Pauline Serrano

Pauline Serrano is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her clinical training spans school-based mental health, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessment, and culturally responsive care for children and adolescents navigating adversity. Her research centers youths’ perspectives on the family, school, and community systems that influence their well-being, focusing on how relationships, interventions, and assessment practices align with their lived experiences. She is especially interested in strengthening culturally responsive and ecologically grounded systems of care through research that informs both policy and practice. Across these settings, she has developed a commitment to understanding youth within the relationships, cultures, and systems that shape their lives.

In addition to her clinical and research work, Pauline teaches undergraduate psychology courses at California State University, Northridge and California State University, Fullerton. She serves as President of the Student Affiliates in School Psychology (SASP) and as Mentorship Chair for the Student Development Committee of the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (APA Division 53). Through these leadership roles, she advocates for graduate student development, mentorship, and equitable pathways into psychology. She plans to pursue a career as a professor, licensed school psychologist, and researcher dedicated to advancing equitable, evidence-based mental health services for children, adolescents, and their families.