Suzanna So

Dr. Suzanna So is an Assistant Professor and Co-Coordinator of the Counseling Psychology program in the Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling at California State University, Long Beach, within the College of Education. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in California with expertise in child and family mental health, particularly in urban, underserved communities.

• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (Child/Family Subspecialty), Loyola University Chicago, 2019
• M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, 2016
• B.A. in Psychology with Honors, University of Chicago, 2012

Dr. So’s research focuses on community violence exposure, trauma, and resilience among youth of color, especially African American and Filipino American adolescents. She employs a strengths-based, culturally grounded framework to explore protective factors such as future orientation, parental enculturation, and family support that buffer against adverse outcomes. Her work aims to inform culturally responsive interventions in community mental health settings.

Her recent publications analyze coping mechanisms, desensitization, and mental health outcomes in youth exposed to chronic violence. Themes across her work include trauma resilience, cultural identity, and systemic adversity, with methodologies spanning latent class analysis, psychometric validation, and mediation modeling.

She has not been publicly recognized with scientific awards or fellowships listed in the available text.

Dr. So teaches graduate courses including Clinical Interviewing, Cross-Cultural Counseling, Community Mental Health Counseling, and Counseling Practicum. She supervises clinical fieldwork and trains future counseling psychologists. While specific grant funding is not mentioned, her research involves collaboration with institutions like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and focuses on high-impact public health issues. She is actively engaged in building resilience among marginalized youth through research, teaching, and clinical practice.

She is affiliated with the Counseling Psychology program and contributes to curriculum development and student training. Her clinical credentials include licensure in California and certification in the Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) model.