Faculty and Staff

Pei-wen Ma

Professor • Department of Psychology

Dr. Ma is a Professor of Psychology at William Paterson University of New Jersey. She is also a licensed psychologist in New York. She has over a decade of clinical experience working with immigrant communities and supervising pre-doctoral interns at Hamilton-Madison House (an APA-accredited internship site) in New York City. She received her Ph.D. degree in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Professional Interests

Dr. Ma's research investigates parent-child relationships, career development, and mental health concerns within a multicultural framework in order to develop culturally responsive interventions for immigrants and ethnic minority children, youth, and families. She is currently the co-director of the Culture and Resilience Lab with Dr. Aileen Torres focusing on school-based interventions for recently arrived Latinx, Arabic, and Bangladeshi immigrant students in Paterson, New Jersey. 

Languages (other than English)

Chinese 

Degrees

PhD Counseling Psychology , Teachers College, Columbia University New York, NY

Specialization

Counseling Psychology, Asian American Psychology, Ethnic minority and immigrant mental health, and Career Counseling

Licenses and Certifications

08/31/2007
Licensed Psychologist (NYS # 017279), New York State State

Representative Publications


Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary findings of a school‐based intervention for recently arrived immigrant middle‐school students; Volume 60, 2023
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pits.22861


Marginalized Identities, Family Conflict, and Psychological Distress: The Process of Psychotherapy with a Chinese American Adolescent.; Asian American Journal of Psychology; Volume 13, 2022
https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Faap0000237


First-Generation College Students’ Perceived Vocational Barriers and Outcome Expectations: Exploring Contextual and Relational Factors; Journal of Career Development; 2019
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0894845319827650


Social anxiety and mental health service use among Asian American high school students; , Child Psychiatry & Human Development; Volume 46, 2015


Work and Gender Roles among East Asian Immigrant Women in the United States; Gendered Journeys: Women, Migration and Feminist Psychology; Palgrave Macmillan UK; 2015
http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137521477_4

Representative Presentations


Coping with the Covid-19 Pandemic and Anti-Asian Racism: The Experience of Chinese Immigrant Parents.
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association American Psychological Association
, 2022


Cultural adjustment group intervention for recently arrived Latinx immigrant youth
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association American Psychological Association
Minneapolis, MN 2022


“I am not an American!” The acculturative stress of recently arrived Latinx immigrant youth
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association American Psychological Association
, 2020


Clinical Symptoms, Family Separations and Acculturation in Recently Immigrated Latinx and Bangladeshi Middle School Youth.
Roundtable Presentation-Latino/a Mental Health Association of NJ. Latino/a Mental Health Association of NJ.
Elizabeth, NJ 2020


Supporting Immigrant Students and Families: Cultural Adaptation and Mental Health

Wayne, NJ 2019

Awards and Honors

Asian American Psychological Association-American Psychological Foundation (AAPA-APF) Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation Fellowship
Asian American Psychological Association-American Psychological Foundation (AAPA-APF) Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation
08/01/2011

Counseling and Human Development Distinguished Research Award in Counseling
American Education Research Association (AERA) Division E
01/01/2015

Asian American Psychological Association-American Psychological Foundation (AAPA-APF) Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation Fellowship
Asian American Psychological Association-American Psychological Foundation (AAPA-APF) Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation
08/01/2011

Fellowships, Grants and Research

Implementation of a culturally-responsive school-based intervention for recently arrived immigrant middle school students
Grant

Notable Courses Taught

Cultural and Social Issues in Clinical Practice (graduate)
Ethics and Professional Orientation (graduate)
Foundations of Career Development (graduate)
Cross-cultural Psychology (undergraduate)

2062A Hennings Science East

By appointment