Personal Statement

I am a family therapist devoted to healing the wounds of social and historical traumatic stress and fostering resilience. I am committed to training culturally responsive and globally informed MFT practitioners to serve the unique needs of diverse communities, both locally and internationally. As an educator, I believe that education is a drawing out, not a putting in.  Knowledge is not simply transmitted from the teacher to students, but is actively constructed in the mind of the learner through dialogue, reflection and various hands-on activities. I believe that students make their ideas by constructing their own knowledge structures, and that they learn by integrating new information from their own life experience.

Professional Biography

Pilar Hernández-Wolfe is associate professor and director of the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy program. She is a licensed family therapist and a licensed clinical professional counselor, a clinical member and approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and a consultant and trainer for the Institute for Family Services in New Jersey. In addition, she serves as board member of the American Family Therapy Academy and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Pilar has over fifteen years of experience working with individuals, couples and families in outpatient clinics and private practice. She has also worked with refugees and survivors of torture in San Diego and displaced populations in Colombia, her native country.  As a consultant, trainer and presenter, she has collaborated with organizations in the U.S., Colombia and México in the areas of clinical supervision, traumatic stress, resilience, organizational diversity and equity, and contextually responsive family therapy. 

Prior to coming to Lewis & Clark, Pilar taught in the Marriage and Family Therapy program at San Diego State University, where she developed a specialty program in trauma studies. Most recently, she directed the Mental Health Counseling program at Johns Hopkins University.

Research Interests

Pilar’s scholastic research examines applications of contextually responsive models to couple and family therapy clinical practice, consultation and supervision; decolonization in education and therapy; domestic violence; socially just international and intercultural collaborations; psychosocial effects of state-sponsored terror and organized violence; and resilience. Her current projects include examining Latin American approaches to decolonization and historical trauma, resilience and vicarious resilience (Cali, Colombia), privilege in family therapy education (U.S.) and piloting the Cultural Equity Assessment System (U.S.).

Publications

Hernandez-Wolfe, P. (2011). Decolonization and “mental” health: A mestiza’s journey in the borderlands. Women and Psychology. 34 (3), 293-306. Doi: 10.1080/02703149.2011.580687

Hernández-Wolfe, P. (2010). Family counseling supervision. In N. Ladany & L. Bradely. (Ed.), Counselor supervision (pp. 287-309). New York: Taylor & Francis.

Hernández-Wolfe, P. (2010).  Altruism born of suffering: Illustrations of Colombian human rights activists. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 51(2) 229–249. Doi: 10.1177/0022167810379960

McDowell, T. & Hernandez, P. (2010). Decolonizing academia: Intersectionality, participation and accountability in family therapy and counseling. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 22(2), 93-111. Doi: 10.1080/08952831003787834

Hernández, P., Engstrom, D. & Gangsei, D. (2010). Exploring the impact of trauma on therapists: Vicarious resilience and related concepts in training. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 29(10), 67-83.

Hernández, P., Carranza, M. & Almeida, R. (2010). Mental health professionals’ adaptive responses to racial microaggressions: An exploratory study. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41(3), Jun, 2010. pp. 202-209.  Doi: 10.1037/a0018445

Hernández, P. & McDowell, T. (2010). Intersectionality, power and relational safety: Key concepts in clinical supervision. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 4(1), 29-35. Doi: 10.103/a0017064

Hernández, P., Taylor, B., & McDowell, T. (2009). Listening to ethnic minority AAMFT approved supervisors: Reflections on their experiences as supervisees. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 28(1), 88-100.

Hernández, P. Siegel, A. & Almeida, R. (2009). How does the cultural context model facilitate therapeutic change? Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. 35(1), 97-110.

Hernández, P. Rickard. J. & Giambruno, P. (2008). The CCM’s approach to working with lesbian couples: a case study. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 20 (4), 281-298.

Engstrom, D., Hernández, P., & Gangsei, D. (2008). Vicarious resilience: A qualitative investigation into its description. Traumatology, 14(3), 13-21.

Hernández, P. (2008). The Cultural Context Model in Clinical Supervision: An Illustration of Critical Psychology in Training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2(1), 10-17.

Hernández, P. & Rankin, P. (2008). Relational safety in supervision. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34 (2), 58-74.

Hernández, P., Gangsei, D., & Engstrom, D. (2007). Vicarious resilience: A qualitative investigation into a description of a new concept. Family Process, 46, pp.229-241.

Taylor, B., Hernandez, P., Deri, A., Rankin, P., Siegel, A. (2007). Integrating diversity dimensions in supervision: Perspectives of ethnic minority AAMFT approved supervisors. The Clinical Supervisor, 25(1-2), 3-21.

Hernández, P., Bunyi, B., & Townson, R. (2007). Interweaving ethnicity and gender in consultation: case study. Family Psychotherapy. 18 (1), pp.57-75.

Taylor, B. Hernández, P., Deri, A., Rankin, P. & Siegel, A. (2007). Integrating diversity dimensions in supervision: perspectives of ethnic minority supervisors. The Clinical Supervisor, 25, ½,             pp. 3-            22.

Lim, S., Hernández, P., Ly, M., & Rush, D. (2007). The innovative use of WebQuest technology for training students in global advocacy in the issue of child trafficking and prostitution. Proceedings of the 12^th International Counseling Conference, Shanghai, China, 14 – 20.

Lim, S., & Hernández, P. (2007). The WebQuest:  An illustration of instructional technology implementation in MFT training. Contemporary Family Therapy, 29 (3), 163-175.

Recent Presentations and Trainings

Hernández-Wolfe, P. (August, 2011). Nuevos horizontes en la terapia familiar sistémica: La integración del contexto en la dinámica clínica. Training conducted for the Family Therapy program at the Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia.

Navia, C.E., Hernández-Wolfe, P. & Sanchez, N. (July, 2011). Reflexiones en torno a la formación del psicólogo clínico el siglo XXI. Presentation at the XXXIII Interamerican Psychology Congress, Medellín, Colombia.

Hernández-Wolfe, P. (June, 2011). Decolonizing family therapy education: The use of ethnic, class and heterosexual privilege in family therapy education. Presentation at the American Family Therapy Annual conference, Baltimore, MD.

Hernández-Wolfe, P. Matallana, S. & Ramirez, F. (February, 2011). Colombian indigenous traditions and wisdom: Our journeys of discovery and connection. Presentation at the Teacher’s College Winter Round Table, New York, New York.

Hernández-Wolfe, P. (2010, June). Exploring the impact of trauma on therapists: Vicarious resilience and related concepts. Presentation at the American Family Therapy Annual conference, Boulder, CO.

Hernández, P. (2010, March). Vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience in cultural context. Pre- Conference Institute at the annual meeting of the American Counseling Association, Pittsburgh, PA.

Hernández-Wolfe, P. (2011, February). Decolonizing academia: intersectionality, accountability and participation. AAMFT Winter Think Tank. Presentation for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy SAMHSA Fellows program.

Hernández-Wolfe, P. (2011, January). Resiliencia comunitaria. Key note at the Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia.

Hernández, P. (November, 2010). Coloniality, immigration and crossing borders. Presentation for the Liberation Healing annual conference, Austin, Texas.       

Hernández-Wolfe. (August, 2010). Dinámicas de trauma y resiliencia vicaria en contexto cultural: Una perspectiva sistémica. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogotá, Colombia.

Hernández-Wolfe. (June, 2010). Vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience in cultural context. Workshop training for the School of Social Work at Adelphi University. Long Island, New York.

Almeida, R. Hernandez-Wolfe, P. & Tubbs, C. (May, 2010). Cultural equity in action. Presentation for the Family Therapy Networker annual conference, Washington D.C.

Academic Credentials

B.S.	1985	Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá , Colombia
M.Ed.	2003	University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Ph.D.	2000	University of Massachusetts, Amherst