2011-2012 Recipient: Melva Torné-Boyd

Melva Torné-Boyd is the 2011-2012 Recipient of the Student Scholar Hispanic Women/Latina Award.

Resilience Factors in Latina Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Melva Torné-Boyd, a native of Panama, is a third-year doctoral student in counseling psychology at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio, Texas. As a licensed professional counselor, she has experience working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. She has received extensive training working with individuals, couples and families from culturally diverse and ethnic minority populations, specifically Spanish-speaking clients. She also provides live supervision and behind the mirror instruction in both Spanish and English to master's level practicum students working toward their degree in counseling psychology and marriage and family therapy. Torné-Boyd has provided training on postmodern approaches to therapy and counseling to sexual trauma survivors for clinicians in Panama and Monterrey, México. Her research interests include brief systemic approaches for the treatment of Fibromyalgia syndrome, empowering Spanish-speaking Latino families and providing services to violence survivors. Her current research includes studying resiliency factors of Latina survivors of childhood sexual abuse. She is deeply grateful to her mentor Bernadette Solórzano, PhD, and to the members of OLLU faculty for their continued support.