Wei-Chin Hwang, Ph.D.
Department
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Wei-Chin Hwang, Ph.D., is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Claremont McKenna College. He received his Ph.D. from the clinical psychology program at UCLA (2003), completed his pre-doctoral fellowship at Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS) - National Asian American Psychology Training Center, and completed a clinical-research postdoctoral fellowship at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. In college, he double majored in Psychology and Asian Studies at the University of Utah. His research focuses on understanding and reducing mental health disparities, improving psychotherapy process and outcomes, cultivating therapist cultural competency and effectiveness when working with people from different backgrounds, and developing models and frameworks for culturally adapting treatments for ethnic minorities.
His work has been recognized by a number of professional organizations and he has been inducted as a fellow for the American Psychological Association (APA), APA Division 12 (Society of Clinical Psychological), APA Division 45 (Society for Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race), Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), APA Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), and the Western Psychological Association (WPA). He has received career awards from AAPA, APA MFP, and the Enrico E. Jones for Research in Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology by the WPA. At CMC, he has received the Roy P. Crocker Award for Merit and Service to the college, 7 Claremont Colleges Diversity Mentor Award, and Faculty Fellow for the CMC Anti-Racism Program.
In addition to being a tenured full-time professor, Dr. Hwang has a small and individualized therapy practice and consulting agency in both Pasadena and Claremont. He specializes in treating mood disorders, marital and family problems, traumas, adjustment difficulties, personal growth and development, and culture and mental health issues. He works with adults, adolescents, couples, and families. He takes an integrative cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and solution-focused approach to treating clients, and conducts therapy in English, Mandarin, or Taiwanese. He also provides professional consulting as an expert witness on legal cases, workplace mental health, conflict management, and cultural competency and effectiveness issues. http://www.losangelesclinicalpsychologist.com/
Education
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles; M.A. University of California, Los Angeles; B.A. University of Utah
Awards and Affiliations
2022 Fellow, APA Division 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology)
2021 Fellow, APA Division 45 (Society for Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race).
2021 Fellow, American Psychological Association (APA)
2019 Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) Distinguished Contributions Award for Outstanding Contributions to Asian American Psychology
2017 Claremont Colleges Diversity Mentor Award – Given to one faculty each year for mentorship and support regarding diversity issues in the 7 college community.
2016 Roy P. Crocker Award for Merit - Given to a professor selected by the faculty for outstanding service to the College
2012 Inducted as a Fellow of the Asian American Psychological Association for unusual and outstanding contributions to Asian American Psychology
2009 Asian American Psychological Association Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions in Scholarship, Leadership, and Dedication to Asian American Communities
2010 Induction as Fellow of the Western Psychological Association
2010 Western Psychological Association Enrico E. Jones Award for Research in Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology
2009 American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) Early Career Award in Research for Distinguished Contributions to the Field of Racial and Ethnic Minority Psychology
2006 MFP Psychology Summer Institute (PSI) Fellow
1997-2000 MFP Graduate Fellowship
2008 National Institute of Mental Health 3-C Institute for Social Development Leadership Training Institute Fellow
2006 National Institutes of Health (NIH) OBSSR Summer Institute on Clinical Trials Fellow
1997-2001 University of California Eugene Cota Robles Graduate Fellowship
2002 Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation Fellow
Research and Publications
Hwang, W. (2021). Demystifying and Addressing Internalized Racism and Oppression Among Asian Americans. American Psychologist, 76(4), 596-610
Hall, G. C., Berkman, E. T., Zane, N. W., Leong, F. T. L., Hwang, W., Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., Hong, J. J., Chu, J. P., & Huang E. R. (2021). Reducing Mental Health Disparities by Increasing the Personal Relevance of Interventions. American Psychologist, 76(1), 91-103.
Hwang, W., Chan, C., & Fujimoto, K. (2021). Call me back: Examining mental health provider biases through callback rates and responsiveness. The Counseling Psychologist, 49(7), 958-986.
Hwang, W. (2016). Culturally adapting psychotherapy for Asian heritage populations: An evidence-based approach. San Diego, CA: Academic Press (an imprint of Elsevier press).
Hwang, W., Myers, H. F., Chiu, E., Mak, E., Butner, J., Fujimoto, K. A., Wood, J. J., & Miranda, J. (2015). Culturally Adapted Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chinese Americans with Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychiatric Services, 66(10), 1035-1042.
Hwang, W. (2009). The Formative Method for Adapting Psychotherapy (FMAP): A community-based developmental approach to culturally adapting therapy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(4), 369-377.
Hwang, W., Wood, J. J., & Fujimoto, K. (2010). Acculturative Family Distancing (AFD) and depression in Chinese American Families. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(5), 655-677.
Hwang, W., Myers, H. F., Abe-Kim, J., & Ting, J. Y. (2008). A conceptual paradigm for understanding culture’s impact on mental health: The Cultural Influences on Mental Health (CIMH) Model. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 212-228
Hwang, W. (2006). The Psychotherapy Adaptation and Modification Framework (PAMF): Application to Asian Americans. American Psychologist, 61(7), 702-715.
Hwang, W., & Myers, H. F. (2007). Major depression in Chinese Americans: The roles of stress and vulnerability. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 42(3), 189-197.