Michelle Alejandra Silva, PsyD
Associate Professor of PsychiatryCards
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System, Psychiatry
Biography
Michelle Silva is a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of the Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System, an academic-community partnership designed to expand access to behavioral health services for the monolingual Spanish speaking community of greater New Haven. Dr. Silva’s work bridges practice, education, and clinical research, and she engages in multidisciplinary collaborations designed to promote health equity among vulnerable and underserved communities. Based at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, Dr. Silva provides clinical services to individuals affected by immigration-related trauma at the Hispanic Clinic, and treats children, adolescents, and families at the West Haven Mental Health Clinic. She serves as a supervising psychologist for fellows in the Department's Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology, and faculty advisor to health professional students in the Behavioral Health Department of the Yale HAVEN Free Clinic.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Associate Professor on TermPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System
- Connecticut Mental Health Center
- Hispanic Clinic
- Psychiatry
- Psychology Section
- Refugee Health Program
- Yale Center for Asylum Medicine
- Yale Medicine
Education & Training
- PsyD
- University of Hartford (2005)
- MA
- University of Hartford (2003)
Research
Publications
2024
Liderando Juntos y Revueltos: A Collectivistic Leadership Approach to Address Latinx Immigrant Health and Psychological Needs
Moreno O, Garcini L, Rodriguez M, Mercado A, Venta A, Galvan T, Silva M, Perez O, Cadenas G, Paris M. Liderando Juntos y Revueltos: A Collectivistic Leadership Approach to Address Latinx Immigrant Health and Psychological Needs. Psychological Services 2024, 21: 758-765. PMID: 37796603, DOI: 10.1037/ser0000801.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchComplex social issuesPublic sectorImmigrant healthLeadership approachAnti-immigrant rhetoricPublic health crisisHealth crisisImmigrants' needsSocial justiceImmigrant communitiesMarginalized communitiesPublic actionSystemic inequalitiesLatinx communitiesCommunity organizationsSocial issuesHealth equityCollectivistic approachCommunityPolicyHealth AllianceCrisisHealth researchLeadershipEquity71.1 Antiracist Clinical Practices to Promote the Mental Health of Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors
Galvan T, Venta A, Silva M, Moreno O, Mercado A, Garcini L. 71.1 Antiracist Clinical Practices to Promote the Mental Health of Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2024, 63: s99. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.07.412.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTrauma in the American Asylum Process: Experiences of Immigrant Families Under the Migrant Protection Protocols
Mercado A, Venta A, Morales F, Palomin A, Garcini L, Silva M, Rodríguez M. Trauma in the American Asylum Process: Experiences of Immigrant Families Under the Migrant Protection Protocols. Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice And Policy 2024, 16: s379-s388. PMID: 36222662, PMCID: PMC10083184, DOI: 10.1037/tra0001368.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2023
A Decolonial and Liberation Lens to Social Justice Research: Upholding Promises for Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable Psychological Science
Garcini L, Barrita A, Cadenas G, Rodríguez M, Galvan T, Mercado A, Moreno O, Paris M, Perez O, Silva M, Venta A. A Decolonial and Liberation Lens to Social Justice Research: Upholding Promises for Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable Psychological Science. American Psychologist 2023 PMID: 38127489, PMCID: PMC11190034, DOI: 10.1037/amp0001255.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchResearch practicesPsychological scienceInterrelated tensionsName of researchSocial justice researchPluralistic realitySocial justiceScientific endeavorSystems of oppressionKnowledge productionConflicting issuesPsychological researchLived experienceScienceCommunity psychologyJustice researchPracticeTensionLatinx communitiesColor communityCommunityArticleJusticeLensWayEnrollment of Spanish-speaking Latinx adults in clinical trials: Five lessons learned from a randomized study in substance use treatment
Jaramillo Y, DeVito E, Silva M, Rojas Perez O, Benitez B, Frankforter T, Leon K, Paris M. Enrollment of Spanish-speaking Latinx adults in clinical trials: Five lessons learned from a randomized study in substance use treatment. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2023, 253: 111016. PMID: 37952354, PMCID: PMC10842233, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111016.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRandomized clinical trialsClinical trialsLatinx individualsClinical trial participantsSubstance use treatmentRandomized studySubstance use concernsTrial participantsClinical researchUse treatmentSubstance useTrialsLatinx adultsTreatmentLatinx participantsUse concernsParticipantsRecruitment sitesUnited StatesAnti-Immigration Policy and Mental Health: Risk of Distress and Trauma Among Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Recipients in the United States
Garcini LM, Rodríguez M, Mercado A, Silva M, Cadenas G, Galvan T, Paris M. Anti-Immigration Policy and Mental Health: Risk of Distress and Trauma Among Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Recipients in the United States. Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice And Policy 2023, 15: 1067-1075. PMID: 35482682, PMCID: PMC9867934, DOI: 10.1037/tra0001228.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAn Exploratory Study of Healing Circles as a Strategy to Facilitate Resilience in an Undocumented Community
Morales F, Vera J, Silva M, Cadenas G, Mendoza J, Garcini L, Paris M, Venta A, Rodríguez M, Mercado A. An Exploratory Study of Healing Circles as a Strategy to Facilitate Resilience in an Undocumented Community. Journal Of Latinx Psychology 2023, 11: 119-133. PMID: 37841450, PMCID: PMC10569501, DOI: 10.1037/lat0000221.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHealth education sessionsSocial support groupsEducation sessionsWeb-based programMental healthSupport groupsUndocumented communitiesCOVID-19COVID-19 pandemicHealing circlesAdministrationImmigrant communitiesCommunity membersSessionsQualitative findingsAnti-immigrant climatePandemicGroupStrengths-based approachFindingsApplying an Antiracist Approach to Promoting Health Equity and Psychological Well-Being in Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors
Galvan T, Venta A, Silva M, Moreno O, Mercado A, Garcini L. Applying an Antiracist Approach to Promoting Health Equity and Psychological Well-Being in Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2023, 62: 1179-1181. PMID: 36948395, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.01.023.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsUnaccompanied immigrant minorsImmigrant minorsUnited StatesRace-based traumaRefugee resettlementNorthern TriangleAntiracist approachMental health servicesExtreme povertyMental health risksHealth equityPositive developmentLawful statusWell-BeingUS systemHealth servicesDevelopmental contextResettlementViolencePovertyPolicyMinorsEquitySocietyStateImpact of COVID-19 on Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors and Families: Perspectives from Clinical Experts and Providers
Venta A, Bautista A, Garcini L, Silva M, Mercado A, Perez O, Pimentel N, Hampton K. Impact of COVID-19 on Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors and Families: Perspectives from Clinical Experts and Providers. Journal Of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology 2023, 53: 24-36. PMID: 36726050, PMCID: PMC10390642, DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2022.2158841.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBuscando la Calma Dentro de la Tormenta: A Brief Review of the Recent Literature on the Impact of Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and Policies on Stress Among Latinx Immigrants
Perez O, Silva M, Galvan T, Moreno O, Venta A, Garcini L, Paris M. Buscando la Calma Dentro de la Tormenta: A Brief Review of the Recent Literature on the Impact of Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and Policies on Stress Among Latinx Immigrants. Chronic Stress 2023, 7: 24705470231182475. PMID: 37441366, PMCID: PMC10334021, DOI: 10.1177/24705470231182475.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPsychological stressStress-related healthLatinx immigrantsLatinx immigrant communitiesMental health providersMental health burdenNegative health outcomesMental healthAnti-immigrant rhetoricZero-tolerance policyRecent researchExclusionary immigration policiesHealth providersImmigrant experienceAnti-immigrant policiesHealth outcomesImmigrant communitiesPresent brief reviewOffer recommendationsStructural racismBrief reviewLatinx communities
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Clinical Care
News & Links
News
- June 26, 2023Source: The Progressive Magazine
DACA Recipients Are Under Attack Once Again
- March 20, 2023
Six Psychiatry Faculty Recognized by Class of 2023
- October 13, 2022Source: Visible Magazine
Silva: Hispanic Heritage Month is Missing the Mark on Accurate Representation
- April 14, 2022
Addressing Health Equity and Racism Through a Hispanic Psychiatry Fellowship