Lab Director

My interests focus on expanding access to mental health services, especially in marginalized populations who traditionally face greater barriers to intervention.

My research seeks to determine the efficacy of a therapy program for children with deficits in social skills and self-regulation. In collaboration with Mary Alvord, PhD, this project investigates the effectiveness of a resilience-based intervention in improving social competence and emotional and behavioral self-regulation in children. Most of these youth have diagnosed anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or Autism Spectrum Disorders. This study explores the efficacy of this group therapy based on parent, teacher, and child report using measures of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology, emotional arousal and control, and academic functioning. The focus of this community-based work is partnering with schools serving economically marginalized youth in an effort to overcome barriers typically faced by this population. After years of work, we have established the evidence base for the Resilience Builder Program. We are now piloting an adaptation, the Resilience Builder Program-Universal. This Tier-I intervention, to be administered by teachers to their entire classroom, has the potential for widespread dissemination.

Aligned with my focus on expanded access, I direct the the CatholicU Autism Spectrum Program (CASP) in an effort to provide therapeutic services for students at CUA with autism. The main components of CASP are a group intervention that aims to improve social and academic functioning, a peer-mentor support program, and a faculty workshop and lecture series.  

Finally, I am working on additional projects focused on accessing mental health care either via online mechanisms or using traditional therapy platforms but with frequently neglected groups. My work is examining the effectiveness of an Episodic Future Thinking intervention to increase goal-focused motivation to reduce risky behavior in individuals with ADHD symptoms, a single-session online behavioral activation intervention for youth with depressive symptoms, and a summer camp intervention for children with Selective Mutism.