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
Published Works
Aldana A., & Zaragoza M. If-Then Antiracism Heuristics: Integration of Critical Race Theory in Clinical Praxis. In: Currie NL, ed. Decolonized Clinical Supervision and Leadership: A Social Work Perspective. Cambridge University Press; 2026:106-130.
Zaragoza, M. (2026). How the Escalating War on Immigrants Impacts Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being. American Journal of Public Health, 116(4), 458.
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.
Teaching
California State University, Dominguez Hills, (CSUDH), Department of Social Work
MSW Courses taught:
- Critical Race Studies
- Youth Empowerement
- Mental Health Policy
- Generalist Social Work Practice
Research Experience
2023-Present
Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative, 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.
2020-Present
Clinical and Community Health Consultant, Silegra
2022-2024
Clinical Supervisor/Therapist, Humanest
2022-2024
Licensed Mental Health Consultant, Maven Clinic
2021-2022
Mental Health Therapist, Tia
2018-2021
Bilingual Mental Health Specialist III, Star View Community Services
