Position:

Associate Professor

Contact Information:

ptsai@paloaltou.edu

Education:

PhD in Counseling Psychology, Iowa State University

M.S.Ed. in Counseling and Counselor Education, Indiana University Bloomington

Biography:

Dr. Tsai’s research interests are in the following two areas, including (a) Discrimination and Mental Health Outcomes — The Roles of Culturally Relevant Coping Resources. In this line of research, she has conducted studies to examine culturally relevant coping resources (e.g., bi-cultural competence, cross-cultural advisory working alliance, collective self-esteem, social connectedness) as moderators for the associations between adversity (e.g., racial discrimination, gendered racial microaggressions, language discrimination, and acculturative stress) and mental health outcomes among Asian International students, Asian Americans, and Black and African Americans; (b) Trainees’ Adversity in Clinical Work and Counseling Self-Efficacy — The Roles of Coping Resources. In this line of research, she has examined the mechanism of coping resources (e.g., supervisory encouragement, supervisory working alliance, self-compassion) on the relationship between trainees’ experience of adversity (e.g., anxiety in clinical sessions, concerns about counseling clients of color) and training outcomes (e.g., counseling self-efficacy).

Areas of Interest:

Coping with adversity from strength-based perspectives among the diverse population and clinical population, as well as interventions for promoting well-being.

Selected Publications:

Liao, K. Y.-H., Wei, M., Tsai, P.-C., Kim, J., & Cheng, H.-L. (2023). Language discrimination, interpersonal shame, and depressive symptoms among international students with Chinese heritage: Collective self-esteem as a buffer. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2023.2164845

Cohn, T. J. & Tsai, P.-C.* (2020). Delivering psychological services to rural clients. In J. Zimmerman, J. Barnett, & L. Campbell (Eds.), Bringing Psychotherapy to the Underserved: Challenges and Strategies (208-228). Oxford, England, UK: Oxford University Press.

* Both authors contributed equally to this chapter, and authorship order reflects alphabetical listing.

Tsai, P.-C., & Wei, M. (2018). Racial discrimination and experience of new possibilities among Chinese international students. The Counseling Psychologist, 46(3), 351-378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018761892 

Liu, T., Wong, Y. J., & Tsai, P.-C. (2016). Conditional mediation models of intersecting identities among female Asian international students. The Counseling Psychologist, 44(3), 411-441. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000016637200 

Wei, M., Tsai, P.-C., Lannin, D. G., Du, Y., & Tucker, J. R. (2015). Mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and counseling self-efficacy: Hindering self-focused attention as a mediator. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(1), 39-63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014560173 

Wong, Y. J., Tsai, P.-C., Liu, T., Zhu, Q., & Wei, M. (2014). Male Asian international students’ perceived racial discrimination, masculine identity, and subjective masculinity stress: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61(4), 560–569. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000038 

Vogel, D. L., Armstrong, P. I., Tsai, P-C., Wade, N. G., Hammer, J. H., Efstathiou, G., et al. (2013). Cross-cultural validity of the self-stigma of seeking help (SSOSH) scale: Examination across six nations. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(2), 303-310. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032055 

Tsai, P. C., & Wong, Y. J. (2012). Chinese and Taiwanese international college students’ participation in social organizations: Implications for college counseling Professionals. Journal of College Counseling, 15(2), 144-156. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1882.2012.00012.x 

Wei, M., Tsai, P.-C., Chao, R. C., Du, Yi., & Lin, S.-P. (2012). Advisory working alliance, perceived English proficiency, and acculturative stress. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(3), 437-448. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028617 

Wei, M., Chao, R. C., Tsai, P.-C., & Botello-Zamarron, R. (2012). The concerns about counseling racial minority clients scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(1), 107-119. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026239 

Wong, Y. J., Ho, R. M., Li, P., Shin, M., & Tsai, P.-C. (2011). Chinese Singaporeans' lay beliefs, adherence to Asian values, and subjective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(6), 822-827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.01.003

Wei, M., Liao, K. Y-H., Chao, R. C., Mallinckrodt, B., Tsai, P.-C., & Botello-Zamarron, R. (2010). Minority stress, perceived bicultural competence, and depressive symptoms among ethnic minority college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(4), 411-422. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020790