Michelle Alejandra Silva, PsyD
Associate Professor of PsychiatryCards
About
Research
Publications
2025
Experiential Outcomes Among Student Volunteers Providing Mental Health Support in a Student-Run Free Clinic
Ruiz-Huidobro N, Kala S, Gray S, Lopez R, Silva M. Experiential Outcomes Among Student Volunteers Providing Mental Health Support in a Student-Run Free Clinic. Academic Psychiatry 2025, 49: 335-339. PMID: 40346319, DOI: 10.1007/s40596-025-02153-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchStudent-run free clinicBehavioral health departmentMental health supportFree clinicHealth supportHealth departmentsMental healthPrimary care clinicsNon-behavioural outcomesImmigrant patient populationStudent volunteersAffected mental healthMixed-methods surveyFuture healthcare professionalsCare clinicsHealthcare professionalsDidactic sessionsResultsSurvey resultsUnderinsured individualsEmotional distressStudent-runMethodsStudy participantsMedical careProfessional impactSchool of MedicineA 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 2025, 80: 1-14. 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 communityCommunityArticleJusticeLensWay
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, PMCID: PMC11753812, 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 ResearchPersecution as stigma-driven trauma: Social determinants, stigma, and violence in asylum seekers in the United States
McQuaid J, Mandavia A, Cassidy G, Silva M, Esmail K, Aragula S, Gamez G, McKenzie K. Persecution as stigma-driven trauma: Social determinants, stigma, and violence in asylum seekers in the United States. Social Science & Medicine 2024, 350: 116761. PMID: 38701637, DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116761.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAsylum seekersSocial determinants of healthExperiences of persecutionDeterminants of healthSocial determinantsForensic mental health evaluationsMental health evaluationUnited StatesExperience of traumatic stressLegal representationLegal definitionAsylum clinicsLegal frameworkExperiences of stigmaLegal declarationDocumented high ratesRetrospective file reviewSeeking asylumExperienced violenceAsylumEvent of traumaViolencePersecutionResults FindingsSeekers
2023
Enrollment 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, PMCID: PMC11808733, 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 contextResettlementViolencePovertyPolicyMinorsEquitySocietyState
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Michelle Alejandra Silva, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in providing mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults with trauma related to immigration experiences or backgrounds.
Silva is an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and serves as director of the Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System, an academic-community partnership that supports behavioral health services for the Spanish-speaking community in greater New Haven.
She completed her doctoral training at the University of Hartford.
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Psychiatry
34 Park Street, 1st floor
New Haven, CT 06519
United States