Rooted in her own life experiences, Dr. Bjugstad believes strongly in the power of attachment and connection in healing trauma and promoting resilience among individuals and groups who have had diverse and complex traumatic experiences. Living in Latin America and working with migrant populations across North America, she has a strong interest in better understanding trauma and resilience among migrants from Latin America, with an emphasis on culturally grounded approaches to healing. She recently moved to Colorado Springs from Houston, Texas, and is excited to be part of our mountain lion community. 

You can view Dr. Bjugstad's CV here. 

Dr. Bjugstad has more than fifteen years of social work practice experience in non-profit organizations, county social service agencies, PK-12 schools, and communities. Arlene's practice and research interests are at the intersection of school-based mental health, community well-being, and immigration. She is particularly interested in decolonized and culturally grounded approaches to social work practice and mental health service provision. Arlene's research focuses on culturally-grounded interventions, community-engaged research, school-based mental health, and community organizing.