Juanita Dimas, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Licensed in California and Costa Rica
Hello! I am originally from the U.S., and after almost 20 years as a licensed psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area, I relocated to Costa Rica. I am now in private practice in the Central Valley, and I provide services in my office in San José, CR and I can see you wherever you are 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 adolescents and adults 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, and 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. In 2015 my doctorate was recognized by the Universidad de Costa Rica, and licensure to practice in Costa Rica (Colegiatura) was granted by the Colegio Profesional de Psicólogos de Costa Rica. 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.
Before relocating to Costa Rica, I transitioned out of my private practice of many years in order to serve as the Behavioral Health Director at a public health clinic, where I developed and managed a growing department of integrated behavioral health within primary medical care.
Prior to that I worked 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. In addition, I served as faculty member of a graduate psychology program, teaching courses such as community psychology, clinical interviewing, multicultural psychology, and psychotherapy.
My clinical experience includes working with adults and adolescents with a range of mental health and health conditions, including trauma, depression, anxiety, immigration, life transitions, identity issues, and psycho-socio-cultural stress, as well as psychiatric emergency, and in-patient psychiatry.
I now dedicate my professional efforts to clinical evaluation and psychotherapy, as well as program and community development. 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
Costa Rica (since 2015)
Código 9777
Colegio Profesional de Psicólogos de Costa Rica
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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.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race-based_traumatic_stress
http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-14017-002
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ890710
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.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0739986308323056
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ813664
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.
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.
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.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781317794752 (chapter 4)
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.
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.
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.
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.
