Claudia Zavala

 “It’s a Family Matter”: A Strengths-Based Intervention for Parents of Sexual Minority Individuals

Claudia Zavala is a Mental Health Counseling student at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is originally from Peru, where she received her undergraduate degree in Clinical Psychology and completed her training in Gestalt Psychotherapy. With a long-standing passion for social justice and equity, she is committed to researching the strengths in multiply marginalized groups (e.g., Latinx sexual and gender minorities) and non-conventional ways of living (e.g., ethical non-monogamy, being child-free, community living, living in multiple places). In her private practice, she focuses on leveraging these strengths to promote growth and improve well-being. Claudia hopes to further the field of culturally-sensitive psychotherapy, expand community-centered research, and advocate for systems change so that all populations can have equitable access to mental health.