Ezequiel Peña, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychology
Moye Hall, Room 215 
210-431-4148 
epena@ollusa.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Expertise

My areas of teaching specialization are in courses that center diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice more broadly (e.g., Latina/o Psychology; Theories of Multicultural Counseling; Family Processes Across Cultures; Cultural, Spiritual and Religious Healing Practices). My clinical training interests are in strengths-based, Spanish-English bilingual therapy, training, and supervision. My scholarship is focused on the intersections of Latinx identity, class, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, spirituality, bilingualism-biliteracy, and individual voice. Additional interests are in the reduction of mental health disparities for Spanish-speaking communities and increasing equity and access for first-generation Latinx university students.

Teaching Philosophy

The Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, and Marriage and Family Therapy professions demand that we remain closely attentive to the relationships among theory, practice, and service. Professional programs such as ours push past a purely intellectual practice and into the realms of clinical practice, social justice, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are charged with the ethical imperative of attending to the intimate connection between practice and theory as practitioners and scholars of culturally and linguistically attuned psychology and marriage and family therapy. My approach to teaching, advising, and mentoring students is based on a commitment to collegial, student-centered engagement. Instructional goals are organized around a culturally attuned developmental approach to student learning. I provide students with many opportunities for self-reflection, both through discussion and in the written form. In addition, I see the process of writing as vital to strengthening counseling skills, critical thinking skills, self-reflection, and forming a position on a particular subject.

Outside Interests

My outside interests generally revolve around culture, art, music, friendship, family, good food paired with good conversation, and being a dog dad. My volunteer work is focused on helping establish the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute in San Antonio as the nation’s first and foremost center dedicated to telling the Mexican American civil rights story. As a former high school percussionist, I remain passionate about drumming and all things percussive around the globe. I love traveling in the U.S. and internationally, with a particular interest in travel, art, and architecture in Mexico, El Salvador, and countries in the Mediterranean.