Aeriell Armas is a Clinical Psychology PhD candidate at Palo Alto University (PAU) in California. Originally from New York City, Aeriell graduated from The City College of New York (CCNY) with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Minor in Women’s Studies. She is now a graduate research assistant at the Maternal And Digital Research for Equitable Solutions (MADRES) Lab at PAU and a research fellow at CTBH as part of the Translational Research Training in Addictions for Racial/Ethnic Minorities at CCNY, Columbia University, and Rutgers University (TRACC-RU). Her research interests include intimate partner violence (IPV), mental health treatment and disparities among the Latine community, and digital therapeutics. For her dissertation, and in collaboration with Dr. Sarah Lord at CTBH, Aeriell is developing a brief digital intervention to address mental health among IPV-exposed Latina women. Clinically, Aeriell has trained at La Clínica Latina within the Gronowski Center at PAU, where she worked with Spanish- and English-speaking clients of Latine descent, and Safe Alternative to Violent Environments, where she continues to provide psychological assessment as well as individual and group psychotherapy in English and Spanish to adults from diverse backgrounds exposed to IPV.

In addition, Aeriell has a passion for increasing access to higher education for groups historically underrepresented in academic spheres. As such, she dedicates herself to mentoring BIPOC and first-generation students pursuing graduate study both individually and online via her platform Grad Life Grind. In her spare time, Aeriell enjoys Salsa dancing, traveling, and spending time with her Shih Tzu puppy, Winston.