Mental Health Services Bios

Bashir Abdullah completed his BA in psychology at the University of Central Oklahoma. He entered a doctoral program in counseling psychology at the University of North Texas in 2009. His interests include marriage and family counseling, mentoring, advocacy, multicultural competency, substance abuse, and mental health in military families.

Rueben Brock earned his MS in counselor education from California University of Pennsylvania in 2008. He is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in counseling psychology at West Virginia University. Rueben recently accepted an adjunct faculty position in the Psychology department at Community College of Allegheny County. He is interested in role modeling and academic self-efficacy in Black students.

Erika Dawkins attended Howard University, where she earned her BS in psychology in 2008. In the same year, she began pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Widener University. Her interests are varied and include African Americans and Interpersonal Relationships, racial identity development, sexuality and sexual addiction, sexual identity development and sexual experiences, working with couples, Bipolar I and II.

Candace DeCaires-McCarthy completed her BA degree at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In 2008, she enrolled in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at Rutgers University. She is specializing in issues pertaining to multiculturalism and diversity, particularly as it concerns at-risk adolescents and adults.  

Mirella Diaz-Santos earned her MA in psychology Boston University in 2010. She is currently enrolled at Boston University where she is pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology.  She is interested in cross-cultural issues in clinical neuropsychology (e.g., misdiagnosing ethnic minorities) and visual hallucinations research in Parkinson's disease.

Lina D’Orazio completed her MA in psychology at the University of Southern California in 2009 and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the same institution. She is interested in culture and health psychology, minority mental health and women's health. 

Jennie Fretts received her MA in psychology from the New School for Social Research in 2009.  In the same year, she began pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Montana.  She is interested in cross-cultural psychology, American Indians, body images, eating disorders, and health psychology.

Pura Garcia-Serrablo graduated from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico in 2008 with a master’s degree in counseling psychology.  In 2008, she enrolled at Ponce School of Medicine and Health where she is currently studying for a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.  She is most interested in neuropsychology, cognitive decline, substance abuse, neurodevelopmental disorders and health psychology.

Daniel Gaztambide attended Union Theological Seminary where he earned his MA in Psychiatry and Religion.  He began a doctoral program at Rutgers University in 2009 in clinical psychology.  He is interested in microaggressions in psychotherapy, rupture and repair processes and their relation to treatment outcome and drop-out with ethnic minorities, liberation theology and psychology, relational psychoanalysis, psychotherapy integration, psychology of religion and spirituality, ethnic identity development, treatment of complex trauma and depression, political philosophy, and psychoanalysis and social justice.

Jessica Graham earned her MA in clinical psychology in 2011 from the University of Massachusetts-Boston where she is also currently pursuing her doctoral degree in clinical psychology.   Her particular area of focus is anxiety disorders in Black populations.

Angela Harris attended McDaniel College where she earned her MS in counselor education in 1998.  She is pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology at Wright State University.  She is interested in multicultural awareness and biracial identity development, college counseling and African American college students, and group psychotherapy.

Belinda Hinojos received her MS in counseling psychology from the University of Kansas. She began a doctoral program in counseling psychology at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 2008 where she specializes in Latino mental health and multicultural issues. 

Gihane Jeremie-Brink received her MA in community counseling from Loyola University Chicago in 2010.  She is also currently pursuing a doctoral degree in counseling psychology at Loyola.  She is especially interested in treatment for trauma, outreach and preventive interventions with at-risk youth in urban settings, racial socialization of youth in African American and Black immigrant populations, coping and resilience, and acculturation and enculturation processes.

Russell Jones earned his MEd in professional counseling from the University of Georgia in 2008.  He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology at the University of Maryland where his studies are focused on veterans, substance abuse issues, and group process, and outcomes. 

Steven Kniffley received his MS in clinical psychology from Spalding University in the spring of 2010 where he is also currently pursuing his doctoral degree in the School of Professional Psychology.  His studies are focused on multicultural interventions, specifically identity development and influence on the psychological well-being of African American males.

Howard Lloyd received his MA in counseling psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2010.  He is pursuing his doctoral degree in psychology at the University of Kentucky where his studies are focused by his interests in identity development in African American males, academic achievement in persons of color, academic self-efficacy among African American males, academic disidentification among African American males, intersectionality of African American males, unique psychological risk factors in persons of color, outcomes of diversity training, family systems in persons of color, and obstacles in higher education for persons of color.

Hugh Love Jr. earned his MA in counseling for mental health and wellness from New York University in 2010.  He is currently studying at Fordham University in pursuit of a doctoral degree in school psychology.   His studies are focused on gender roles and masculinity, minority adolescents, coping styles and resilience, and sexual risk behavior.

William Martinez earned his MA in forensic psychology from the John Jay College in 2004. In 2008, he began pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at DePaul University. His areas of interest include development and implementation of evidence-based interventions for immigrant and ethnic minority populations, pediatric stress and anxiety disorders, cultural and contextual influences on the mental health of Latino children and families and culturally-responsive tests and measures.

Hong Nguyen currently is pursuing a doctoral degree in adult clinical psychology at the University of Washington where she also earned her MS in psychology in 2010. Her clinical interests focus on cultural issues associated with substance use, sexual victimization, and sexual risk taking.

Jennifer Alexis Ortiz earned her MS in psychology from the University of New Mexico in 2010.  She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology from the same institution.  She is interested in Latino health disparities, stress and coping, application of mindfulness to Latino populations, and resilience.

Cecily Reber attended Teachers College in New York for her MA in clinical psychology.  She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium.  She is primarily interested in providing mental health treatment to ethnic minorities, although she also has a strong appreciation for, and understanding about, the interaction between mental health and co-occurring substance abuse.

Hillary Russell, PhD, (postdoctoral Fellow) earned both her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Seattle Pacific University. The primary area of interest for her current fellowship is integrative treatment for African-American mothers with co-occurring disorders. She is also interested in early recovery. 

Xiao Tong Annie Tao received her MS in clinical psychology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010.  She is continuing her studies at UC Berkeley as she pursues her doctoral degree in psychology.  Her areas of focus are emotion socialization, risk and resilience in immigrant children and families.  

Melissa Tehee received her MS from the Western Washington University. In August 2007, she began her doctoral program in clinical psychology at University of Arizona with an emphasis on policy and Indian law.
 

Elizabeth Terrazas-Carillo attended Midwestern State University, where she earned her MA in clinical psychology in 2007. She is currently enrolled at the University of Oklahoma where is pursuing a doctoral degree in educational psychology.  Her areas of interest include ethnic minorities and mental health, international student adjustment, and personality assessment with ethnic minorities.

Michele Vella attended the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism for her MS in journalism, The City College of New York for her MA in spanish, and Lehigh University for her MEd in counseling and human services.   She is currently enrolled at Lehigh University where she is pursuing a doctoral degree in counseling psychology.  Her interests include domestic and international mental and physical healthcare disparities in ethnic and racial minority populations including concomitant substance abuse and psychiatric issues and HIV/hepatitis C risk behaviors (infectious disease) with special emphasis on psychological adjustment and resiliency in environments affected by war and/or poverty and the psychological aspects of international peace and war.

Lynn Walsh-Blair received her MA in mental health counseling from Boston College and began pursuing a doctoral degree in counseling psychology at the same institution in 2007. Her areas of focus are positive youth development for students of color and multicultural training for providers of mental health services.