Member at Large- APA Convention

Term Dates

August 2023-August 2026

Professional Bio

Stephanie Torres, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She also holds an affiliate faculty position in Community and Applied Developmental Psychology (C&ADP) in the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on utilizing community-based participatory research (CBPR) to develop, disseminate, and implement school- and community-based programs that promote well-being and mental health among immigrant communities. In partnership with a local community organization, Dr. Torres developed a community health worker-led, 10-session, group intervention called FIESTA (Familias Inmigrantes Empoderándose contra eStrés Tomando Acción), which aims to reduce stress due to structural racism among Latinx immigrant families. You can learn more about her work at https://florlabuic.com/.

CP and Me

As a Latina psychologist, Dr. Torres is committed to elevating the diverse voices of communities in clinical, research, and policy spaces. She strives to adopt an anti-oppressive framework by conducting research with communities not on communities. Despite her beneficial and rigorous training in Clinical Psychology, she felt that the field taught her to individualize problems, instead of unearthing the deep-seated inequities that result in mental health concerns. When she made the choice to join academia, she fought against this notion in her research and dove into the field of Community Psychology. Along with this role, Dr. Torres is also a SCRA Research Scholar. She shares SCRA’s commitment to action, research, and practice by intentionally disrupting and decolonizing a system that does not allow minoritized communities to prioritize their well-being.