Our Team | Nuestro Equipo

Dr. Cristalís Capielo Rosario is the faculty leader of PLENA. She is a Puerto Rico native, mother of Andrés Esteban Capielo Saul and wife to Dr. Steven Saul. She is an Associate Professors in the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology at ASU. She graduated in 2016 with a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from The University of Georgia. Her programmatic research agenda centers on understanding health disparities among Latinx people, particularly Puerto Rican immigrant communities in Florida. To do this work, she draws on quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Dr. Capielo Rosario’s methods are guided by a critical framework, which argues that individual differences (e.g., ethnicity, race) across Latinx groups in the U.S. interact with social (e.g., racism) and psychocultural (e.g., acculturation) processes, and institutions (e.g., colonialism) to influence the wellbeing of Latinx populations. Her research could be organized along to main areas: (a) evaluating individual characteristics and psychocultural indicators of wellbeing, and (b) examining social processes and institutions that influence health. This research agenda addresses how interactions across multiple levels of power and oppression influence the wellbeing of Latinxs in the United States. Curriculum vitae. Dr. Capielo Rosario is bilingual and a native Spanish speaker.

Larren J. Winn is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University (ASU). Larren obtained an undergraduate degree in Music Education in Music Therapy from the University of Kansas in 2015 and practiced as a Board-Certified music therapist for three years before pursuing her counseling degree. She completed her Master’s in Counseling during the summer of 2020 at ASU as well. Her main research interests include effects of trauma on minority women mental health, and substance use. In the fall of 2023, Larren proposed her dissertation, Impacts of Social Disruptions amongst the AfroLatinx Population in the U.S. during COVID-19. This fall Larren will be completing her pre-doctoral internship at the APA-accredited Veterans Affairs Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.

Anyoliny “Angie” Sánchez is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University. Before joining the PLENA lab, Angie earned her master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her research and clinical interests center on the intersectional experiences of AfroLatinxs in the United States, particularly AfroDominicans. She is also interested in providing Spanish-language psychotherapy. Angie is also a student representative in the National Latinx Psychological Association. Angie recently defended her thesis titled, “¡Por la Patria!”: A content analysis of psychological research with Dominicans (AfroLatinx) from 2000 to 2021. Angie is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Génesis Ramos-Rosado, MA is a third-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University and a native of Puerto Rico. Before starting her doctoral program, Génesis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Génesis is the current PLENA lab leader. In 2023 Géneiss defended her master’s thesis, Colonial mentality as a vehicle of fragmentation and horizontal oppression in Puerto Ricans living in the United States. Génesis is bilingual and a native Spanish speaker.

José “Pepe” Maciel is a second-year master’s in counseling student at Arizona State University. Pepe is interest in post-colonial and decolonial psychology. He is a talented artist who is also interested in integrating aspects of art into his work with clients. Pepe is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Paola N. Morales Hernández, MS will be joining the PLENA lab in the fall of 2024. She received a bachelor’s of arts in psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez and a master's degree in psychology from New York University. Among her topics of interest are attachment styles, ethnicity, culture, and colonial mentality in Puerto Ricans and how these factors affect the development of their interpersonal and romantic relationships. Paola is bilingual and a native Spanish speaker.

Darinel J. López Feliciano, BA will be joining the PLENA lab in the fall of 2024. In 2022, he received a bachelor’s of arts in psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. His research interest focuses on studying how colonialism in Puerto Rico affects Puerto Ricans, with a focus on studying colonial mentality in said population. He is also very passionate about working with communities, especially marginalized communities of low-income. His research interests also include understanding the consequences of poverty and on identifying culturally sensitive ways to drive economic mobility in low-income populations. His undergraduate thesis consisted on initiating a project to validate the Colonial Mentality Scale for Puerto Ricans (Capielo Rosario et al., 2019) in Spanish and under the island Puerto Rican context. Darinel is bilingual and a native Spanish speaker.

PLENA ALUMNI

Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology

Alexis D. Faison, PhD graduated in 2024. Starting in the fall of 2024, Dr. Faison will begin her position as assistant clinical professor in the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology at ASU.

Jennifer “Jenny” Florez, PhD graduated in 2024. Starting in the summer of 2024, Dr. Florez will begin a postdoc at Florida State University College of Medicine.

Amber Schaefer, PhD graduated in 2024. Dr. Schaefer is currently completing a two-year clinical postdoc at Harvard University.

Roberto Rentería, PhD graduated in 2022 from the counseling psychology program at Arizona State University. Dr. Rentería is currently completing a tenure track assistant professor at Boston University.

Jorge Ballesteros, PhD graduated in 2022 from the counseling psychology program at Arizona State University. Dr. Ballesteros is a Sport Psychologist at Pepperdine University within their Athletic and Counseling Center departments.

Master’s in Counseling

Kyana Hamilton, MC graduated in 2024 with her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.

Jennifer “Jenny” Gil, MC graduated in 2023 with her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.

Matthew Steranska, MC graduated in 2023 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in counseling psychology at the University of Florida.

Brenton Wejrowski, MC graduated in 2022 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.

Leonard “Leo” Covarubias, MC graduated in 2022 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.

Lisa Gutierrez, MC graduated in 2022 with her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in counseling psychology at Northwestern University.

Tristan Mattwig, MC graduated in 2022 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in counseling psychology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Gretchen Ochoa Bobadilla, MC completed her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University in 2020.

Fengheng “Feng” Qiu, MC graduated in 2018 with a master’s in mental health counseling from ASU. He now works in the Tucson, AZ area.

Bachelor’s in Counseling/Psychology/Other Allied Professions

Adaliz Maisonet, BA graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s in Applied Counseling and Psychological Sciences from ASU. She is currently working on her master’s in family counseling at the University of South Florida.

Karla Caldera, BA graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s in Applied Counseling and Psychological Sciences from ASU. She is currently a doctoral student in psychology at ASU.

Delia Moraga, BSW graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University.