Monica Ulibarri, PhD, is a professor and associate program director in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at Alliant International University—San Diego. She received her BA in psychology and Spanish from Claremont McKenna College, and her MA and PhD in clinical psychology from Arizona State University. She completed her predoctoral internship at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. Ulibarri received a NIMH Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research for her postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD. Ulibarri also received postdoctoral training in UCSD’s Division of Global Public Health. Ulibarri was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD prior to joining the faculty at Alliant International University in 2015. She was also a clinical supervisor for ten years (2005–2015) at the SDSU Psychology Clinic, a community mental health facility operated by the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University.
Ulibarri's research interests focus on gender-based violence—such as history of child abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault—mental health, and health disparities among marginalized populations such as people who inject drugs and women and girls exploited by the sex industry. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of California. Her clinical focus is on cognitive behavioral therapy, strategic solution focused therapy, and multicultural therapy for English and Spanish-speaking individuals, couples, groups, and families.
Ulibarri is active in several national and local professional organizations. She has been a member of APA since 1994 and a member of Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race) since 1999. She served a four-year term (2017 - 2020) on the APA ad hoc Committee on Psychology and AIDS and is the co-chair of the Research and Data Sub-Committee of the San Diego County Regional Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Advisory Council.
