About Me

In 2019, I earned a Master of Arts in clinical psychology with distinction from Cleveland State University. 

While in graduate school, I conducted several short studies that were accepted to both regional and national conferences, and I was awarded the Miller Makey and Howard Sokolov Memorial Award in 2018 for my research project, "Assessment of risk in sexual offenders: Do risk assessments vary as a function of relationship to victims?" As a member of the Healthy Relationships (HEART) lab, I explored the relationship between adult romantic attachments and emotion regulation, as well as the mediating role of fear of intimacy on said relationship. As a member of the Mood and Emotion Regulation (MER) lab, I explored the mediating roles of alexithymia, self-compassion, and attachment style on the relationship between parental invalidation and borderline personality disorder. However, my primary graduate research focused on how to measure secondary trauma (i.e., the indirect experience of trauma) in young adult social media users, culminating with my thesis, Development and Validation of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale In a Sample of Social Media Users.  

In my second year, I completed my practicum at OhioGuidestone, a community-based mental health program. I provided psychotherapy and psychological assessments to clients, ranging from four to twenty-five years of age. I was responsible for creating and following specific treatment plans that were guided by specific therapy modalities, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Further, I assessed executive and cognitive functioning, personality, psychological functioning, and academic abilities.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with distinction from Queens University of Charlotte in 2017. 

During my time at Queens, I conducted various research projects examining family dynamics, and my senior thesis, entitled Classifying Family Dysfunction, explored the idea that the severity of dysfunction in the family is more salient than the type of dysfunction that a family is experiencing. Overall, findings suggested that functional families are cooperative, balanced, open, emotionally connected, encouraging, and unconditionally accepting, whereas dysfunctional families are closed, detached, cold, aloof, Intolerant, and conditional. While both functional and dysfunctional families experiences problems, functional families are able to tolerate conflict and resolve It In a healthy way, Including seeking outside help, such as psychotherapy. In contrast, dysfunctional families tend to either ignore their problems or are unable to resolve them. 

In addition, I gained applicable experience under the guidance of Dr. Melinda Harper by participating in a program called Transition to University (T2U), which mirrors group therapy in a peer capacity to help Freshman successfully adapt to life in college. We found that having the support system fostered in T2U, students were able to maximize their experiences and overcome the difficulties that accompany major life transitions. Years of research on the T2U program has shown remarkable benefits, including better wellbeing, higher retention rates, more campus Involvement, and higher GPAs. Learn more about this program here.

I spent the first 18 years of my life in Dearborn, Michigan before relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2013 to attend Queens University of Charlotte on a volleyball scholarship. For most of my tenure, I played libero for the Royals, and I broke the school record for all-time digs my senior year. Later that year, our team made the university's first NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship Sweet Sixteen appearance, and I was voted Most Inspirational Player and Most Valuable Player by my teammates.