Hazel Benigno
Clinical Psychologist
PSY30054 exp 04/23/28
Dr. Hazel Benigno (she/siya) is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years of direct clinical experience. A 1.5 generation Pinay (Filipina American), she brings both professional expertise and lived cultural knowledge to her practice, specializing in trauma, acculturation, family systems, and the mental health of children, youth, and BIPOC communities. Her therapeutic approach is trauma-informed, equity-centered, and collaborative, drawing on her bilingual fluency in English and Tagalog to serve clients and communities who are too often underserved by standard mental health systems.
Dr. Benigno is an organizational consultant with 18 years of leadership experience in nonprofit and community-based settings. Through her practice, Dr. Ate Hazel Consulting, she partners with organizations, schools, and executive leaders to build trauma-informed, equity-centered systems. Her consulting work spans program development and strategic planning, leadership coaching, staff training and professional development, and restorative practices facilitation. She also brings over six years of board governance experience, currently serving as Board President of Parangal Dance Company and Board Secretary of Kapwa Kultural Center.
Dr. Benigno is a community leader and cultural advocate whose life's work is grounded in the premise that healing is inseparable from justice. As an academic-artist-activist, she has spent her career building bridges between clinical psychology, the Filipino American community, and the broader project of decolonization and multigenerational healing. She is a sought-after speaker and trainer on topics including intergenerational trauma, the Model Minority Myth, queer Filipinx identity, colonial mentality, and community wellness. Her research examines colonial mentality, parenting, and cultural values in Filipino American families, and her community engagement work has appeared on local and international platforms. She is fueled by desserts, nature, and her loving family.
