Alex Morales

About

Dr. Alejandro Morales is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). He joined Cal Poly Pomona in Fall of 2013 teaching undergraduate courses in Intimate Relationships, Basic Counseling Skills, Abnormal Psychology, and Senior Symposium. He is also a core faculty in the Master’s Program in Marriage and Family Therapy where he teaches graduate seminars on Couple’s Psychotherapy and Sex Therapy.  

He is a trained Counseling Psychologist and provided mental health services to a diverse clientele. He has extensive expertise in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research, teaching, and delivering evidence-based interventions to children, adolescents, and adults from diverse backgrounds. He has taught at three universities including, Cal Poly Pomona, the University of Missouri-Columbia, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Morales is supervising research with undergraduate students, doctoral students, and post-doctoral associates. 

Dr. Morales has published peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and newsletter articles. Further, he has presented papers, symposia, and posters at international, national, regional, and state conferences/conventions. In 2018, he was elected to the Diversity Committee of the International Honor Society in Psychology. He is also member of the Western Psychological Association Council of Representatives since 2015. He was invited to serve in the Advisory Committee of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Immigration from 2009 to 2011. 

His current research focus in understanding the psycho-social-cultural mechanisms that impact the wellbeing of Latina/o/x communities (e.g., immigrants and sexual minorities) living in the US. He has received intramural funding from Cal Poly Pomona to work with students on undergraduate research. He was a Senior Researcher for a US Department of Agriculture grant looking at the integration of long term residents and Latina/o/x immigrants in 3 rural towns in Missouri.   

Dr. Morales is a member of various professional organizations: American Psychological Association (2009 – present), Society of Counseling Psychology (2009 – present), Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (2009 – present), the National Latinx Psychological Association (2009 – present), the Western Psychological Association (2013 – present), and the California Scholarship Federation (1997 – present). 

His university service contributions include: Institutional Review Board (2015 – 2019), the Undocumented Student Support and Advocacy Committee (2016 – present), McNair Scholars Faculty Fellow (2018 – present), the Michi and Walter Weglyn Endowed Chair Advisory Committee (2018 – present), and advising Nuestra Latinidad Psychological Association and Psi Chi. Dr. Morales’ hobbies include drawing, reading, writing, walking, listening to world news and world music. He also enjoys watching documentaries, and the soccer world cup. 

Academic Appointments

August 2022 - Present

Professor of Psychology

Department of Psychology

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

June 2021 - Present

Director, McNair Scholars Program

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

September 2017 - July 2022

Associate Professor with Tenure

Department of Psychology

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

September 2013 - June 2017

Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track)

Department of Psychology and Sociology

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

August 2009 - May 2013

Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track)

Counseling Psychology Program

Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

University of Missouri

Education

Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dept. of Educational Psychology

Dissertation: “Language Brokering in Mexican Immigrant Families Living in the Midwest: A Multiple Case Study.”

Committee: Beth Doll, PhD; Roger Bruning, PhD; Miguel Carranza, PhD; John W. Creswell; Oksana Yakushko, PhD (chair).

Internship (2008)

  • Location: University of California, Davis – Counseling and Psychological Services

Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dept. of Educational Psychology

Institution: California State University, Dominguez Hills, Dept. of Psychology

Senior Honors Thesis: “An Exploratory Study of the Interrelationships of Ethnic Identity, Biculturalism, Stereotypes, and Psychological Distress among People of Latino Descent.”

Co-chairs: Silvia J. Santos, Ph.D., & L. Mark Carrier, Ph.D.

Clinical Experience

Pre-doctoral Psychology Intern, Multicultural Immersion ProgramAcademic Emphasis, UC Davis Counseling and Psychological Services

Supervisors: Carlos Canales, Psy.D., Natasha Foo-Kune, Ph.D., Dorje M. Jeanette, Psy.D., Agnes Kwong, Ph.D., and Kristee Haggins, Ph.D.

Supervisor Trainee, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Counseling and School Psychology Clinic

Supervisor: Robert N. Portnoy, Ph.D.

Field Placement Trainee, Counseling and Psychological Services University of Nebraska-Lincoln Health Center

Supervisors: Tricia Basett-Alesch, PhD, Kevin Lancer, M.A., & Gail Lockard, Ph.D.

Field Placement Trainee, For Immigrants and Refugees Surviving Torture Project/Multicultural Behavioral Health

Supervisor: Maria Prendes-Lintel, Ph.D.

Student-Therapist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Counseling and School Psychology Clinic 

Supervisors: Leon D. Caldwell, Ph.D., Lindsay Salem, M.A., & Michael J. Scheel, Ph.D.

Student-Therapist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Counseling and School Psychology Clinic

Supervisor: Aalece O. Pugh-Lilly, Ph.D.

"Prefiero morir de pie...que vivir de rodillas"
- Emiliano Zapata