Munyi Shea

Munyi Shea is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Seattle Pacific University's School of Psychology, Family, and Community, where she has been teaching since 2016. She previously served as an associate professor and director of doctoral programs at California State University, Los Angeles, a minority-serving institution.

Her educational background includes:

• BS, University of Washington, 2001
• BA, University of Washington, 2001
• PhD, Columbia University, 2008

Dr. Shea's research centers on the intersection of culture and mental health, with specific focus on immigrant communities. Her work examines how culture shapes individuals' understanding, experience, and expression of mental health concerns, aiming to translate this knowledge into accessible and culturally inclusive psychological services. She has developed innovative prevention and intervention programs serving diverse populations, including bullying prevention for Asian/Pacific Islander and Latinx school-aged children, cognitive-behavioral guided self-help programs for Latinas with eating disorders, and peer-led support programs for college-going mothers. These initiatives have received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Shea's research publications demonstrate a consistent focus on mental health disparities among marginalized populations, with particular emphasis on college students' help-seeking behaviors, cultural influences on mental health expression, and culturally adapted interventions. Her work spans educational psychology, counseling psychology, and cross-cultural mental health research.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards:

• Early Career Award for Research from the Asian American Psychological Association
• Outstanding Research Award from the American Education Research Association
• Outstanding Contribution to Scholarship on Race and Ethnicity Award from the American Psychological Association (Division 17, Counseling Psychology)
• Graduate Professor of the Year award in 2022 at SPU

Committed to mentoring and community engagement, Dr. Shea has received numerous internal grants including the SERVE Grant and the Inclusive Excellence Grant to promote student scholarship and community-based participatory research. She continues to collaborate with colleagues both within and outside SPU, fostering multidisciplinary approaches to address complex mental health issues. Her ongoing research focuses on mental health challenges faced by young adults and college students, promoting health through empowerment and advocacy, and integrating positive psychological interventions for K-12 students.