Education
(2028) University of California, Berkeley, PhD, Social Welfare
2018 California State University, Dominguez Hills, Master of Social Work
2016 University of California, Irvine, B.A., Psychology & Social Behavior, B.A., Educational Sciences
Publications
Lovato, K., Bui, D., & Zaragoza, M. (2025). A systematic literature review: Understanding the mental health and social service needs of unaccompanied immigrant children forcibly separated from their parents during and/or following the “Zero Tolerance” policy in the US. Children and Youth Services Review, 108296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108296
Zaragoza, M. (2025). A Love Letter to Hope. American Journal of Public Health, 115(5), 681-681.
Nguyen, H., Zaragoza, M., Wussler, N., & Lee, J. A. (2020). “I was confused about how to take care of mom because this disease is different everyday”: Vietnamese American caregivers’ understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, 35(2), 217-234.
Avila, M., Aldana, A., & Zaragoza, M. (2020). The use of counter-narratives in a social work course from a critical race theory perspective. In Routledge Handbook of Counter-Narratives (pp. 255-266). Routledge.
Lee, J., Nguyen, H., Rousseau, J., Gibbs, L., Sorkin, D., Zaragoza, M., & Nyamathi, A. (2018). The perceived experiences and unmet needs of Asian American dementia family caregivers. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(S2), s224.
Research Experience
2023-Present
Immigration and Child Welfare Lab, University of California, Berkeley
Graduate Student Researcher – Dr. Kristina Lovato (Supervisor)
2017-2020
Dementia Caregiver Project, California State University, Dominguez Hills Graduate Student Research Assistant – Dr. Hannah Nguyen (Supervisor)
2017-2018
International Social Work Storytelling Project, California State University, Dominguez Hills Graduate Student Researcher – Dr. Mekada Graham (Supervisor)
2014-2016
Teacher Learning Lab, University of California, Irvine, Undergraduate Research Assistant – Dr. Rosella Santagata (Supervisor)
Social Work Practice Experience
2022-Present
Founder & Therapist, Michelle Zaragoza, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Inc.
2022-Present
Licensed Mental Health Consultant, Maven Clinic
2020-Present
Clinical and Community Health Consultant, Silegra
2022-2024
Clinical Supervisor/Therapist, Humanest
2021-2022
Mental Health Therapist, Tia
2018-2021
Bilingual Mental Health Specialist III, Star View Community Services
Professional Licensures
Licensed Clinical Social Worker #100578, California (Current)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker #4808, Hawaii (Current)
Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Academy of Cognitive Therapy (Current)
Michelle Zaragoza, LCSW 