Research Team

Current Students

Alejandra (she/her/ella) is a first-generation, second year student in the Master of Counseling (MC) program at Arizona State University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from Swarthmore College in 2020. Alejandra's broad research interests include positive mental health, well-being (i.e., depression/anxiety), and addressing health disparities among underrepresented groups, especially Latinxs. Fun fact: Alejandra once fed a hyena with a stick in her mouth.

Shatien (she/her/hers) is a 2nd-year doctoral student in the Counseling and Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University. Originally from Chicago, IL, she received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Integrative Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Prior to pursuing graduate education, Shatien was a study coordinator for a longitudinal, multi-site traumatic brain injury study at the Minneapolis VA. Broadly, her research interests center around biracial/multiracial experiences and racial-ethnic socialization. Clinically, she is interested in interdisciplinary care to provide collaborative treatment for clients that includes other team members perspectives as well as the clients. When not in school, Shatien enjoys hiking, checking out new Boba spots around Arizona, crafting with friends, and true crime podcasts. Her tip for if you are interested in joining the lab is "contact a lab member or Dr. Tran just to set up a 'meeting of the minds' scholarly discussion so that you can talk out your ideas AND get to know others in the lab! "

Brittany (she/her/hers) is a first year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at ASU. She received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Fayetteville State University in North Carolina in 2020. Broadly, her research interests include minority mental health, with emphases on African Americans and athletes. In the future, Brittany would like to be submersed in working with underserved communities and approaching research, teaching, and practice, with a perspective/goal of multicultural competence and positive psychology. In her free time, she enjoys being active, spending time with loved ones, and trying new vegan dishes. A tip for joining the lab would be to reach out early on and stay connected moving forward.

Justine is currently a first-year Ph.D. student in the Counseling Psychology program here at ASU. She earned her BA in Psychology at Marshall University, West Virginia, and completed her MA in Sport and Exercise Psychology and MS in Mental Health Counseling at Minnesota State University. Justine's past research has focused on trait vs. state anxiety for competitive swimmers in practice and competition and more recently, she completed a qualitative study that explored parents’ psychological needs that are met through having a child involved in sports. Her research foci surrounds mental health amongst athletes, specifically related to emotional trauma experienced within the sport context. Beyond schoolwork, Justine really enjoys doing yoga, hiking, and spending time with friends. Her advice for those wanting to join the lab is as follows: "be authentic, trust yourself, and celebrate the small wins. This is the time and place in our careers to make mistakes, ask questions, and continue to grow."

Anda (she/they) is a second-year student in the Master of Counseling program at Arizona State University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Communication, and minors in Neuroscience and Women & Gender Studies at University of Colorado Denver in 2020. Their research interests are racial justice, microaggression, cross-cultural relationship, and romantic relationship. When Anda is not doing school work, you may find them singing karaoke at home with their cat as the audience, thrifting, and painting.

Max is currently a 3rd year undergraduate student at ASU with a major in Psychological Science and a minor in Statistics. He is involved in Barrett The Honors College, the TEMPE Lab as a research assistant, the Arizona Twin Project as a research assistant, and the Trevor Project as a counselor. Max's research interests lie in athlete mental health, stress management, and familial relations. In his spare time, he enjoys playing and watching sports (football, basketball, soccer), exploring nature, playing video games/board games, and spending quality time with his family/friends/dogs.

Satchel (he/him/his) is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at ASU. He has previous graduate study at California State University Los Angeles (Forensic Psychology) and the University of Southern Mississippi (Counseling Psychology). His research interests center on health disparities and clinical neuropsychology. His clinical interests center on neuropsychology (i.e., traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative disorders) and forensic/correctional psychology (i.e., risk assessment, malingering). His career plans are to split his time between academia and neuropsychology practice.

Satchel is currently preparing his dissertation A Focused Examination of Supervision in Clinical Neuropsychology.

Alexis is a fourth year Counseling Psychology doctoral student. Alexis also received her master's in Counseling at ASU. She is a proud North Carolina Native. Her clinical interests include working with transition-aged youth and adult populations with a variety of presenting concerns in both community and university college settings. Her research focuses on ethnic/racial identity development and minority mental health, with emphasis on African Americans. Alexis uses social justice and multicultural approaches to research and practice. In the future, Alexis aspires to a career in academia that will allow her an opportunity to focus on research, teaching, and mentoring. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family - Antonio, Amani, and Alexandria.

Recent Publications:

Capielo Rosario, C., Faison, A., Winn, L., Caldera, K., & Lobos, J. (2021). No son complejos: An intersectional evaluation of AfroPuerto Rican health. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 9(1), 45–64.

Faison, A.D. (2019). Financial Knowledge is Power: Exploring the Protective Benefits of Financial Self-Efficacy Among Young Adults(Publication No. 22587200) [Master’s thesis, Arizona State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Faison, A.D., Capielo Rosario, C. (2022, August 4-6). Afro-Latinx Health Disparities during the COVID-19 Pandemic [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association (APA) Convention, Minneapolis, MN., United States.

Sanchez, A., & Faison, A. (2021, August 12-14). Using Photovoice to Bring Awareness to the First-Generation College Experiences of BIPOC Counseling Psychologists [Symposium]. American Psychological Association (APA) Convention, Virtual, United States.

TEMPE Lab Alumni

Stephanie is a Bay Area native and a licensed psychologist in the state of California. She received her PhD in counseling psychology from Arizona State University in 2019. As a doctoral student, Stephanie completed practicum placements at ASU Counseling Services, Phoenix Job Corps, and the Phoenix VA. She was a postdoctoral resident at Kaiser Permanente, Fremont’s Mental Health Department and a psychology intern at San Jose State University’s Counseling & Psychological Services. Stephanie's research and clinical interests include health psychology, culturally responsive therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, anxiety disorders, trauma and stressor related disorders, and personality assessments.

Recent Publications:

Reynolds, A., Vang, T., Aoki, S., & Debell, C.S. (2018, August). Considerations of integrated care settings with low SES and diverse clients. Panel discussion in the Division 17 Hospitality Suite at the 2018 APA Convention, San Francisco, CA.

Aoki, S., Mearns, J., & Kurpius, S. E. R. (2017). Social anxiety and assertiveness: The role of self beliefs in Asian Americans and European Americans. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 39(3), 263-274. doi: 10.17744/mehc.39.3.06

Aoki, S., Eustice, K. L., & Tran, A. T. (2017, August). The mental health costs of perceived language discrimination in Asian International Students. Poster presentation at the 2017 APA Convention, Washington, D.C.

Aoki, S., Lam, C., Mintert, J., & Tran, A. T. (2015, August). The social costs of mental health stigma in Asian Americans with psychological distress: A preliminary analysis. Poster presentation at the 2015 Asian American Psychology Association Convention, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Kristi Eustice (she/her/hers) is a Senior Research Analyst at Morrison Institute for Public Policy – a nonpartisan, applied research institute at Arizona State University. Her research interests broadly relate to enhancing quality of life among high-risk and underserved minority populations. Recent projects focus on improving health literacy and vaccination rates among vulnerable communities in Gila County, Arizona; understanding integrated care for Arizonans at the intersection of mental health, substance use, and homelessness; and participatory action evaluation of the Maryvale One Square Mile Initiative. Kristi holds a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (research track) and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Arizona State University. She was advised by Dr. Tran and employed post-graduation as a TEMPE lab project manager overseeing research on implicit attitudes related to race and student-athlete status. For those interested in joining the lab, Kristi encourages candidates: "... to be curious, not be afraid to ask a lot of questions (to peers and faculty/staff), and to utilize the incredible minds in the lab – meaning, carve out time to get to know one another and discuss ideas, research, life, or all of the above. Everyone is busy, but in my experience, these conversations were really value-added both professionally and personally."

Recent Report:

Editor and Chapter Author: 114th Arizona Town Hall Report on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Homelessness.

Recent Publications:

Tran, A. G. T. T., Holzapfel, J., Lam, C. K., & Eustice, K. L. (2021). Race and student-athlete status: Peer appraisals of academic skills, intelligence, and favorability. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe00003

Tran, A. G. T. T., Eustice, K. L., Mintert, J. S., Lam, C. K., & Holzapfel, J. (2021). Perceptions of peer mental health: Impact of race and student-athlete status. Journal of American College Health: J of ACH, 1-13.

Graham, S., Aitken, A. A., Camping, A., Harris, K. R., Eustice, K. L.…Ng. C. (2020). Do Children with Reading Difficulties Experience Writing Difficulties? A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000643

Jeff is currently working as a pain psychologist in the Chronic Pain Wellness Center at the Phoenix VA. He completed both his postdoctoral fellowship and predoctoral internship at the Phoenix VA as well. Jeff graduated from the Counseling Psychology doctoral program at ASU in 2020. His clinical interests include pain management, sleep, and substance use treatment. Jeff's research interests include masculinity and transgender issues. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, hiking, and playing guitar.

Recent Publications:

Tran, A. G., Eustice, K. L., Mintert, J. S., Lam, C. K., & Holzapfel, J. (2021). Perceptions of

peer mental health: Impact of race and student-athlete status. Journal of American

College Health, 1-13.

Mintert, J. S., & Tran, A. T. (2020). Bullying and personality. In B. J. Carducci (Editor-in-Chief) & J. S. Mio & R. E. Riggio (Vol. Eds.), Wiley-Blackwell encyclopedia of personality and individual differences: Vol. IV. Clinical, applied, and cross-cultural research. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Mintert, J. S., Tran, A. T., & Kurpius, S. R. (2020). Religious and/or spiritual social justice advocacy: Guidance from the MSJCC. Journal of Counseling and Development.

Tran, A. T., Mintert, J. S., & Jew, G. (2017). Parental ethnic-racial socialization and intergroup attitudes among White American college-going emerging adults. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87, 347-356.

Jenny Holzapfel (she/her) is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona University in the Clinical Psychology program. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Arizona State University (ASU). She completed a dual postdoctoral residency through the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium providing individual and family therapy and through ASU providing clinical supervision to doctoral level trainees. Dr. Holzapfel is a licensed psychologist and specializes in perinatal populations, anxiety and OCD, identity exploration, trauma, and grief and loss. She has advanced training in EMDR and ACT. Her research has focused on therapy and supervision outcomes, mental health disparities, and suicide prevention and intervention. She is active within the American Psychological Association, especially the Section on Supervision and Training. Dr. Holzapfel's Advice for new students: "Pursue your interest areas and find a great mentor - at the end of the day, this is your degree, training, and future career.

Recent Presentations:

Parenting & Pregnancy during Clinical Training & Early Career: A Panel Discussion. (January 2022). Division 17, Supervision & Training Section Webinar. Moderated by: Jenny Holzapfel, Ph.D.

Parenting & Pregnancy during Clinical Training & Early Career: Part 2 - Collaboration with Training Directors. (July 2022). Division 17, Supervision & Training Section Webinar. Moderated by: Jenny Holzapfel, Ph.D.

Recent Publications:

Gerton, J., Aoyagi, K., León, G., Bludworth, J., Spille, S., & Holzapfel, J. (2022). Outcomes in clients transition from in-person counselling to telehealth counselling with trainees. Counseling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12541

Tran, A.G.T.T, Holzapfel, J., Lam, C., & Eustice, K. (2021). Race and student-athlete status: Peer appraisals of academic skills, intelligence, and favorability. Journal of Sport and Social Issues.