-01-01
In the current study, an initiative that focuses on bilingual proficiency among masters-level counseling students provided the opportunity to qualitatively answer the question: For Latina/o bilingual graduate students who are training to be licensed counselors, what is the meaning behind pursuing and obtaining recognition of their Spanish language proficiency? The thematic findings from ten interviews illuminate topics related to bilingualism in post-baccalaureate education with respect to programing and scholarship.
Trauma and latinx sexual- and gender-minority immigrants in the U.S.
Current Opinion in PsychologyFernando Estrada, Isaiah Jay Jones, David Rivera, Amaranta Ramirez, and Alison Cerezo
2022-10-01
Due to their multiple minoritized identities, Latinx sexual- and gender-minority immigrants risk exposure to various forms of traumatic stressors at home and abroad that can result in post-traumatic stress disorder and other comorbid problems like depression. A much-needed review and synthesis of the latest research highlights important factors for practitioners and scholars to consider relevant to this vulnerable and under researched population. A data-driven conceptualization helps identify risk factors across different points in time such as violence and discrimination from communal and institutional sources as well as acculturative and minority stressors. Gender can heighten the risk for victimization. Response factors to consider include social support and coping, trauma-informed interventions, and access to culturally competent integrative care.
An Examination of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder–Related Symptoms Among a Sample of Latinx Sexual- and Gender-Minority Immigrants
Journal of Traumatic StressFernando Estrada, Alison Cerezo, and Amaranta Ramirez
2021-10-01
Latinx sexual- and gender- minority (SGM) immigrants experience stress across multiple axes of identity, which can lead to negative health consequences. Using an intersectional–cultural theory of stress, the current study sampled 194 Latinx SGM immigrants to examine the association between intersectional discrimination (i.e., race- and sexual orientation–based), acculturative stress, symptoms related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and somatic distress. We used moderated hierarchical linear regression analysis to determine whether social support moderated the associations among intersectional discrimination, acculturative stress, and PTSD symptoms. The results showed that after controlling for time in the United States, PTSD symptoms were associated with intersectional discrimination, β = .57, SE = 3.14, p < .001, and acculturative stress, β = .42, SE = 2.47, p < .001, at higher levels of social support. The variability in outcome explained by the variables of interest was approximately 47%. These findings offer important and timely data that can inform future research and clinical applications in this underserved and understudied community.
Machismo and higher education: Examining the relation between caballerismo and ethnic identity, support-seeking, and sense of interconnectedness among college Latinos.
Latinos and educationFernando Estrada and Paul Jimenez
2018-02-01
Latino men, part of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority group, stand to benefit from new knowledge related to factors that positively influence college persistence. In this study, the investigators examined whether machismo—a multidimensional and gendered social construct—was directly and indirectly associated with three outcomes associated with postsecondary success: connectedness at school, ethnic identity, and support-seeking behavior. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis on data from 140 mainly Mexican American undergraduates partially supported the hypotheses. Implications for college counselors and program coordinators are discussed, along with limitations of the study and areas for future scholarship.
Beyond the seal of biliteracy: The development of bilingual counseling proficiency at the university level.
Multilingual Educator. California Association for Bilingual Education.Estrada, F., Lavadenz, M., Paynter, M., Ruiz, R.
2018-01-01
The passage of California Assembly Bill 815 (Brownley, Chapter 618, Statutes of 2011) established in 2012 the State Seal of Biliteracy-an officical marker on graduating seniors' high school diplomas, as evidence of high school graduates' attainment of a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing one or more languages, in addition to English.
Brotherhood and College Latinos: A Phenomenological Study
Journal of Hispanic Higher EducationFernando Estrada, Araceli Mejia, and Alyssa Mae Hufana
2016-06-27
An understudied topic is the social experiences of college Latinos. In this study, six men shared their experience of brotherhood or hermandad. Individual interviews yielded qualitative data that were subjected to inductive coding resulting in seven descriptive themes conveying the essence of brotherhood. The findings and implications are discussed in light of extant literature. Study limitations precede discussion on future scholarship that is focused on the postsecondary success of a highly underrepresented student population...
Interest in the Teaching Alliance and its Associations with Multicultural Counseling Education among a Sample of Students in the United States
International Journal for the Advancement of CounsellingFernando Estrada and Marybeth Rigali-Oiler
2016-06-14
Using a scenario-based analogue experiment embedded within an online survey, 174 masters-level counseling students located at a university on the Southwest Coast of the United States provided data to test the notion that the teaching alliance—a framework for enhancing the quality of the student-instructor relationship—is (a) important in multicultural counseling course education, and (b) linked to relevant outcomes. Results offer preliminary evidence of pedagogical utility for the alliance model within a multicultural course context...
The Teaching Alliance as a Framework for Advancing a Relationally Oriented and Jesuit Inspired Teaching and Research Agenda
Journal of Catholic EducationFernando Estrada
2016-05-01
While the interpersonal relationship between the student and teacher is important for learning, the specific quality of the student-teacher relationship in higher education and its effects on learning remains understudied. Striving to enliven this area of study is the concept of the teaching alliance as understood through Jesuit tradition. The alliance defines the quality of the student-teacher relationship as the degree of shared agreement over the goals and tasks of a course, as well as the presence of a positive interpersonal bond. Through an Ignatian lens, this framework brings into focus themes in teaching that can bolster learning. This article offers an illustrative example in a graduate-level course for additional reflection upon the practical application of the alliance framework. It ends with pedagogical considerations and an agenda for further scholarship...
Perceived Culpability in Critical Multicultural Education: Understanding and Responding to Race Informed Guilt and Shame to Further Learning Outcomes Among White American College Students
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher EducationFernando Estrada and Geneva Matthews
2016-01-01
In this investigation we explored among a U.S. sample of White college students the effect of perceived race informed culpability—conceptualized as the self-conscious emotions known as White guilt and shame—on two critical multicultural education outcomes: modern prejudicial attitudes and demonstrated anti-racist knowledge. Interaction effects by participants’ racial identity were also examined. Moderated hierarchical linear regression showed that the tendency to experience White guilt as well as White shame explained a significant portion of the variability in racist attitudes. For knowledge, only guilt had an effect. No interaction effects were observed. Limitations are discussed followed by implications for teaching and learning with an emphasis on affect-sensitive pedagogy.
STEM Education and Sexual Minority Youth: Examining Math and Science Coursetaking Patterns among High School Students
The High School JournalMichael Gottfried, Fernando Estrada, Cameron Sublett
2015-08-01
Sexual minority students such as those identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, as well as those identifying with emerging self-labels (e.g., queer) face a host of risk factors in high school that can potentially compromise educational excellence, particularly in rigorous academic disciplines. The current study advances the area of diversity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by empirically exploring the question: Is there a gap in STEM education participation based on sexual minority status? After reviewing the relevant research, we employed hierarchical linear modeling to explore advanced math and science coursetaking patterns among a nationally representative sample of students from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results of this initial exploratory study suggest that advanced math and science course-taking does not vary significantly based on sexual minority status once a host of individual and school factors are included. The null findings advance the discussion of equity and excellence in STEM education as it relates to vulnerable populations. The article ends with a discussion of limitations and directions for future research...
Positive Masculinity Among Latino Men and the Direct and Indirect Effects on Well-Being
Journal of Multicultural Counseling and DevelopmentFernando Estrada and G. Miguel Arciniega
2015-07-01
Counselors are learning ways to promote well-being among Latinas/os. This study tested the hypothesis that caballerismo, a prosocial form of masculinity, would predict subjective well-being among a sample of predominantly Mexican/Mexican American men. The moderating role of religious involvement was also tested and hypothesized as having a bolstering effect. Results supported the main hypotheses. Implications are discussed as they concern counseling, training, and future research...
The Teaching Alliance in Multicultural Counseling Course Education: A Framework for Examining and Strengthening the Student-Instructor Relationship
International Journal for the Advancement of CounsellingFernando Estrada
2015-06-06
This article explores the idea of the teaching alliance as a framework to help instructors of multicultural counseling courses advance student learning by attending to and strengthening the student-instructor relationship. To this end, and drawing on extant literature, two questions are conceptually addressed: (1) what relational qualities comprise the teaching alliance in a graduate-level multicultural class? and (2) what instructional strategies might help strengthen that alliance? The article concludes with a discussion of teaching considerations and directions for future research...
Machismo and Mexican American Men: An Empirical Understanding Using a Gay Sample
Journal of Counseling PsychologyFernando Estrada, Marybeth Rigali-Oiler, G. Miguel Arciniega, and Terence J. G. Tracey
2011-06-01
Machismo continues to be a defining aspect of Mexican American men that informs a wide array of psychological and behavioral dimensions. Although strides have been made in this area of research, understanding of the role of this construct in the lives of gay men remains incomplete. Our purpose in this study was to gain a deeper understanding of machismo using a sample of Mexican American gay men. This study examined for the first time whether a 2-factor model of machismo previously validated with heterosexual, Mexican American men generalized to a sample of 152 gay men of similar ethnic background. Relations between machismo, sexual risk, and internalized homophobia were also explored. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the 2-factor model with the current sample. Results also indicated machismo as predicting internalized homophobia and as an index of risky sex. Limitations are presented and implications are discussed...
