Psychology Student Activities
Cultivating future discoveries in research and practice.
Our Derner School of Psychology doctoral students are passionate about their dissertation and research topics. Explore some of their areas of focus.
Fourth Year Students
| Name | Advisor | Research Interests | Externship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayala Aguilera, Nathalia | Dr. Laura Brumariu | Parents’ strengths and challenges in navigating children’s ASD diagnosis, parental resolution of the diagnosis, parental implicit and explicit cognitions | Key Insights Neuropsychology and Counseling |
| Blake, Elyse | Dr. Lawrence Josephs | Confict in romantic relationships, human computer interaction, emergent technological disorders | Pratt Institute Counseling Center |
| Chassman, Emily | Dr. Joel Weinberger | Unconsious processes of shame and mental health stigma | Mount Sinai Beth Isreal, Addictions Unit; John Jay College Counseling Center; Headspace Training Institute |
| Goldman, Samantha | Dr. Karen Lombardi | Sexually coercive behavior, #MeToo narratives, empathy, empathic accuracy | William Alanson White Institute |
| Gruenstein, Jessica | Dr. Nathan George | Emotional intelligence and parental reactions to children’s negative emotions | Brooklyn College Counseling Center; Derner Hempstead Child Clinic |
| Kanani, Anxhela | Dr. Catherine Eubanks | Cultural differences in therapy: alliance, rupture-repair, and cultural humility | LIJ Zucker Hillside Hospital- Geropsychology track |
| Khan, Amna | Dr. Kate Fiori | Social network/sociability of emerging adults; parent-child religiosity and mental health outcomes; parent-child bonding | Child Mental Health Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center |
| Levy, Dorin | Dr. Karen Lombardi | Parent-child realtionship through the lifespan | NYU Wellness & Counseling Services |
| Liang, Qianlin | Dr. Lawrence Josephs | The impact of social factors on least favorite sexual activities in heterosexual romantic relationships. | Pilgrim state mental hospital |
| Linn, Emily | Dr. Carolyn Springer | Mental health effects of COVID-19 on healthcare working parents | |
| Lombardi Civin, Chloe | Dr. Michael O’Loughlin | Psychoanalysis, intersectionality, post-colonial studies, trauma, transracial and transnational adoption, film | Nassau University Medical Center; Derner Hempstead Child Clinic |
| Luong, Emily Hang | Dr. Chana Etengoff | Multiculturalism, intersectionality, depression, Asian American mental health | TreatNYC |
| Marte, Chrystal | Dr. Kate Szymanski | Trauma, intergenerational trauma, resilience, factors which make individuals resilient to past traumatization | Fordham University Center for Psychological Services (Lincoln Center) |
| Viswanath, Pavithra | Dr. Kate Szymanski | Trauma, attachment, parental reflective functioning, emotional regulation, acculturation and immigrant mental health | Saint Barnabas Hospital |
| Pereyra, Andrea | Dr. Damian Stanley | Foster youth, trauma, how trauma impacts development, resilience | The City College of New York Counseling Center |
| Petrovska, Elena | Dr. Carolyn Springer | Psychoanalytic & psychodynamic theory and practice; unconscious factors involved in repetitive patterns, such as rapid-repeat teenage pregnancy | NYU Langone |
| Podell, Samuel | Dr. J. Christopher Muran | Therapeutic alliance, rupture, motivation, substance use | Mount Sinai Beth Israel |
| Rabinowitz, Yocheved | Dr. J. Christopher Muran | The termination phase of psychotherapy | |
| Schiff, Talia | Dr. Dominic Fareri | Neuroimaging psychological processes and pathology, reward processing in healthy and clinical populations | Saint Christopher Ottilie (SCO) Residential Treatment Facility; Nassau University Medical Center |
| Sheridan, Silas | Dr. Robert Bornstein | Personality assessment; personality disorders; moral psychology | Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research; Mount Sinai ACT Team |
| Wainstein, Jeffrey | Dr. Karen Lombardi | Countertransference, (role-)play, mentalization, and the virtual; psychoeducation in psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapies | The Greene Clinic, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR); Derner Hempstead Child Clinic (DHCC) |
| Wang, Wei-Qian | Dr. Dominic Fareri | Prosociality and reward processes in decision making, cultural and language nuances in treatment modalities, stigma and shame associated with mental health | Mount Sinai Neuropsychology Center/Key Insights Neuropsychology and Counseling |
| Xu, Yuanruo | Dr. Carolyn Springer | Multicultural psychology and cultural competency in clinical practice, including Asian Americans. | NYU Wellness & Counseling Services |
| Zylstra, Micah | Dr. Kate Szymanski | The relationships between suicidality and individual/collective trauma, mortality awareness and death anxiety, COVID-19 effect on mental health/psychological functioning | New York Health Hypnosis and Integrative Therapies; Depression Evaluation Service Columbia University |
Third Year Students
| Name | Advisor | Research Interests | Externship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Datta, Saumya |
Dr. Michael Moore | Suicide risk assessment and prevention, cultural stigma, immigrant mental health | Zucker Hillside Combined OCD/Bipolar Track |
| Dhillon, Ashley | Dr. Bob Bornstein | Treatment and prevention of sexual abuse/abusers, grooming, trauma in forensic populations, and social justice | Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center |
| Friedman, Olivia | Dr. Jairo Fuertes | Health psychology, physician-patient working alliance in Chronic Kidney Disease patients | Mount Sinai Beth Israel (6 Karpas) |
| George, Elisa | Dr. Lawrence Josephs | Impact of sexual assault knowledge on heterosexual male sexual attraction | JCCA Westchester |
| Giannopoulos, Evangeline | Dr. Mark Hilsenroth | Therapeutic process-outcome, eating disorders, pregnancy & postpartum | SUNY Old Westbury Counseling Center |
| Gordon, Natacha | Dr. Chana Etengoff | The experience of people with intersecting marginalized identities across the life span | SCO Family Services |
| Greer II, Kendall | Dr. Michael O’Loughlin | Intergenerational Racial Trauma, Somatic Manefestations of Trauma, Interconnectedness of the Mind and Body | Rikers Island – NYC Health & Hospitals |
| Kelleher, Jeremy | Dr. Lawrence Josephs | Internalized heterosexism, attachment disturbances, and identity formation’s effect on self-disclosure in LGBTQ+ relationships and forming new romantice relationships for LGBTQ+ individuals | New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute |
| Knafo, Gavriel | Dr. Joel Weinberger | Political Persuasion, Unconscious Persuasion, Unconscious Influences on Decision-Making, Implicit Motivation | SUNY Old Westbury Student Counseling Center |
| Kolasi, Jonela | Dr. Jerry Gold | Psychoanalytic theory and practice; dream interpretation; psychotherapy integration | The Village Institute, Fordham University Counseling Center (Lincoln Center) |
| Lawrence, Carly | Dr. Christina Marini | Health Psychology, Sleep, Romantic Relationships and Social Support in Older Adult Populations | Montefiore Supporting Healthy Relationships |
| Leung, Meili | Dr. Kate Szymanski | Childhood trauma, resilience, attachment, identity | Alice Brown Early Learning Center |
| Miller, Pazia | Dr. Karolina Lempert | Value-based decision making in substance use disorder recovery | Weill Cornell Neurology – Memory Disorders & Weill Cornell Geriatric Psychiatry |
| Nair, Travis | Dr. Laura Brumariu | Parent-child attachment relationships, empathy, internalizing problems, adverse life experiences, and meaning in life/meaning-making | Academics West |
| Prashad, Neelam | Dr. Michael Moore | Anxiety and depression, rejection sensitivity, cultural adjustment | Hofstra University Student Counseling Services |
| Purcell, Alexandra | Dr. Joel Weinberger | Forensic clinical work with individuals w/ psychotic disorders; Early intervention for at-risk juveniles; community mental health in marginalized populations; social justice interventions | Manhattan Psychiatric Center |
| Romain, Anne-Marie | Dr. Carolyn Springer | Biracial Experiences, Colorism, Racial Identity, Familial Support, Parent-Child Relationshops | Hofstra University Student Counseling Services |
| Dejoie Siegel, Jordan | Dr. Dominic Fareri | Affective Neuroscience, Early life stress, Social Decision-Making, Psychopathology | Stony Brook Medicine Neuropsychology |
| Thomson, Shannon | Dr. Bob Bornstein | Conceptualization,assessment, and treatment of personality disorders | Northport VAMC |
| Wolfram, Lindsey | Dr. Damian Stanley | Mind wandering and self-generated thought in clinical disorders | Brooklyn VA |
Second Year Students
| Name | Advisor | Research Interests | Externship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguilera, Esmeralda | Dr. Karen Lombardi | Acculturative Stress, Body Dissatisfaction, Sense of Belonging, Childhood Trauma | |
| Bafna, Anokhi | Dr. Laura Brumariu | Childhood trauma and resilience, emotion regulation, parent-child attachment, and parental acceptance of children’s trauma | Assertive Community Treatment Team, Mount Sinai Beth Israel |
| Barrett, Samantha | Dr. Michael O’Loughlin | Parent/child relationships, motherhood, perinatal/women’s mental health, intergenerational trauma | SelfWorks, Derner Hempstead Child Clinic |
| Blank, Emily | Dr. Michael O’Loughlin | Parent/child relationships, intergenerational trauma, subject formation in early childhood | Institute for Parenting |
| Fitapelli, Brianna | Dr. Michael Moore | Severe mental illness, psychological assessment, digital health technologies, improving inpatient practices, and community reintegration | Mount Sinai Beth Israel Daul Diagnosis Inpatient |
| Grant, Jonathan | Dr. Karolina Lempert | Addictive disorders, decision making, memory, & temporal perception / perspective | |
| Hodis, Drew | Dr. Laura Brumariu | Borderline personality disorder (BPD) in parent-child dyads, shame and the shame-rage hypothesis in BPD, outcomes of children of parents with BPD | Dr. Damian Elias Private Practice |
| Lewis, Shereen | Dr. Carolyn Springer | False confessions, wrongful convictions, offender decision-making, forensic psychology | Mount Sinai Beth Israel 6Karpas |
| Liu, Xiaomeng | Dr. Lawrence Josephs | Emotional expressions, Romantic relationships, Personality | SCO Family Services |
| Manis, Emily | Dr. Carolyn Springer | Sex offender treatment, forensic psychology, trauma and the justice system | Metropolitan Detention Center |
| Mijumbi, Ryan | Dr. Chana Etengoff | LGBTQIA+ People of Faith, Psychology of Religion & Spirituality, LGBTQIA+ Mental Health, Asexuality Identity Development | Derner Hempstead Child Clinic |
| Millet, Tal | Dr. Monica Pal | John Jay College Counseling Center | |
| Morales, Stephen | Dr. J. Christopher Muran | Rupture and repair in the therapeutic process, phenomenology of listening within session, listening during rupture events | Derner Hempstead Child Clinic |
| Nguyen, Vi | Dr. Lawrence Josephs | Relationships; perceived experiences of betrayal and/or infidelity; sexual behaviors and experiences | Ottilie Residential Treatment Facility |
| Nie, Yan Mei | Dr. Mark J. Hilsenroth | Internet Gaming Disorder and Alexithymia, Anxiety, Depression, Psychotherapy Process and Outcome | Derner Hempstead Child Clinical |
| Polland, Danielle | Dr. J. Christopher Muran | Eating disorders, recovery self-disclosure, therapeutic relationship, intergenerational trauma | Mt. Sinai ACT |
| Rissman, Ariel | Dr. Kate Szymanski | Trauma, emotional creativity, post-traumatic growth | Damian Elias Private Practice |
| Roetman, Andrew | Dr. Joel Weinberger | Using a machine learning approach to classify themes and automate scoring of the TAT and other projective tests | Adelphi Student Counseling Center, TEMA Therapy Center |
| Schwartz, Mindy | Dr. Catherine Eubanks | Therapeutic relationship/alliance, religion and mental health, women’s/perinatal mental health | Mt. Sinai Psych Inpatient 6 Karpas |
| Shalam, Jennifer | Dr. Michael Moore | Perfectionism and social anxiety | Mt. Sinai Psych Addictions Inpatient / Outpatient |
| Williams, Kaitlin | Dr. Catherine Eubanks | Therapeutic relationship/alliance, race/culture and mental health, match, mismatch, supervision in therapy | Mt. Sinai Psych Addictions Inpatient / Outpatient |
| Xu. Ran | Dr. Kate Fiori | Emotional regulation and interpersonal processes in borderline personality disorder, cognitive mechanisms underlying suicidality and NSSI in BPD | SelfWorks |
| Zhu, Yan | Dr. Mark Hilsenroth | Discrepancy in Treatment Outcomes Within the Same Therapists |
Location
Hy Weinberg Center, 220
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