Israel Espinosa

Israel Espinosa is currently the Chair of the Psychology programs at Saybrook University. The Psychology programs offer a generalist track as well as specializations at the Master's and Doctoral levels. There are over 100 students in the MA and PhD programs.

Dr. Espinosa began his career as a therapist and psychometrician offering bilingual assessment and outreach services. He has worked in the field of mental health and counseling for 20 years, specifically serving in leadership roles within child welfare, community mental health, and higher education. He previously served as a Clinical Supervisor in child welfare and outpatient community mental health settings, was Vice-President of Methodist Youth Services in Chicago, Illinois, and prior to coming to Saybrook, he was the Chair and Associate Professor of the Division of Human Services at Concordia University Chicago.

Dr. Espinosa's areas of expertise are focused within coursework related to Adolescent Psychology, Theoretical Foundations in Counseling and Psychology, Multicultural Counseling, Assessment, Human Development, Administration and Human Services, and Techniques and Interventions. He continues to serve on the executive boards of the Illinois Psychological Association as the Parliamentarian and as a Founding Board Member of the Illinois Association of Prescribing Psychologists. He is Cuban, Mexican and American, fluent in Spanish, and the first in his family to graduate from college.

He holds a PsyD and MA in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and a BA in Psychology from Elmhurst College. His research interests lie at the intersection of multicultural counseling and education, multicultural treatment models, equity in assessment for BIPOC, and Latinx mental health. He has conducted research on the role of multicultural and multiracial identity in comic books and their use as therapeutic interventions. His goal is to facilitate the academic and professional growth of students who graduate to become culturally competent, socially responsible, and humanistic individuals who will contribute in positive ways to their communities.