At the Counselors Against Sex Trafficking Research Lab, one of our primary missions is to mentor and educate the next generation of counselors, counselor educators, and researchers. Elaine is a doctoral Research Assistant in the research lab. Learn more about her and her journey into research at the vlog below.
“I really do feel like even when we are in the midst of a very heavy, very strenuous season of our lives and we are really getting bombarded with really intense things left and right, it’s not just what we are doing now, but what we are doing to set up those next generations of success.”
Elaine Oyoma on what gives her hope
Transcript:
Cristal Velasquez: Hi. My name is Cristal, and this is a part of our segment of Meet the researcher well, where we will be interviewing researchers in the CAST Lab, and they will be telling us a little bit about themselves.
Today, I have Elaine Oyama, and yeah, so she’s just going to introduce herself and tell us a little bit about herself.
Elaine Oyama: Hello, everyone. I’m Elaine Oyama. I am an incoming first year doctoral student with the Counselor Education and Supervision program. I just finished out my master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, also at UTSA, this past May. So I am really just sticking through school. I’m about to take my licensure exam to become an LPC associate, and I’m in the process of starting my private practice, Blossom and Bloom Counseling, so that I can serve clients while also being in a doctoral program.
Cristal Velasquez: What inspired you to get involved in research related to sex trafficking?
Elaine Oyama: I actually became involved in advocacy in general towards especially survivors of sexual assault, human trafficking, child exploitation, when I was think 16 years old. I’m a survivor myself, so I really had to come out of that spiral of depression that a lot of our fellow survivors can go through. And I chose to align myself with advocacy. I started working for the San Antonio Rape Crisis Center back in 2022 and I became the Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Specialist over there after a few months, and ever since, I knew that this is the population that I want to work with.
It’s something I’m very passionate about, and we all know that there’s not enough research in this field. So I feel very blessed that I get to use not only my own experiences as a survivor, but every experience from survivors I’ve worked with and make sure that the future of our career and the future of every person who works with survivors has the resources that we are creating to make the world a better place.
Cristal Velasquez: What is something that you’ve learned in your work that has surprised you?
Elaine Oyama: Honestly, I have been shocked by everything. It’s a matter of there’s a lack of resources, there’s a lack of knowledge, and all of those things can stem together to really negatively impact this very vulnerable population. When all things are going wrong, somehow, this population is still incredibly resilient. Every person that I’ve worked with, all of my clients, everyone that I’ve worked with, just within the field in general, is incredibly passionate about this field, and we all know that there’s a immense lack of resources, but we’re all trying to do our best to make sure that we are building those resources. We’re building those toolboxes for our survivors. So I will never cease to be amazed, but I hope that one day I won’t be as amazed by the lack of resources.
Critstal Velasquez: And now, could you please tell me about, like, your recent work that you’re working on and your recent research?
Elaine Oyama: I’m currently working on what’s called the CAST INTRA project. So basically, I’ve had the opportunity to interview a few attorneys who, while they might not specifically specialize in sex trafficking cases, they at least have a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with survivors. So I’m handling a bunch of attorneys right now, but a lot of my peers are working with counselors, law enforcement, other members of the justice system, and soon, we’re actually going to be reaching out to survivors directly to learn their stories, learn how they have been impacted by their trauma, and really just see what kind of things that we can do as counselors to improve their treatment. What are the things that they are missing, so that all of these people in all of these different populations and specialties can gain that knowledge, and we as counselors can improve these tools and the resources that we either have or do not have, to build those bridges and fill those gaps.
Cristal Velasquez: Now, could you tell us what’s your favorite way to decompress after a tough research day?
Elaine Oyama: I have recently gotten very into sourdough. It has become, I don’t want to say, a problem, but his name is “Edgar Allan Doe”. He lives on my counter, and he has a few hats that make sure that he’s getting the right air circulation he needs to grow. And I definitely do eat all of the bread that I bake for myself, I try to share. It doesn’t really go well. So sourdough baking and reading recently, I love an audiobook, taking this time in between the masters and doctoral program to decompress while I care.
Cristal Velasquez: So now, what is your go to coffee order while working on research, like during a stressful day or just in general?
Elaine Oyama: In general, I’m a pretty simple coffee girl. I really love a whole milk caramel latte. And if there’s an option for cold foam, I will always do it, and it has to be ice.
Cristal Velasquez: Lastly, to wrap up our interview, what gives you hope around doing research in such a heavy topic?
Elaine Oyama: I like to believe that hope stems from our hopes and dreams for the future. It’s not just what we can do in our current positions, but what generations of counselors, counselor educators, really just the future of our society are going to do. And I really do feel like even when we are in the midst of a very heavy, very strenuous season of our lives, and we’re really getting bombarded with really intense things left and right. It’s not just what we’re doing now, but what we’re doing to set up those next generations for success, to make sure that any person that even 100 years from now that we’re working with is getting access to the best, most comprehensive, holistic form of counseling that they can receive to make sure that we’re actually doing our job, that we’re helping them see that light in the darkest moments of their lives. So I feel very blessed, very honored, to be part of the CAST Lab, and I’m really excited to see what comes next.
Cristal Velasquez: Hey, guys, that was Elaine Oyama telling us about her experience in the cast research lab.Yeah, we’re hoping for the future. You get to meet more of our researchers, and you become as interested as we are in the research that is being done in the cast lab. Thank you.
Elaine Oyama is an LPC-Associate (supervised by Megan Smith, PhD, LPC-S) an National Certified Counselor (NCC) who earned her M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from UT San Antonio in May 2025. She is a first-year doctoral student, studying Counselor Education & Supervision. Elaine owns a private practice, Blossom & Bloom Counseling PLLC, and specializes in working with children and adults who have experienced trauma or suicidal ideation. Elaine serves as a Graduate Research Assistant and is currently conducting research with the Counselors Against Sex Trafficking (CAST) Research Lab. She is the current President-Elect of the Sigma Alpha Chi chapter of Sigma Chi Iota.
Cristal Velasquez is currently starting her second year in the Master’s program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UT San Antonio. Cristal first became interested in joining the CAST Lab after learning about it in one of her classes. The topic of sex trafficking is especially important to her, as a woman, and she views this work as a meaningful way to advocate for survivors and raise awareness. Cristal is particularly excited about using social media as a platform for advocacy and education. Her career goal is to become a licensed professional counselor, where she hopes to continue empowering individuals while also advocating for broader mental health and social justice initiatives.
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