Email: prasaa04@nyu.edu
Program: PhD in Counseling Psychology
Year entered Program: 2020
Research Interests: Bicultural Identity, First Generation College Students, (Im)migrant and Refugee Mental Health, Culture in Mental Health Assessment & Treatment
Principal Advisor(s): Dr. Sumie Okazaki
Research Description/Bio:
Aakriti Prasai is a Nepali American doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Sumie Okazaki. She is interested in mixed-methods approaches to understanding how acculturation and bicultural identities can impact immigrant and refugee communities as well as first-generation college students' mental health outcomes. In every aspect of her work, she is committed to understanding and implementing trauma-informed practices and considering the impact of barriers in what minoritized communities are able to access. Prior to NYU, Aakriti graduated from Harvard College in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Global Health and Health Policy. While in college, Aakriti was part of the Research Program for Children and Adversity and researched mental health challenges and factors relating to risk and resilience in refugee families in the Greater Boston Area. In New York City, she has worked as a Research Coordinator for the Center for Early Childhood Health and Development at NYU School of Medicine, where she supported the implementation of research for a family-centered program that promotes foundational social-emotional skills in prekindergarten and aims to strengthen family engagement and culturally-relevant school environments in pre-school programs throughout New York City.