Alicia San Miguel, PHD, MA, BS

Alicia San Miguel, Ph.D., MA, BS,’s journey has taken her from the beaches of California to the historic Galveston Island. Born in Santa Barbara and raised in Houston, she worked in healthcare in various roles before returning to complete her undergraduate studies. While balancing a surgical/anesthesia role in oral and maxillofacial surgery, she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Houston-Downtown and became a paid research assistant in cognitive developmental neuroscience. Dr. San Miguel went on to earn her master’s degree and doctorate at Washington State University. For three summers, she relocated to Galveston to gain clinical hours at Shriners Children’s as an intern and develop a passion for pediatric specialty care.

After completing her doctoral requirements, Dr. San Miguel moved to Dallas to work as a caseworker with an assertive community treatment crises team serving people with severe mental illness. She completed her residency in Florida, where she worked in a medication-assisted treatment program for addiction. During that time, she provided pediatric psychiatry services and helped establish mental health care in an integrated setting serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Returning to Houston, she completed a fellowship at Methodist Hospital-TMC before joining Shriners Children’s Texas as a clinical licensed psychologist. She holds a multidisciplinary certificate in pediatric palliative care and has an Eating Disorder Informed Professional (EDIP) Designation. She provides Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based interventions, evidence-based approaches and medical hypnosis for chronic pain management, trauma work, grief and other symptoms.

Outside of her clinical work, Dr. San Miguel is an artist of various mediums, a member of a Mardi Gras Performance Krewe, and trains on a Dragon Boat team with breast cancer survivors/thrivers. She also volunteers with the Red Cross as a disaster action team officer and mental health disaster trainee.

In her most recent advocacy work with METAvivor Research and Support, Dr. San Miguel facilitated a proclamation from the City of Galveston designating October 13, 2025, as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day in Texas.