Adrian J. Hernandez

Adrian J. Hernandez is a bilingual, bicultural Mexican American doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at Western Michigan University, where he also earned an M.A. in Counseling Psychology. Before beginning his graduate studies, Adrian obtained a B.A. in Psychology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Juvenile Justice from Grand Valley State University.

Adrian’s research interests concentrate on understanding the impacts of social determinants of health with a particular focus on drivers of health inequities, such as racism and discrimination. Using a socioecological approach, Adrian has pursued three principal areas of inquiry: (a) developmental processes that inform strengths-based clinical interventions for ethnic-racial minorities; (b) the facilitation of academic well-being and multicultural competence among students of color in higher education; and (c) the promotion of culturally responsive, anti-racist, and equitable mental health practice and public policies. Adrian’s dissertation investigating ethnic-racial socialization as a predictor of resilience against ethnic-racial stress in Hispanic/Latine young adults reflects his broader research program.

Adrian’s theoretical orientation is grounded in a critical multicultural lens emphasizing the need to account for sociopolitical context while providing evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Adrian has offered individual, group, and family psychotherapy and psychological evaluations across diverse settings, including an urban elementary school, specialized private practices, university-affiliated community-based clinics, and academic medical centers. He has a special interest in clinical issues pertaining to alleviating the impact of trauma, behavioral concerns (e.g., attention deficits, conduct, emotion dysregulation), child, adolescent, and young adult development, ethnic-racial identity development, immigrant and refugee experiences, justice involvement, and psychological testing. Adrian has prioritized offering accessible, comprehensive services in both English and Spanish to underserved populations in all of his clinical experiences.

Adrian was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In his free time, he enjoys finding opportunities to travel, hiking, biking, trying new restaurants, immersing himself in different video games, going to the movie theater, and spending time with his friends and family. Adrian is honored to join the Yale family of psychologists as a Predoctoral Psychology Fellow in Young Adult Services and Child and Adolescent Services with the Connecticut Mental Health Center and West Haven Mental Health Clinic.