American Psychological Foundation Announces New Direct Action Visionary Grant Recipient Yahaira I. Márquez, PhD
APF Direct Action will expand access to evidence-based trauma care for children and families in Guatemala
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The American Psychological Foundation (APF), a grantmaking organization that supports psychologists and service organizations, is announcing Yahaira I. Márquez, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine’s CARES Institute, as the newest recipient of its Direct Action Visionary Grant. The grant supports innovative programs and partnerships that apply psychology to address community needs on both a grassroots and national level.
APF Direct Action bridges the gap between research and practice, providing real-time care to the communities that need it most. It addresses the crises, discrimination and lack of resources many communities are faced with by funding interventions rooted in evidence-based psychology.
Through the funded project, “The Child Trauma Learning Program,” Dr. Márquez will work alongside mental health professionals in Guatemala to expand access to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), a treatment designed to help children and their caregivers recover from trauma. The need for proven trauma care in Guatemala is high, but many mental health professionals have limited access to ongoing training and support. The project will address this gap by building local expertise that can be sustained beyond the grant period.
“This funding marks a turning point in my career,” said Dr. Márquez. “It allows me to work alongside Guatemalan professionals who are already giving everything they have to children and families, and to study together how nearly 30 years of trauma science can become accessible, culturally and linguistically responsive, and sustainable within their own systems. It is an opportunity to build my career around not only translating words, but translating knowledge into healing.”
The program will prepare a group of Guatemalan mental health professionals to provide TF-CBT within their own communities. It will evaluate whether the training is useful, culturally and linguistically responsive, and feasible within Guatemala’s existing service systems. The program will explore how the children and families it serves benefit from TF-CBT, and the findings will help inform an effective, locally driven and sustainable approach to trauma care.
“Psychological research is most impactful when translated into care that is accessible, relevant, and responsive to the communities it is intended to serve,” said APF CEO Dr. Michelle Quist Ryder. “This project pairs local knowledge and expertise with evidence-based research, and we are proud to support Dr. Márquez in building sustainable systems of care for children and families in crisis.”
Details on Direct Action and other initiatives can be found at ampsychfdn.org/directaction.
About the American Psychological Foundation
The American Psychological Foundation (APF) is a grantmaking organization that supports psychologists and service organizations that are using psychology to create a better, more equitable world. Since its founding in 1953, APF has cultivated a portfolio of 80+ programs that disburse over $2 million annually in research and academic funding, implementation science, achievement awards, travel scholarships and non-research project funding. The Foundation is committed to investing in programs that serve marginalized communities, prevent violence, end prejudice and stigma and address mind-body-health connections in new and innovative ways. For more information, please visit www.ampsychfdn.org.
Bethany Giblin, Communications Officer
pr@ampsychfdn.org
