About

Juanita Dimas, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychologist

Licensed in California

Hello!  I am originally from the U.S., with 25 years as a licensed psychologist.  I can see you if you are in California or almost any other country in the world via online psychotherapy

Having lived abroad for many years as a child and an adult, I am also bilingual (Spanish) and bicultural.

I work with adults of all ages with a range of emotional, mental health and health concerns, including trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions, identity issues, immigration, psycho-socio-cultural stress, self-esteem, as well as psychiatric crisis.  Together, as a team, we define what you want to work on, how and to what end, and will address the past only in as much as it it impacts your present and future.  We will consider all aspects of your life as a whole, for example, the social, emotional, physical, geographical, relational, and developmental, considering that who we are is always as a whole person within context.   If, and only if you wish, I can work in collaboration with others you define as important to your process, such as family members, schools, health care providers, or anyone else important to you.

Bio

I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California – Berkeley in 1995, and completed a 2-year clinical internship and postdoc at the University of California – San Francisco/SFGH. I have been licensed as a psychologist in the State of California since 1999, and practicing online since 2016. I am a native English speaker and fully fluent in Spanish.

I have worked in the full spectrum of practice from research to implementation, including psychotherapy, teaching, program development, consulting, and supervision, at the individual, family, academic, organizational and community levels. Specifically:

  • Private practice
  • Program Manager to develop and manage integrated behavioral health at a large public hospital
  • Behavioral Health Director at a public health clinic, where I developed and managed a growing department of integrated behavioral health within primary medical care
  • For a public, non-profit health plan, where I developed and managed a department addressing ethnic health disparities, organizational cultural competency, and physician training to address access and quality of care
  • Faculty member of a graduate psychology program, teaching courses such as community psychology, clinical interviewing, multicultural psychology, and psychotherapy.

I now dedicate my professional efforts to psychotherapy.   I match therapy orientation to client needs, drawing upon several different theoretical orientations and techniques. I work collaboratively with physicians, other health care providers, social services, schools, and other community resources as needed to address the impact of psychosocial issues in the various areas of the patient’s life.

My professional presentations and publications have focused on culture and health/mental health, health disparities, minority status stress, and multiracial issues.

Licensure

State of California (since 1999)
PSY 16051

California Board of Psychology

Featured

PODCAST

97. Global Therapy Journeys:  Navigating Licenses, Cultures, and the Digital Nomad Life with Juanita Dimas 

International Licensure Hurdles:  Juanita shares her journey of obtaining therapy licensure in various countries and navigating bureaucratic complexities.

Nomadic Lifestyle Challenges: Kym and Juanita discuss the balancing act of maintaining stability and support networks while leading a nomadic therapist lifestyle.

Digital Nomad Therapy Insights:  They delve into the nuances of building a community and practicing therapy remotely across different countries.

The Traveling Therapist with Kym Tolson

Listen to Podcast Here

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COVER STORY

The expat life

Ever dream of taking your career abroad? Meet 10 American psychologists from a variety of subfields who revitalized their careers and their lives by moving to another country.

By Zara Greenbaum

May 2019, Vol 50, No. 5

Print version: page 44

View Article Here

Teaching and Presentations (sample)
  • University of California Berkeley
  • University of California San Francisco
  • Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
  • Universidad Latina – Costa Rica
  • Alameda Health Consortium
  • San Francisco General Hospital
  • Ford Foundation
  • Ethnic Health Institute
  • American Psychological Association
Publications

Flores, Elena; Tschann, Jeanne M.; Dimas, Juanita M.; Pasch, Lauri A.; de Groat, Cynthia L. Perceived Racial/Ethnic Discrimination, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, And Health Risk Behaviors Among Mexican American Adolescents. Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol 57(3), Jul 2010, 264-273.

View on Wikipedia

View on APA PsycNet

View on ERIC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race-based_traumatic_stress

http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-14017-002

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ890710

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Flores, E.; Tschann, J. M.; Dimas, J.M.; Bachen, E.; Pasch, L.A.; de Groat, C.L. Perceived Discrimination, Perceived Stress, and Mental and Physical Health Among Mexican American Adults. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. November, 2008.

View on Sage Journals

View on Research Gate

View on ERIC

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0739986308323056

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247720734

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ813664

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Dimas, J.M. (2003). Children of Latino/Anglo Interethnic Families. In M. Kelley & M. Root (Eds.), Multiracial Child Resource Book: Living Complex Identities. Mavin Foundation, Seattle, Washington. Pp. 136-142.

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Suyemoto, K.L. & Dimas, J.M. (2003). Identity Development Issues for Multiracial and Multiethnic Youth 15 to 18 years old. In M. Kelley & M. Root (Eds.), Multiracial Child Resource Book: Living Complex Identities. Mavin Foundation, Seattle, Washington. Pp. 76-84.

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Suyemoto, K. L. & Dimas, J. M. (2002). To be included in the multicultural discussion, check one box only: Resistance to the inclusion of multiracial issues in the multicultural dialogue. Chapter for J. Mio & G. Iwamasa (Eds.) Multicultural Mental Health Research and Resistance: Continuing Challenges of the New Millennium (pp. 55-81). Taylor & Francis.

View on Taylor & Francis

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781317794752 (chapter 4)

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Dimas, J. M.; et al (2000). 1995 Model Strategy: Culture, Ethnicity, and Mental Health, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley. In Model Strategies for Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention, and Training in Higher Education. Compiled by the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs. American Psychological Association. May 2000.

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Muñoz, R.F.; McQuaid, J.R.; González, G; Dimas, J.M. & Rosales, V (1999). Depression Screening in a Women’s Clinic: Using Automated Spanish- and English-language Voice Recognition. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 4, 502-510.

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Gil, A.G.; Vega, W.A. & Dimas, J.M. (1994). Acculturative stress and personal adjustment among Hispanic adolescent boys. Journal of Community Psychology, 22, 43-54.

View on Wiley Online Library

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1520-6629(199401)22:1%3C43::AID-JCOP2290220106%3E3.0.CO;2-T/full

Policy Reports

Austin, J; Dimas, J.M. & Steinhardt, D. (1991). Disproportionate Representation of Minority Youth in the California Juvenile Justice System. National Council on Crime and Delinquency. San Francisco, CA.