Research Interests
community-based mental health careevidence-based treatmenttraumaresilienceservice learninggraduate education
Opportunities
Work Study Positions Available: Yes
Please let me know if you qualify for FWS and are interested in a FWS research assistant position within the lab.
Grant Funded Positions Available: Yes
Most of my grant-funded studies contain opportunities for doctoral students to work as therapists. These studies involve community-based trauma-focused treatment with youth and their families. Psychology doctoral students may email me to inquire about opportunities.
I also frequently mentor students who are writing grants to support their work. I encourage students interested in writing grants to fund their research to contact me.
Course-Credit Research Opportunities Available: Yes
I regularly mentor student researchers who enroll in PSY410, PSY510, PSY600, or PSY610 with me. The lab fills quickly! Students should contact me by March for fall opportunities. Students should contact me by September for Spring opportunities.
Volunteer Research Positions Available: Yes
I enjoy helping students connect to research opportunities like the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute and the Student Undergraduate Research Foundation Award. Interested students should look into information about these opportunities on the Office of Research and Sponsored Program's webpage (https://www.wcupa.edu/_admin/research/student-resources.aspx)
and email me to indicate their interest in applying.
Biography
I am a clinical psychologist with research interests across clinical, social, and developmental areas. My scholarship centers on two primary topics. First, I aim to understand how to optimize mental health services to better meet the needs of underserved children and families who have experienced adversity. Together with my lab, I study mental health prevention and intervention programs that are implemented in community settings where underserved children and families are most likely to access care. Across studies, I am curious about who changes (and who does not change), how and when change comes about, and the contexts in which change is most likely to occur. I am particularly curious about how social relationships promote positive change and development in the context of clinical interventions and every day interactions. Second, I aim to understand how to optimize training to be more inclusive of people who are underrepresented in graduate programs.
Student researchers are essential members of my team. Often our projects are conducted in collaboration with community partners and academic collaborators.
I believe that the most innovative and valuable research comes from diverse and inclusive teams. I am particularly invested in working with scholars whose perspectives have been under-represented in clinical science and I welcome undergraduate and graduate students to contact me to learn more about research opportunities in my lab.
