UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz School doctoral student Mercedes Fernández Oromendia has recently accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA-TIES for Families. UCLA-TIES for Families is an interdisciplinary program that serves to optimize the growth and development of foster/adoptive children and support their families. The program seeks to reduce barriers to successful adoption of children with special needs, including prenatal substance exposure. UCLA-TIES provides educational training, adoption-sensitive services, and advocacy for children and families in individual, community, and governmental spheres. The program works in close collaboration with the public child welfare and mental health systems.
Oromendia attained her BA in Psychology from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She also served in a middle school in southern Los Angeles with Americorps, as well as taking some psychology courses in Brazil. Her doctoral focus has been Counseling Psychology, studying under Dr. Andres Consoli in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, & School Psychology. Oromendia is interested in bicultural identity development, and different approaches for counseling immigrant clients. At UCLA-TIES for Families, she will practice group and family psychotherapy, assessment training, and infant mental health training. Oromendia plans to focus on the dimensions involved in transcultural/ethnic/racial adoptions.