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Director

Prof. Michelle Newman, Ph.D.

Broadly speaking, my  research focuses on the nature and treatment of anxiety disorders and depression. I am examining the etiology and classification, individual predictors, moderators and mediators of treatment outcome, and impact of brief digital interventions with respect to these disorders. In addition, I have multiple ecological momentary assessment studies and ecological momentary intervention studies.  The lab has also begun using more machine learning to understand relationships and to predict outcomes and processes. Furthermore, I am also conducting several basic experimental studies examining underlying processes related to these disorders. Further,  I examine  issues relevant to health implications of anxiety disorders. As a mentor, I do not dictate what my graduate students study as long as it is in the realm of anxiety and depression.  As a result, my graduate students have all taken different paths and I view my role as helping to foster those disparate paths.

Current Graduate Students

Gavin Rackoff

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gnr18@psu.edu

Gavin is a seventh-year graduate student in the lab. Gavin is on internship at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. Gavin's research focuses on understanding and increasing access to mental healthcare. He is particularly interested in the use of technology to increase access to care. Gavin earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis before joining Penn State’s clinical psychology program. 

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  1. Rackoff, G. N. & Newman, M. G. Using machine learning to predict uptake to an online self-guided mental health intervention for stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manuscript invited for resubmission in Stress and Health.

  2. Rackoff, G. N., Zhang, Z. Z., & Newman, M. G. Chatbot-delivered mental health support: Attitudes and utilization in a sample of U.S. college students. Manuscript invited for resubmission in Digital Health.

  3. Sandella, M. F., Rackoff, G. N. & Newman, M. G. (in press). Prospective relationships among depression and perceived opportunity in juvenile offenders. Behavior Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2024.07.006  Pdf

  4. Rackoff, G. N., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E., Taylor, C. B., Wilfley, D. E., & Newman, M. G. (in press). Psychotherapy utilization by United States college students. Journal of American College Health. PMID: 37436950 PMCID: PMC10784405 https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2225630 Pdf

  5. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Rackoff, G. N., Shah, J., Strayhorn, J. C., D’Adamo, L., DePietro, B., Howe, C. P., Firebaugh, M. L., Newman, M. G., Collins, L. M., Taylor, C. B., & Wilfley, D. E. (2024). Effects of chatbot components to facilitate mental health services use in individuals with eating disorders following online screening: An optimization randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 57(11), 2204-2216. PMID: 39072846 https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24260 Pdf

  6. D’Adamo, L., Grammer , A. C., Rackoff, G. N., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Lipson, S. K., Newman, M. G., Taylor, C. B., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E. (2023). Preferred treatment focus among college students with eating disorders and comorbid mental health problems in a cognitive-behavioral guided self-help program. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 56(12), 2349–2357. PMID: 37768268 PMCID: PMC10798270 https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24065  Pdf

  7. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Rojas-Ashe, E., Topooco, N., Zainal, N. H., Rackoff, G. N., Eisenberg, D., Shah, J., Desage, C., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2023). Training, supervision, and experience of coaches offering digital guided self-help for mental health concerns. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1217698. PMID: 38078269 PMCID: PMC10698738 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217698  Pdf

  8. Barber, K. E., Rackoff, G. N., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Day-to-day directional relationships between sleep duration and negative affect. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 172, 111437. PMID: 37478504 PMCID: 10529882 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111437  Pdf

  9. Rackoff, G. N., Monocello, L. T., Fowler, L. A., Vázquez, M. M., Shah, J., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Taylor, C. B., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Using social influence strategies to improve rates of online mental health survey participation: Results from two experiments. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 33(2), 81-89. PMCID: 10621766 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbct.2023.05.001  Pdf

  10. Sanghvi, D. E., Rackoff, G. N., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Latent class analysis of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after exposure to hurricane Ike: Associations with demographics, mental health, and well-being. Social Science & Medicine, 327, 115942. PMID: 37210980 PMCID: 10519432 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115942  Pdf

  11. Newman, M. G., Rackoff, G. N., Zhu, Y., & Kim , H. (2023). A transdiagnostic evaluation of contrast avoidance across generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 93, 102662 PMCID: PMC10080671 .https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102662  Pdf

  12. Rackoff, G. N. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Distinct psychological characteristics predict resilience and recovery throughout widowhood. Behavior Therapy, 53(3), 428-439.  PMID: 35473647; PMCID: PMC9046682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2021.11.002 Pdf

  13. Newman, M. G., Schwob, J. T., & Rackoff, G. N. (2022) Within-day sudden gains and generalized anxiety disorder psychotherapy outcome. Psychotherapy, 59(3), 460-469. PMID:35666889 PMCID:9428704 https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000445  Pdf

  14. Newman, M. G., Schwob, J. T., Rackoff, G. N., Van Doren, N., Shin, K. E., & Kim, H. (2022). The naturalistic reinforcement of worry from positive and negative emotional contrasts: Results from a momentary assessment study within social interactions. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 92, 102634. PMID: 36182690 PMCID: PMC10187062 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102634  Pdf

  15. Rackoff, G. N., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E., Taylor, C. B., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., & Newman, M. G. (2022). A randomized controlled trial of internet-based self-help for stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Adolescent Health, 71(2), 157-163. PMID: 35351353 PMCID: PMC8813578 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.01.227 (Winner of the 2022 Best Clinical Paper Award, Penn State, Department of Psychology.) Pdf)

  16. Kim, H. # , Rackoff, G. N.#  Fitzsimmons-Craft, E., Shin, K. E., Zainal, N. H., Schwob, J. T., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2022). College mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a nationwide survey. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 46, 1-10. PMID: 34177004 PMC: PMC8214371 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-021-10241-5  Pdf

  17. Newman, M. G., Kanuri, N., Rackoff, G.N., Jacobson N. C., Jones Bell, M., & Taylor, C. B. (2021). A randomized controlled feasibility trial of internet-delivered guided self-help for GAD among university students in India. Psychotherapy, 58(4), 591-601. PMID: 34881930 PMCID: PMC8744990 https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000383 Pdf

  18. Grammer, A. C., Vazquez, M., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Fowler, L. A., Rackoff, G. N., Schvey, N. A., Lipson, S. K., Newman, M. G., Eisenberg, D., Taylor, C. B., Wilfley, D. E. (2021). Characterizing eating disorder diagnosis and related outcomes by sexual orientation and gender identity in a national sample of college students. Eating Behaviors, 42, 101528. PMID: 34049053 PMCID:PMC8380708 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101528   Pdf

  19. Newman, M. G., Jacobson N. C., Rackoff, G.N., Jones Bell, M., & Taylor, C. B. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of a smartphone-based application for the treatment of anxiety. Psychotherapy Research, 31(4), 443-454.  PMID: 32662323 PMCID: PMC7855205 https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2020.1790688  Pdf

  20. Newman, M. G., Crits-Christoph, P., Szkodny, L. E. Rackoff, G. N., Schwob, J. T. (2021). Generalized anxiety disorder. In L. G. Castonguay, T. F. Oltmanns, A. P. Lott (Eds). Psychopathology: From science to clinical practice (2nd Edition; chapter 3; pp. 56-76). New York: Guilford Press. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-46049-003  Pdf

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Jeremy Schwob

jts462@psu.edu

Jeremy is currently a seventh-year doctoral student in the lab. Jeremy is on internship at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. His research focuses on the development and evaluation of novel technological treatments (i.e., smartphone applications, web-based interventions) for anxiety and depression. Prior to his time at Penn State, Jeremy received his master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Dayton. 

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Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Schwob, J. T., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Brief imaginal exposure exercises for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial of a self-help momentary intervention app. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 98, 102749. PMID: 37542755 PMCID: 10493899 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102749 (Winner of the 2024 Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student Award, Penn State, Department of Psychology.) Pdf

  2. Newman, M. G., Schwob, J. T., & Rackoff, G. N. (2022) Within-day sudden gains and generalized anxiety disorder psychotherapy outcome. Psychotherapy, 59(3), 460-469. PMID:35666889 PMCID:9428704 https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000445  Pdf

  3. Newman, M. G., Schwob, J. T., Rackoff, G. N., Van Doren, N., Shin, K. E., & Kim, H. (2022). The naturalistic reinforcement of worry from positive and negative emotional contrasts: Results from a momentary assessment study within social interactions. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 92, 102634. PMID: 36182690 PMCID: PMC10187062 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102634  Pdf

  4. Kim, H. # , Rackoff, G. N.#  Fitzsimmons-Craft, E., Shin, K. E., Zainal, N. H., Schwob, J. T., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2022). College mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a nationwide survey. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 46, 1-10. PMID: 34177004 PMC: PMC8214371 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-021-10241-5  Pdf

  5. Newman, M. G., Jacobson N. C., Rackoff, G.N., Jones Bell, M., & Taylor, C. B. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of a smartphone-based application for the treatment of anxiety. Psychotherapy Research, 31(4), 443-454.  PMID: 32662323 PMCID: PMC7855205 https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2020.1790688  Pdf

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Seung Yeon (Irene) Baik 

sbb5887@psu.edu

Irene is currently a fifth-year doctoral student in the lab. Broadly, her research interests focus on the roles of cognitive and affective processes and their interaction in the development, maintenance, and treatment of depression and anxiety. More specific factors of interest include emotional regulation, approach and avoidance tendencies, and self-relevant constructs. In terms of methodology, she is interested in using multiple methods such as self-report, behavioral, and neurophysiological, and is open to learning novel methods. She received a BA in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and earned a MA in Counseling & Clinical Psychology from Sogang University. 

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Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Baik, S. Y. & Newman, M. G. Why do individuals with generalized anxiety disorder and depression engage in worry and rumination? A momentary assessment study of positive contrast enhancement. Manuscript invited for resubmission in Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

  2. Calderon, A., Baik, S. Y., Ng, M. H. S., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Machine learning and Bayesian network analyses identifies psychiatric disorder associations with insomnia in a national sample of 31,285 treatment-seeking college students. BMC Psychiatry, 24, 656. PMID: 39367432 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06074-7  Pdf

  3. Baik, S. Y., Shin, K. E., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2024). The relationship of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, parental education, financial hardship and comorbid mental disorders with quality of life in college students with anxiety, depression or eating disorders.  Journal of Affective Disorders, 366, 335–344. PMID: 39173926 PMCID: PMC11444337 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.098  Pdf

  4. Baik, S. Y. & Newman, M. G. (2023). The transdiagnostic use of worry and rumination to avoid negative emotional contrasts following negative events: A momentary assessment study. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 95, 102679. PMID: 36565682, PMCID: 10080671  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102679 (Winner of the 2023 Best Clinical Paper Award, Penn State, Department of Psychology) Pdf

  5. Baik, S. Y., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Generalized anxiety disorder. In H. S. Friedman & C. H. Markey (Eds.), Encyclopedia of mental health (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 66-73). Elsevier Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91497-0.00264-2    Pdf

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Candice Basterfield

cbb5563@psu.edu

Candice is currently a fourth-year doctoral student in the lab. She is interested in the development, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety and depression, and in scientific thinking and critical thinking as they apply to clinical psychology. Candice received her BA from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and her MA in clinical neuropsychology from the University of Melbourne in Australia.

 

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Basterfield, C. & Newman, M. G. Development of a machine learning-based multivariable prediction model for the naturalistic course of generalized anxiety disorder. Manuscript invited for resubmission in Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

  2. Basterfield, C., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Taylor, C. B., Wilfley, D. E., Eisenberg, D. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Internalizing psychopathology and its links to suicidal ideation, dysfunctional attitudes, and readiness to seek help in a national sample of college students. Journal of Affective Disorders, 350, 255–263. PMID: 38224742 PMCID: 11057016  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.058 Pdf

  3. Newman, M. G., Basterfield, C., Erickson, T. M., Caulley, E., Przeworski, A. & Llera, S. J. (2022). Psychotherapeutic treatments for generalized anxiety disorder: Cognitive and behavioral therapies, enhancement strategies, and emerging efforts. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 22(9), 751-770. PMID: 36107159, PMCID: 9754763 https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2022.2125800 Pdf

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Adam Calderon

afc6160@psu.edu

Adam Calderon is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Clinical Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University. His research is focused on better understanding the dynamic relationship between mood and anxiety disorders, with a particular interest in formalized psychological theory, computational modeling, and complex systems. His work aspires to promote an informed, data-driven approach to explain, predict, treat, and ultimately prevent emotional disorders. Adam is a Fulbright Fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, an APA Psychology Fellow at the United Nations, and a current Bunton-Waller Scholar at Penn State. Adam received a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience at Quinnipiac University and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Columbia University.

 

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Calderon, A., Baik, S. Y., Ng, M. H. S., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Machine learning and Bayesian network analyses identifies psychiatric disorder associations with insomnia in a national sample of 31,285 treatment-seeking college students. BMC Psychiatry, 24, 656. PMID: 39367432 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06074-7  Pdf

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Valerie Swisher

vss5199@psu.edu

Valerie is a first-year graduate student in the lab. Broadly, her research interests focus on the development, maintenance, and treatment of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. She is particularly interested in the use of ecological momentary assessment to more accurately measure psychological phenomena.  Valerie is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow, Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Scholar, and former Fulbright Fellow in Budapest, Hungary. Her research is currently funded by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Valerie earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Westmont College.

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Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Swisher, V. S. & Newman, M. G. (2025). Contrast avoidance as a diagnostic feature of OCD: A receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis of the Contrast Avoidance Questionnaires. Journal of Affective Disorders, 368, 734-740. PMID: 39299593 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.117 Pdf 

  2. Swisher, V. S., & Newman, M. G. (2024). Avoidance of negative emotional contrasts as a diagnostic feature of OCD: A receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis of the Contrast Avoidance Questionnaires. European Psychiatry, 67(Suppl. 1), S357-S358. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.736 Pdf

Lab Manager & Research Assistants

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Samantha Ricciardella (Lab manager)

srr5630@psu.edu

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Samantha is a senior at Penn State, majoring in Psychology (B.A.) and Philosophy (B.A.). She is also the head teaching assistant for a developmental psychology course at Penn State. Her research interests include the etiology and treatment of anxiety, depression and neurodivergent disorders in adolescents and adults. Samantha is currently working on an independent project investigating the relationship between early intervention and treatment for autism spectrum disorder and its effects on social self-efficacy. She hopes to attend graduate school to study Clinical Developmental psychology with the goal of being a clinical psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, playing musical instruments, and spending time with friends and family

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Asher Sternberg

aes6620@psu.edu

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Asher is a sophomore at Penn State working towards a B.S. in Psychology with a focus in neurosciences. After graduation, Asher plans on pursuing an MD-PhD in neurology and neurogenetics. Currently Asher is researching the intersection between Artificial intelligence based psychotherapy and the resulting change in loneliness and negative Affect. Asher has also worked as teaching assistant for Anthropology 216N, where he helped educate students on the sexual development of the human species. Aside from his work scholastically, Asher has also worked as a camp counselor, and a waiter for many years. In his free time Asher enjoys spending time with his friends, boxing, and jiu-jitsu

Emily Shank

egs5256@psu.edu

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Emily is a Research Assistant in the Newman lab. She is currently a senior majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a minor in Communication Arts and Sciences. Emily is interested in studying the treatment of mental disorders, specifically anxiety, depression, and OCD. She hopes to continue on this path by pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology. Outside of the lab, Emily loves playing tennis and baking fun new recipes.

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Jiayin Jiang

jjiang44@jh.edu

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Jiayin is a Research Assistant in the Newman Lab. She is interested in studying the underlying mechanisms of mental disorders, testing, and developing innovative treatments for people with psychological issues.  Drawing from her experience as a telehealth therapist, Jiayin is particularly fascinated by the use of technology in mental health treatment. She received her Master`s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Johns Hopkins University. In her spare time, Jiayin enjoys reading, watching musicals, cooking, and exploring new restaurants.

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McKenzie Pittman

mbp5635@psu.edu

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Mckenzie is a research assistant in our lab. She is a senior majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a Life Sciences option. She hopes to attend graduate school to further her studies in the field of psychology, and to eventually work as a therapist to treat individuals with mental health conditions. In her free time, Mckenzie enjoys cooking, thrifting, gardening, and caring for my plants.

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Madyson Brown

mob5653@psu.edu

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Madyson Brown is a Research Assistant in the Newman Lab. She is a senior majoring in Psychology(B.A.) with a minor in Neuroscience. Her research interests include treatments for anxiety and depression, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, as well as the neuroscience of sensory processing and language. In the future, she hopes to go to graduate school to further her studies on Neuroscience research. Outside of the lab, Madyson is the Secretary of the Fashion Society of Penn State. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with her family and friends.

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Ruby Kopman

rqk5523@psu.edu

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Ruby is currently a second-year student at Penn State studying Psychology(B.S.). She is specifically interested in abnormal, forensic, and clinical Psychology. She is also a person who is always very eager to learn new things and explore different avenues. After her time at Penn State, Ruby plans to further her education by attending graduate school and becoming a Psychologist. In her free time, Ruby enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, volunteering, and listening to music. Overall, Ruby is committed to achieving her goals and making a positive impact in the world.

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Madison Yeoman 

mmy5144@psu.edu

Madison is a Research Assistant in the Newman Lab. She is a senior majoring in Psychology (B.A.) with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. She is planning on continuing her education in graduate school, in hopes of becoming a Marriage and Family therapist. She has been apart of the lab for 3 years now and her research interests include the treatment of anxiety disorders and substance abuse, in addition to the development and structure of family relationships. In addition to this lab, Madison is also the president of her sorority, Kappa Delta. In her free time, Madison enjoys trying new foods, spending time with friends, and watching movies. 

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Sophia Lewis

sol5199@psu.edu

Sophia is a Research Assistant in the Newman Lab. She is a junior/third year BBH student with a minor in psychology. She is interested in attending grad school once she completes her degree and obtain a masters and/or PHD. She is interested in anxiety and depression research as well as abnormal psychology. Additionally, at some point in time, she would like to engage in Psychedelic research and its impact on the brain, behavior, and influence on individuals with PTSD. She is from State College and have always loved to be outside (enjoying all of Pennsylvania's lovely seasons) and be around people in general. 

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Aliana Roman

amr7598@psu.edu

Aliana Roman is fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology. She is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her career plan is to become a Clinical Psychologist with the hopes of one day having her own practice. She is interested in human behavior as well as mental disorders. Aliana is also a member of the First-Generation Committee, a Peer Advisor, and a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Society. Aliana loves shopping and watching sports on her free time. 

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Jaimie Morgan

jmm8878@psu.edu

Jaimie is a research assistant in the lab. She is a sophomore majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a minor in Rehabilitation and Human Services. She is interested in the development and treatment of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse specifically in younger generations and students. She also would like to spend time researching the impact of such mental disorders in people with disabilities. In her free time, Jaimie enjoys running, spending time with friends, and going on adventures.

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Ishani Modi

ishanim_99@yahoo.com

Ishani is a Research Assistant in our lab. She is a junior majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with the Neuroscience option. Ishani plans on furthering her education after she receives her bachelors by going to medical school. She is interested in the development and treatments of mental disorders, especially anxiety and depression. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, or playing with her dog and parrot.

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Ally Atkinson

ara5542@psu.edu

Ally is a research assistant in the Newman Lab. She is a sophomore majoring in psychology with a neuroscience option and a minor in anthropology. Her research interests include the etiology of various mental disorders, including personality and anxiety disorders, as well as utilizing comparative psychology to further understand states of consciousness. She plans to further her studies in cognitive psychology. In her free time, she enjoys to learn new skills, spend time with friends and create drawings.

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Ian Dargitz

iqd5095@psu.edu

Ian is a research assistant in our lab. He is a sophomore majoring in Psychology (B.S). He is planning on continuing his education through graduate school. His research interests include mental illness, especially depression and anxiety. He is also interested in social and positive psychology. In his free time, Ian enjoys reading and roleplaying games.​

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Mackenzie Popovich

mjp6571@psu.edu

Mackenzie is a sophomore majoring in Psychology (B.S) and minoring in crime, law, and psychology. She is currently on the life science path in psychology and plan to following the clinical route to help and work with others. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and hanging out with her friends!

Rebecca Yan

rjy5146@psu.edu

Rebecca is a research assistant in our lab. She is a sophomore majoring in Psychology (B.S.). Her research interests include the etiology of anxiety and depression as well as many other mental health disorders. She is also interested in social and organizational psychology and plans to attend graduate school to further her research ambitions there. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, hanging out with close friends, and playing with her cats.

Sam Johnson

sgj5101@psu.edu

Sam is a Research Assistant in the Newman lab. He is a sophomore majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with the Life Sciences option. He plans on continuing his education through graduate school to become a therapist or clinical psychologist. Sam is interested in abnormal psychology,

specifically anxiety and depression. He is an animal lover and enjoys hiking, running, reading, and doing anything nature-related in his free time.

Dayanara Juarez Angeles

dbj5340@psu.edu

Dayanara is a research assistant at Newman's Lab. She is also a freshman majoring in Psychology (B.S) with hopes of becoming a clinical psychologist after completing higher education. She is interested in various mental disorders and how they affect various age ranges in the population. She is also a member of Penn State's Blue and White Society and in her free time, she loves anything involving art, traveling, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. 

Sophia Sabatini

sms9173@psu.edu

Sophia Sabatini is a research assistant. She is a junior who majors in Psychology (B.S.) with a quantitative skills option. She also minors in mathematics and addiction and recovery. She hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology after graduating from Penn State. In her free time, Sophia loves to cook and explore new places in nature by hiking and biking.

Ellie Shoff

eps5649@psu.edu

Ellie is a senior majoring in psychology (b.s.) with a neuroscience focus and minoring in biology. She plans to continue her education through graduate school for clinical neuropsychology. Her interests lie in the neurological basis of psychological disorders, especially sleep disorders. In her free time, Ellie enjoys painting, hiking, playing tennis, and hanging out with her friends.

Stella Teeter

srt5430@psu.edu

Stella Teeter is from New York City, and she is a third-year student at Penn State. She is currently majoring in biological sciences and health professions on a pre-med track.  She is also minoring in fine art. During her free time, Stella enjoys painting, cooking, and listening to music.  

Alex Smith

aes6443@psu.edu

Alex is a third-year majoring in the neuroscience psychology option. Her research interests include the neurobiology of addiction and the etiology of substance use, personality, and anxiety disorders. She hopes to pursue medical school to become a psychiatrist or a PhD in neuroscience. In her free time, Alex likes to go on walks, shopping, and try new food places around State College!

Oriana Franco

oif5037@psu.edu

Oriana Franco is a Penn State University student, pursuing a psychology major. She intends to graduate in the spring of 2026 and further her education by pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or Computer Science. Her hobbies consist of reading, hiking, running, and playing with her dog and cat. Oriana’s interest in mental health has led her to find this lab and become a part of it. Her proficiency in English and Spanish opened many doors for her to communicate with many individuals without barriers. Oriana’s passion for helping people has put her on a path to further her knowledge on things such as mental illness, in the hopes of later on in her life being able to use that knowledge to guide others.

Kaia Mockabee

ksm5766@psu.edu

Kaia is a second-year student at Penn State studying Psychology (B.A.). She is interested in studying the development and treatment of psychopathologies in adolescents. In the future she hopes to attend graduate school to further her studies in psychology. Outside of the lab, Kaia works at the Penn State University’s Pattee and Paterno Libraries, and a childcare facility, which sparked her interest in understanding mental illnesses in relation to children. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, shopping, and spending time with loved ones. 

Grace Nicolai

gmn5202@psu.edu

Grace is a sophomore majoring in psychology (B.S). She plans to pursue her graduate degree after undergrad graduation in order to pursue a career as a clinical psychologist. What interests her most is understanding anxiety disorders, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder, which she hopes to specialize in one day. Grace has also been a Teaching Assistant for HDFS 129 so she is also extremely interested in childhood-specific psychology. Outside of the lab, Grace enjoys dancing, taking pictures, and hanging out with her friends and family.

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Cherish Graham

chg5157@psu.edu

Cherish Graham is a junior majoring in Psychology (B.S. Business option) at The Pennsylvania State University. As a first-generation student with roots in Ghana, she is passionate about mental health and its impact on underserved communities, particularly within the Black community. She plans to pursue a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, aiming to start her doctoral program in Fall 2026, and ultimately open her own private practice. Her long-term vision includes establishing wellness centers in Ghana to educate and destigmatize mental health within African and African American communities.

Outside of academics, she is a Resident Assistant, Teaching Assistant, and the Co-Membership Chair for the African Student Association, demonstrating her commitment to leadership and student support. With a love for music, bible study, and art, she brings creativity and balance to her busy life, alongside her passion for learning and helping others.

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Taylor Kredo

kredo.1@buckeyemail.osu.edu

My name is Taylor Kredo and I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. After graduation, I plan to go to graduate school to receive a Psy.D, and eventually become a health psychologist. I am extremely eager to continue to learn and grow in the psychology field by continuing to volunteer, shadow, and do research.

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Allie Rosenberg 

apr5880@psu.edu

Allie is a Research Assistant in the Newman Lab. She is a junior majoring in Psychology (B.A.), with a minor in Sociology. She hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a PhD in Clinical psychology and a master's in performance psychology with the goal of being a sports psychologist. She is currently in the beginning stages of working on a thesis for the Schreyer Honors College. Outside of the lab, Allie is involved in Blue & White Society where she previously held the position of Vice President of Programming and presently holds the position of Director of Internal Affairs. She is also actively interning with The Quell Foundation where she serves as the Development Intern. In her free time, she loves to play with her dog, Penne ala Vodka. 

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Shoshana Pontell

sap6123@psu.edu

Shoshana is a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Rehab and Human Services. She is immensely interested in all fields of Psychology such as Mental Illness, and ultimately hopes to help and work with others. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and hanging out with her friends!

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Aubrey Presson

aep5661@psu.edu

Aubrey is currently a sophomore here at Penn State majoring in Psychology (B.S.) taking the life sciences route. Her research interests include several mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Furthermore, she is also very interested in abnormal psychology and how it relates to criminal behavior. Outside of her studies, Aubrey is involved in the Vole Dance Company here at Penn State where she both performs and choreographs for the team. In addition to dance, Aubrey likes to spend her free time going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and listening to music!

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Alyssa Sbordone

​ars7349@psu.edu

​Alyssa is a Research Assistant in the Newman lab. She is currently a first-year student intending to major in Psychology (B.S.) with a Life Sciences option. Alyssa is specifically interested in abnormal and clinical psychology. In the future, she plans on going to graduate school to further her education. In her free time, she loves to read, watch movies, and spend time with her family and friends. 

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Jack Perry

jdp5972@psu.edu

Jack is a second-year student majoring in Psychology (B.S.) Neuroscience Option from Yardley, PA. His research interests include the neurobiological bases of behavioral disorders, particularly behavioral addictions and Substance Abuse disorder. After graduation, he plans to continue his education in graduate school and pursue a career in professional research. Outside of the lab, Jack enjoys cooking new dishes, exploring nature through hiking and backpacking, and spending time with friends. 

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Lauren Ott

lzo5070@psu.edu

​Lauren is a sophomore pursuing a double major in Psychology (B.A) and Criminology (B.A) as well as minors in Russian language and child maltreatment and advocacy studies. After graduation she hopes to attend graduate school for psychology with the goal of working as a child psychologist. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog Daisy

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Lauren Flynn

lef5357@psu.edu

​Lauren is a first-year undergraduate planning on earning her B.A. in psychology and philosophy. Her research focus is examining whether depression can be predicted through body movement but is also interested in researching other behavioral indicators that correlate with anxiety and depressive disorders. She also enjoys learning about the philosophical aspect of psychology, primarily regarding ethics and the nature of love. During her free time, Lauren enjoys lifting and listening to a variety of rock music. 

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Audrey Cressler 

aec6046@psu.edu

Audrey is a junior pursuing a major in Psychology (BA) and a minor in Linguistics. Following her undergraduate, she would like to earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and eventually work as a therapist in a private practice. Her primary interest is in better understanding environmental interactions' role in anxiety. Outside of psychology, Audrey has many hobbies, including writing, solving puzzles, kayaking, making stained glass, music, baking, and theater. Mostly, she loves to learn and is always looking for a way to broaden her understanding of the world, and make it a little bit nicer for people to live in along the way.

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Natalie Hanna

nah5567@psu.edu

Natalie is a third-year Penn State student majoring in Psychology (B.A.). She plans to continue her academic career and go to graduate school for either Clinical Psychology or Forensic Psychology. She is interested in mental disorders and how they affect functioning. She loves to help others and learn new things. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with loved ones.

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​Bonni Mergenthaler

​bonni.mergenthaler@gmail.com>

​Bonni completed a Business Management B.S. with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior at Brigham Young University and plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. She is interested in research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy interventions, specifically for patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, or substance use disorder. In addition to her educational pursuits, Bonni teaches a religion and life skills class to high schoolers. In her free time, she loves to read, write, and spend time outdoors. She also likes to play board games, watch movies, and joke around with her husband and children, who provide her endless opportunities to learn and grow.

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Peyton Huff

pah5512@psu.edu

Peyton is a research assistant in the Newman lab. She is a senior majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a concentration on life sciences. Peyton is interested in conducting research on ASD and ADHD in women.  In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school to achieve this goal. Outside of the lab, Peyton loves to bake, hang out with her friends, and play with her cat named Ace.

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Lindsey Villareale

lav5278@psu.edu

​Lindsey is a third-year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology! She intends to graduate from Penn State in Spring of 2026 and continue her education through graduate school to become a therapist. Lindsey is interested in various mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, and OCD. Specifically, how they differ across a lifespan from adolescence to adulthood. Lindsey loves to travel anywhere she can, and explore different hobbies and activities with her friends!

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Daria Krzywda

dsk5422@psu.edu

​Daria is a Research Assistant in the Newman Lab. She is a sophomore Psychology (BS) student on the Life Sciences track. She is interested in attending graduate school and obtaining her master's in clinical psychology. She is also interested in human behavior and therapy. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and shopping. 

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Lindsay Stetzer

ljs6220@psu.edu

​Lindsay is a research assistant in our lab. I am a junior majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with the neuroscience option. I plan on furthering my education with a PhD in clinical neuropsychology. I am interested in studying the developments and treatments of mental disorders. I am leaning towards working with children with said issues. In my free time I enjoy traveling, playing with my cat, or hanging out with my friends. 

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Vivian Nguyen

vxn24@psu.edu

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Vivian is a Research Assistant in the Newman Lab. She is a senior majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a Neuroscience option intending to go to medical school. She is currently working on a thesis for the Schreyer Honors College which focuses on how sleep issues may interact with MDD and GAD across 18 years. Outside of the lab, Vivian is involved in community service and the Learning Assistant Program under the Department of Chemistry. In her free time, you'll find her on the HUB lawn if the weather is nice! 

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Natalie Marr

nsm5265@psu.edu

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Natalie is a Research Assistant in our lab. She is a senior majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with the Neuroscience option and minoring in biology and sociology. Her research interests include the etiology and treatment of depression and anxiety, and she is currently working on a thesis project that focuses on the relationship between avoidant coping mechanisms, depression and anxiety. She is also interested in studying states of consciousness and researching the use of psychedelics as possible treatments for mental illnesses. In her free time Natalie enjoys rowing with the Penn State Crew team and listening to all kinds of music.

Jamie Gensbauer

jeg5709@psu.edu

Jamie is a research assistant in our lab. She is a Senior majoring in Psychology (B.A.), and minoring in Human Development and Family Studies. She wishes to go to graduate school to further her studies in cognitive psychology research, with hopes to become a Psychology professor at a university. Her research interests include cognition, memory errors, attention, and development. Outside of the lab, Jamie is a Teaching Assistant for an HDFS class, and a member of the Psychology Honor Society on campus. In her free time, Jamie enjoys going on adventures with her friends, being active, and cuddling with her dog

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Isabella Moyer

ijm5318@PennStateOffice365.onmicrosoft.com

Isabella is a third-year majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a Neuroscience option, and minoring in Biology. She plans to pursue a PhD in neuropsychology. She is most interested in the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders on a biological level. Outside of the lab, she is a member of the Psychology Honor Society, as well as the Alpha Epsilon Delta Honor Society. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, running, and hanging out with her friends. 

Former Graduate Students

Amy Przeworski

https://psychsciences.case.edu/faculty/amy-przeworski/

​

Dr. Przeworski is currently an Associate Professor at Case Western University. Her laboratory focuses on the maintenance and treatments of anxiety disorders across the lifespan and anxiety in individuals of diverse backgrounds (including individuals of diverse ethnicity and LGBTQ individuals). Maintenance factors of interest in her lab include cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal factors. Her laboratory primarily (a) conducts laboratory based studies which examine family interactions in children with anxiety disorders or maintenance factors in adults with anxiety disorders (b) conducts questionnaire based studies of interpersonal dynamics and cognitive-behavioral factors that are related to anxiety disorders, and (c) develops novel treatments for children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety disorders.

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Przeworski, A. & Newman, M. G. (2024). The Contrast Avoidance Model: Conclusion and synthesis of new research in the special issue. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 102, 102830. PMID: 38232491 PMCID: PMC10923164 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102830 Pdf

  2. Newman, M. G. & Przeworski, A. (2024). Introduction to a special issue on the Contrast Avoidance Model. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 102, 102831. PMID: 38219396 PMCID: PMC10923019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102831 Pdf

  3. Llera, S. J., Shin, K. E., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Newman, M. G. (2022). 6.19 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In G. J. G. Asmundson (Ed.), Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 336-355). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818697-8.00213-2  Pdf

  4. Newman, M. G., Basterfield, C., Erickson, T. M., Caulley, E., Przeworski, A. & Llera, S. J. (2022). Psychotherapeutic treatments for generalized anxiety disorder: Cognitive and behavioral therapies, enhancement strategies, and emerging efforts. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 22(9), 751-770. PMID: 36107159, PMCID: 9754763 https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2022.2125800 Pdf

  5. Cho, S. J., Przeworski, A., & Newman, M. G. (2019). Pediatric generalized anxiety disorder. In S. Compton, M. A. Villabø, & H. Kristensen (Eds) Pediatric Anxiety Disorders (Chapter 12: pp. 252-266). San Diego, CA: Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813004-9.00012-8        Pdf

  6. Newman, M. G., & Przeworski, A. (2018). The increase in interest in GAD: Commentary on Asmundson & Asmundson. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 56, 11-13. PMID: 29859657 PMCID: PMC7340183 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.04.006  Pdf

  7. Newman, M. G., Przeworski, A., Consoli, A. J., & Taylor, C. B. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of ecological momentary intervention plus brief group therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. (Special Section: Technology and Psychotherapy) Psychotherapy, 51(2), 198-206. PMID: 24059730 PMCID: PMC4440457  https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032519  Pdf

  8. Newman, M. G., Llera, S. J., Erickson T. M. & Przeworski, A. (2014). Basic science and clinical application of the Contrast Avoidance Model in generalized anxiety disorder. Invited paper for Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 24(3), 155-167. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037510  Pdf

  9. Newman, M. G., Llera, S. J., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Worry and generalized anxiety disorder: A review and theoretical synthesis of research on nature, etiology, and treatment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9(1), 275-297. PMID: 23537486 PMCID: PMC4964851 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185544  Pdf

  10. Przeworski, A., & Newman, M. G. (2012). Technology in psychotherapy: Strengths and limitations. In L. L'Abate & D. A. Kaiser (Eds.), Psychology research progress. Handbook of technology in psychology, psychiatry and neurology: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 19-41). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-23344-002       Pdf

  11. Newman, M. G., Szkodny, L. E., Llera, S. J., & Przeworski, A. (2011). A review of technology-assisted self-help and minimal contact therapies for anxiety and depression: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 89-103. PMID: 21130939 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.09.008   Pdf

  12. Newman, M. G., Szkodny, L. E., Llera, S. J., & Przeworski, A. (2011). A review of technology assisted self-help and minimal contact therapies for drug and alcohol abuse and smoking addiction: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 178-186. PMID: 21095051 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.10.002   Pdf

  13. Przeworski, A., Newman, M. G., Pincus, A. L., Kasoff, M. B., Yamasaki, A. S., Castonguay, L. G., Berlin, K. S. (2011). Interpersonal pathoplasticity in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 120(2), 286-298. PMID: 21553942 PMCID: PMC3206596  https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023334 Pdf

  14. Newman, M. G., Przeworski, A., Fisher, A. J. & Borkovec, T. D. (2010). Diagnostic comorbidity in adults with generalized anxiety disorder: Impact of comorbidity on psychotherapy outcome and impact of psychotherapy on comorbid diagnoses. Behavior Therapy, 41(1), 59-72. PMID: 20171328 PMCID: PMC2827339 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2008.12.005  Pdf

  15. Newman, M. G., Koif, D., Przeworski, A. & Llera, S. J. (2010) Anxiety disorders.  In M. A. Cucciare, & K. R. Weingardt (Eds). Using technology to support evidence-based behavioral health practices: A clinician’s guide (pp. 27-44). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203867532-8             Pdf

  16. Przeworski, A. & Newman, M. G. (2006). Efficacy and utility of computer-assisted cognitive-behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders. Clinical Psychologist 10(2), 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/13284200500378779   Pdf

  17. Przeworski, A. & Newman, M. G. (2004). Palmtop computer-assisted group therapy for social phobia (Special Issue: Technology in Psychotherapy). Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60(2) 179-188. PMID: 14724925 https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10246   Pdf

  18. Newman, M. G., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A. & Dzus, E. (2003).  Self-help and minimal contact therapies for anxiety disorders: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? (Special Issue: The Status of Self-Administered Treatments) Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(3), 251-274. PMID: 12579544 https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10128   Pdf​

  19. Newman, M. G., Zuellig, A. R., Kachin, K. E., Constantino, M. J., Przeworski, A., Erickson, T. M., & Cashman-McGrath, L. (2002). Preliminary reliability and validity of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV: A revised self-report diagnostic measure of generalized anxiety disorder. Behavior Therapy, 33(2), 215-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(02)80026-0   Pdf

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Thane Erickson

https://spu.edu/academics/school-of-psychology-family-community/faculty-and-staff/thane-erickson-profile

Dr. Thane Erickson is currently a Professor at Seattle Pacific University. Dr. Erickson's teaching, clinical, and research interests center on interpersonal processes as a point of intersection for understanding personality, emotional disorders (anxiety disorders and depression), well-being, and spirituality. His research team investigates topics such as social aspects of worry, moral emotions (e.g., “elevation,” gratitude), integrative cognitive-behavioral interventions, and the influence of character strengths on stress hormones.

 

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Newman, M. G., Basterfield, C., Erickson, T. M., Caulley, E., Przeworski, A. & Llera, S. J. (2022). Psychotherapeutic treatments for generalized anxiety disorder: Cognitive and behavioral therapies, enhancement strategies, and emerging efforts. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 22(9), 751-770. PMID: 36107159, PMCID: 9754763 https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2022.2125800 Pdf

  2. Llera, S. J., Shin, K. E., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Newman, M. G. (2022). 6.19 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In G. J. G. Asmundson (Ed.), Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 336-355). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818697-8.00213-2  Pdf

  3. Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., & Tingey, J. L. (2020). Worry and rumination.  In J. S. Abramowitz & S. M. Blakey (Eds.), Clinical handbook of fear and anxiety: Maintenance processes and treatment mechanisms. (Chapter 8; pp. 133-151). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000150-008     Pdf

  4. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Erickson, T. M., & Fisher, A. J. (2017). Interpersonal problems predict differential response to cognitive versus behavioral treatment in a randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 48(1), 56-68. PMID: 28077221 PMCID: PMC5240795 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2016.05.005  Pdf

  5. Crouch, T. A., Lewis, J. A., Erickson, T. M., & Newman, M. G. (2017). Prospective investigation of the contrast avoidance model of generalized anxiety and worry. Behavior Therapy, 48(4), 544-556. PMID: 28577589 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2016.10.001   Pdf

  6. Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., Siebert, E. C., Carlile, J. A. & Scarsella, G. M. (2016). Does worrying mean caring too much? Interpersonal prototypicality of dimensional worry controlling for social anxiety and depressive symptoms. Behavior Therapy, 47(1), 14-28. PMID: 26763494 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2015.08.003    Pdf

  7. Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., & McGuire, A. (2015). Adding an interpersonal-experiential focus to cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. In N. C. Thoma & D. Mckay (Eds) Working with emotion in cognitive behavioral therapy: Techniques for clinical practice (pp. 356-380). New York: Guilford. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-57879-016         Pdf

  8. Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., Peterson, J. & Scarsella, G. (2015). Ambivalence about interpersonal problems and traits predicts cross-situational variability of social behavior. Journal of Personality, 83(4), 429–440. PMID: 25046450 https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12117  Pdf

  9. Newman, M. G., Llera, S. J., Erickson T. M. & Przeworski, A. (2014). Basic science and clinical application of the Contrast Avoidance Model in generalized anxiety disorder. Invited paper for Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 24(3), 155-167. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037510  Pdf

  10. Newman, M. G., Llera, S. J., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Worry and generalized anxiety disorder: A review and theoretical synthesis of research on nature, etiology, and treatment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9(1), 275-297. PMID: 23537486 PMCID: PMC4964851 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185544  Pdf

  11. Newman, M. G., & Erickson, T. M. (2010). Generalized anxiety disorder. In J. G. Beck (Ed.), Interpersonal processes in the anxiety disorders: Implications for understanding psychopathology and treatment (pp. 235-259). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/12084-009  Pdf

  12. Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., & Pincus, A. L. (2009). Predicting unpredictability: Do measures of interpersonal rigidity/flexibility and distress predict intraindividual variability in social perceptions and behavior? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(5), 893-912. PMID: 19857009 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016515  Pdf

  13. Erickson, T. M. & Newman, M. G. (2007) Interpersonal and emotional processes in generalized anxiety disorder analogues during social interaction tasks. Behavior Therapy, 38(4), 38, 364-377. PMID: 18021951 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2006.10.005   Pdf

  14. Newman, M. G., Crits-Christoph, P., Connelly Gibbons, M. B., & Erickson, T. M. (2006). Participant factors in treating anxiety disorders. In L. G. Castonguay & L. E. Beutler (Eds.), Principles of therapeutic change that work (pp. 121-154). New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780195156843.003.0006   Pdf

  15. Erickson, T. M. & Newman, M. G. (2005). Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder: A primer. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 5(2), 247-257.  https://doi.org/10.1586/14737175.5.2.247   Pdf

  16. Newman, M. G., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A. & Dzus, E. (2003).  Self-help and minimal contact therapies for anxiety disorders: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? (Special Issue: The Status of Self-Administered Treatments) Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(3), 251-274. PMID: 12579544 https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10128   Pdf

  17. Newman, M. G., Zuellig, A. R., Kachin, K. E., Constantino, M. J., Przeworski, A., Erickson, T. M., & Cashman-McGrath, L. (2002). Preliminary reliability and validity of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV: A revised self-report diagnostic measure of generalized anxiety disorder. Behavior Therapy, 33(2), 215-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(02)80026-0   Pdf

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Sandra J. Llera

https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/psychology/facultystaff/sllera.html

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Sandra is currently an Associate Professor at Towson University . Her main research interests include the study of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), specifically in terms of understanding impaired emotional functioning as a core underlying mechanism maintaining this disorder. Several seminal theories have delineated various patterns of emotional sequelae that may contribute to the unique difficulties within GAD, often implicating worry (the cardinal feature of GAD) as the central maintaining factor. Sandra and Dr. Newman have proposed the Avoidance of Negative Emotional Contrast Theory, which states that individuals with GAD engage in worry because they prefer to feel chronically distressed in order to prepare for the worst outcome rather than to experience a negative emotional contrast. They theorize that people with GAD have developed a stronger aversive reaction and are even more sensitive to a negative emotional contrast than are nonanxious individuals, and that it is the avoidance of this contrast that motivates their worry. We have tested this new theory via examination of the effect of prior worry versus relaxation and neutral inductions on both autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic) and subjective responding to a range of emotional exposures in both GAD analogues and nonanxious controls. This theory has been presented in various national conferences and has been published in Clinical Psychology Review and Annual Review of Clinical Psychology

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Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Newman, M. G., Basterfield, C., Erickson, T. M., Caulley, E., Przeworski, A. & Llera, S. J. (2022). Psychotherapeutic treatments for generalized anxiety disorder: Cognitive and behavioral therapies, enhancement strategies, and emerging efforts. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 22(9), 751-770. PMID: 36107159, PMCID: 9754763 https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2022.2125800 Pdf

  2. Llera, S. J., Shin, K. E., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Newman, M. G. (2022). 6.19 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In G. J. G. Asmundson (Ed.), Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 336-355). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818697-8.00213-2  Pdf

  3. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (February 1, 2021) Are You Problem-Solving, or Just Worrying? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-courage-happiness/202102/are-you-problem-solving-or-just-worrying

  4. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (January 7, 2021) How to Face Uncertainty at the End of the Pandemic (Promoted to Essential Read) Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-courage-happiness/202101/how-face-uncertainty-the-end-the-pandemic

  5. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (2020). Worry impairs the problem-solving process: Results from an experimental study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 135, 103759. PMID: 33129156 PMCID: PMC7703801 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2020.103759   Pdf

  6. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (March 18, 2020) Worrying Isn't the Best Response to the COVID-19 Crisis: There's lots of things we should do to address COVID-19, but worrying isn't one. (Promoted to Essential Read) Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-courage-happiness/202003/worrying-isnt-the-best-response-the-covid-19-crisis

  7. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (November 26, 2019) The secret reason why you can’t stop worrying: And how to fix it. (Promoted to Essential Read) Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-courage-happiness/201911/the-secret-reason-why-you-can-t-stop-worrying

  8. Newman, M. G., & Llera, S. J. (2019). El modelo de evitación de contraste y la terapia de procesamiento emocional interpersonal [The contrast avoidance model and interpersonal and emotional processing therapy] (pp. 255-280), in I. Etchebarne, J. M. Gómez Penedo, & A. J. Roussos (Eds.). Nuevos desarrollos en el tratamiento del Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada: Abordajes psicoterapéuticos, farmacológicos y debates actuales [New Developments in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Psychotherapeutic Approaches, Pharmacotherapy and Current Debates]. Buenos Aires: Miño y Dávila.

  9. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (2017). Development and validation of two measures of emotional contrast avoidance: The Contrast Avoidance Questionnaires. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 49, 114-127. PMID: 28500921 PMCID: PMC8765496 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2017.04.008  Pdf

  10. Llera, S. J., & Newman, M. G. (2015). Generalized anxiety disorder. In R. L. Cautin and S. O. Lilienfeld (Series Eds) and E. Tone (Vol. Ed.) The encyclopedia of clinical psychology (pp. 1341-1346). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118625392.wbecp161                 Pdf

  11. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (2014). Rethinking the role of worry in generalized anxiety disorder: Evidence supporting a model of Emotional Contrast Avoidance. Behavior Therapy, 45(3), 283-299. PMID: 24680226 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2013.12.011  Pdf

  12. Szkodny, L. E., Jacobson, N. C. Llera, S. J., & Newman, M. G. (2014). Generalized anxiety disorder. In F. Schneier, & B. Milrod (Eds). Gabbards treatment of psychiatric disorders. Part IV: Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders (Fifth Ed., pp. 381-392).  Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9781585625048.gg19                  Pdf

  13. Newman, M. G., Llera, S. J., Erickson T. M. & Przeworski, A. (2014). Basic science and clinical application of the Contrast Avoidance Model in generalized anxiety disorder. Invited paper for Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 24(3), 155-167. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037510  Pdf

  14. Newman, M. G., Llera, S. J., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Worry and generalized anxiety disorder: A review and theoretical synthesis of research on nature, etiology, and treatment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9(1), 275-297. PMID: 23537486 PMCID: PMC4964851 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185544  Pdf

  15. Newman, M. G. & Llera, S. J. (2011). A novel theory of experiential avoidance in generalized anxiety disorder: A review and synthesis of research supporting a contrast avoidance model of worry. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(3), 371-382. PMID: 21334285 PMCID:PMC3073849 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.01.008  Pdf

  16. Newman, M. G., Szkodny, L. E., Llera, S. J., & Przeworski, A. (2011). A review of technology-assisted self-help and minimal contact therapies for anxiety and depression: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 89-103. PMID: 21130939 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.09.008   Pdf

  17. Newman, M. G., Szkodny, L. E., Llera, S. J., & Przeworski, A. (2011). A review of technology assisted self-help and minimal contact therapies for drug and alcohol abuse and smoking addiction: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 178-186. PMID: 21095051 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.10.002   Pdf

  18. Boswell, J. F., Llera, S. J., Newman, M. G. & Castonguay, L. G. (2011). A case of premature termination in a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. (Special Issue: What Can Be Learned When Empirically Supported Treatments Fail?), Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 18(3), 326-337. PMID: 21731410 PMCID: PMC3124824 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2010.09.001    Pdf

  19. Llera, S. J. & Newman, M. G. (2010). Effects of worry on physiological and subjective reactivity to emotional stimuli in generalized anxiety disorder and nonanxious control participants. Emotion, 10(5), 640-650. PMID: 21038947 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019351  Pdf

  20. Newman, M. G., Koif, D., Przeworski, A. & Llera, S. J. (2010) Anxiety disorders.  In M. A. Cucciare, & K. R. Weingardt (Eds). Using technology to support evidence-based behavioral health practices: A clinician’s guide (pp. 27-44). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203867532-8             Pdf​

​

Aaron J. Fisher

https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/aaron-fisher

 

Aaron is currently an Associate professor a UC Berkeley. He completed his clinical internship at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System. Prior to joining the faculty at Berkeley, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. His research group—The Idiographic Dynamics Lab—engages in research at the individual level. They are currently interested in issues of Precision, Personalization, and Prediction in psychopathology and substance use. Specifically, they are interested in extending the Precision Medicine paradigm to psychological and psychiatric domains—a Precision Behavioral Health model that complements biomedical approaches by leveraging behavioral data to customize and fine-tune behavioral interventions. They are interested in identifying actionable units of information at the behavioral level of analysis that will allow us to match patients, problems, and optimal interventions. Additionally, he believes that the concept of personalization extends beyond treatment delivery and should encompass study design, data collection, and statistical analysis. Recent research in their lab has revealed marked heterogeneity in the temporal patterns, correlational structures, and predictive relationships in psychopathology and substance use. Finally, given the heterogeneity in the timing and predictors of individual problems and behaviors, our group is currently working on methods for predicting individual behavior moment to moment, in order to identify when problems might occur. Building accurate prediction systems may allow researchers and clinicians to provide interventions when they are most needed (i.e. "just in time").

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Erickson, T. M., & Fisher, A. J. (2017). Interpersonal problems predict differential response to cognitive versus behavioral treatment in a randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 48(1), 56-68. PMID: 28077221 PMCID: PMC5240795 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2016.05.005  Pdf

  2. Fisher, A. J. & Newman, M. G. (2016). Reductions in the diurnal rigidity of anxiety predict treatment outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 79, 46-55. PMID: 26953959 PMCID: PMC4820071 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2016.02.006   Pdf

  3. Reeves, J. W., Fisher, A. J., Newman, M. G., & Granger, D. A. (2016). Sympathetic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal asymmetry in generalized anxiety disorder. Psychophysiology, 53(6), 951-957. PMID: 26934635 https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12634   Pdf

  4. Fisher, A.J., & Newman, M.G. (2013). Heart rate and autonomic response to stress after experimental induction of worry versus relaxation in healthy, high-worry, and generalized anxiety disorder individuals. Biological Psychology, 93(1) 65-74. PMID: 23384513 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.01.012  Pdf

  5. Newman, M. G. & Fisher, A. J. (2013). Mediated moderation in combined cognitive behavioral therapy versus component treatments for generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81(3), 405-414. PMID: 23398493 PMCID: PMC4432847  https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031690   Pdf

  6. Fisher, A. J., Newman, M. G., Molenaar, P.C.M. (2011). A quantitative method for the analysis of nomothetic relationships between idiographic structures: Dynamic patterns create attractor states for sustained post-treatment change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 79(4), 552-563. PMID: 21707138 PMCID: PMC3155821 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024069 (Winner of the 2010 Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student, Penn State, Department of Psychology.) Pdf

  7. Newman, M. G., Castonguay, L. G. Borkovec, T. D., Fisher, A. J., Boswell, J. F., Szkodny, L. E., & Nordberg, S. S. (2011). A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder with integrated techniques from emotion-focused and interpersonal therapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(2), 171-181. PMID: 21443321 PMCID: PMC3078794 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022489   Pdf

  8. Newman, M. G., Przeworski, A., Fisher, A. J. & Borkovec, T. D. (2010). Diagnostic comorbidity in adults with generalized anxiety disorder: Impact of comorbidity on psychotherapy outcome and impact of psychotherapy on comorbid diagnoses. Behavior Therapy, 41(1), 59-72. PMID: 20171328 PMCID: PMC2827339 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2008.12.005  Pdf

  9. Newman, M. G. & Fisher, A. J. (2010).  Expectancy/ credibility change as a mediator of cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: Mechanism of action or proxy for symptom change? (Special Section: Cognitive Processes in Anxiety), International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 3(3), 245-260. PMID: 21132075 PMCID: PMC2995495 https://doi.org/10.1521/ijct.2010.3.3.245   Pdf

  10. Fisher, A. J., Granger, D. A., & Newman, M. G. (2010). Sympathetic arousal moderates self-reported physiological arousal symptoms at baseline and physiological flexibility in response to a stressor in generalized anxiety disorder. Biological Psychology, 83(3), 191-200. PMID: 20036309 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.12.007  (Winner of the 2009 Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student, Penn State, Department of Psychology.)  Pdf

  11. Newman, M. G., Castonguay, L. G., Borkovec, T. D., Fisher, A. J., & Nordberg, S. S. (2008). An open trial of integrative therapy for generalized anxiety disorder (Special Issue: New treatments in psychotherapy). Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 45(2), 135-147. PMID: 19881891 PMCID: PMC2770198 https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.45.2.135  (Winner of the American Psychological Association Society of Psychotherapy (Division 29): Distinguished Publication of Psychotherapy Research Award.)   Pdf​

Lauren Szkodny

https://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/faculty/facultydb/view.php/?uid=7161

Lauren is currently an Assistant professor of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical Center. She completed her internship at Northwestern Consortium and was a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth before being promoted to an assistant professor.

 

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Newman, M. G., Crits-Christoph, P., Szkodny, L. E. Rackoff, G. N., Schwob, J. T. (2021). Generalized anxiety disorder. In L. G. Castonguay, T. F. Oltmanns, A. P. Lott (Eds). Psychopathology: From science to clinical practice (2nd Edition; chapter 3; pp. 56-76). New York: Guilford Press. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-46049-003  Pdf

  2. Szkodny, L. E., & Newman, M. G. (2019). Delineating characteristics of maladaptive repetitive thought: Development and preliminary validation of the Perseverative Cognitions Questionnaire (PCQ). Assessment, 26(6) 1084-1104. PMID: 28355881 PMCID: PMC6658327 https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191117698753 Pdf

  3. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Zainal, N. H., Shin, K. E., Szkodny, L. E., & Sliwinsky, M. (2019). The effects of worry in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study supporting the tenets of the contrast avoidance model. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(4), 794-810. PMID: 31372313; PMCID: PMC6675025 https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619827019  Pdf

  4. Szkodny, L. E., Newman, M. G., & Goldfried, M. R. (2014). Clinical experiences in conducting empirically supported treatments for generalized anxiety disorder. (Special Series: Building a Two-Way Bridge Between Science and Practice) Behavior Therapy, 45(1), 7-20. PMID: 24411110 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2013.09.009  Pdf

  5. Szkodny, L. E., Jacobson, N. C. Llera, S. J., & Newman, M. G. (2014). Generalized anxiety disorder. In F. Schneier, & B. Milrod (Eds). Gabbards treatment of psychiatric disorders. Part IV: Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders (Fifth Ed., pp. 381-392).  Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9781585625048.gg19                  Pdf

  6. Szkodny, L. E., & Newman, M. G. (2013). Generalized anxiety disorder. In S. G. Hofmannn, D. J. A. Dozois, W. Rief, & A. J. Smits (Eds), The Wiley Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapy. Part two. Specific Disorders. (pp. 1001-1022). New York: Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118528563.wbcbt42    Pdf

  7. Newman, M. G., Crits-Christoph, P., Szkodny, L. E. (2013). Generalized anxiety disorder. In L. G. Castonguay, and T. F. Oltmanns (Eds). Psychopathology: From science to clinical practice (Chapter 3; pp. 62-87). New York: Guilford Press.  Pdf

  8. Newman, M. G., Szkodny, L. E., Llera, S. J., & Przeworski, A. (2011). A review of technology-assisted self-help and minimal contact therapies for anxiety and depression: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 89-103. PMID: 21130939 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.09.008   Pdf

  9. Newman, M. G., Szkodny, L. E., Llera, S. J., & Przeworski, A. (2011). A review of technology assisted self-help and minimal contact therapies for drug and alcohol abuse and smoking addiction: Is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy? Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 178-186. PMID: 21095051 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.10.002   Pdf

  10. Newman, M. G., Castonguay, L. G. Borkovec, T. D., Fisher, A. J., Boswell, J. F., Szkodny, L. E., & Nordberg, S. S. (2011). A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder with integrated techniques from emotion-focused and interpersonal therapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(2), 171-181. PMID: 21443321 PMCID: PMC3078794 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022489   Pdf

Nick Jacobson

njacobson88@gmail.com

Dr. Nick Jacobson is an Associate professor in the departments of Biomedical Data Science, Psychiatry, and Computer Science at Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine. He serves as the Director of the Treatment Development and Evaluation Core within the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health and leads the AI and Mental Health: Innovation in Technology Guided Healthcare (AIM HIGH) Laboratory. Driven by a passion to transform mental health care through technology, Dr. Jacobson focuses on harnessing artificial intelligence and passive sensor data from smartphones and wearable devices to develop scalable, personalized interventions for anxiety and depression. His expertise lies in creating personalized just-in-time adaptive interventions and advancing quantitative tools that enable this work.

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Jacobson, N. C., Evey, K. J., Wright, A. G. C., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Integration of discrete and global structures of affect across three large samples: Specific emotions within-persons and global affect between-persons. Emotion. 23(4), 1202–1211. PMID: 34591509  PMCID: PMC8964824 https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001022 Pdf

  2. Shin, K. E., Newman, M. G., & Jacobson, N. C. (2022). Emotion network density is a potential clinical marker for anxiety and depression: Comparison of ecological momentary assessment and daily diary. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61(S1), 31-50. Special Issue: mHealth and Technology Innovations for Anxiety and OC Spectrum Disorders. PMID: 33963538 PMCID: PMC8572316 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12295 Wiley, Top Cited Article Published in 2022-2023 Pdf

  3. Newman, M. G., Kanuri, N., Rackoff, G.N., Jacobson N. C., Jones Bell, M., & Taylor, C. B. (2021). A randomized controlled feasibility trial of internet-delivered guided self-help for GAD among university students in India. Psychotherapy, 58(4), 591-601. PMID: 34881930 PMCID: PMC8744990 https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000383 Pdf

  4. Newman, M. G., Jacobson N. C., Rackoff, G.N., Jones Bell, M., & Taylor, C. B. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of a smartphone-based application for the treatment of anxiety. Psychotherapy Research, 31(4), 443-454.  PMID: 32662323 PMCID: PMC7855205 https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2020.1790688  Pdf

  5. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Taylor, C. B., Newman, M. G., Zainal, N. H., Rojas-Ashe, E., Lipson, S. K., Firebaugh, M. L., Ceglarek, P., Topooco, N., Jacobson, N. C., Graham, A. K., Kim, H. M., Eisenberg, D., & Wilfley, D. E. (2021). Harnessing mobile technology to reduce mental health disorders in college populations: A randomized controlled trial study protocol. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 103, 106320. PMID: 33582295. PMCID: PMC8089064 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106320  Pdf

  6. Lord, K. A., Jacobson, N. C., Suvak, M. K., & Newman, M. G. (2020) Social criticism moderates the relationship between anxiety and depressiion 10 years later. Journal of Affective Disorders, 274, 15-22. PMID: 32402257 PMCID: PMC7365767 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.030  Pdf

  7. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Zainal, N. H., Shin, K. E., Szkodny, L. E., & Sliwinsky, M. (2019). The effects of worry in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study supporting the tenets of the contrast avoidance model. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(4), 794-810. doi:10.1177/2167702619827019 PMID: 31372313; PMCID: PMC6675025.

  8. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Zainal, N. H., Shin, K. E., Szkodny, L. E., & Sliwinsky, M. (2019). The effects of worry in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study supporting the tenets of the contrast avoidance model. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(4), 794-810. PMID: 31372313; PMCID: PMC6675025 https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619827019  Pdf

  9. Jacobson, N. C., Chow, S, & Newman, M. G. (2019). The differential time-varying effect model (DTVEM): A tool for diagnosing and modeling time lags in intensive longitudinal data. Behavior Research Methods, 51(1), 295–315. PMID: 30120682  PMCID: PMC6395514 https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-018-1101-0   Pdf

  10. Newman, M. G., LaFreniere, L. S., & Jacobson, N. C. (2018). Relaxation-induced anxiety: Effects of peak and trajectories of change on treatment outcome for generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapy Research, 28(4), 616-629. PMID: 27855541 PMCID: PMC6134846 https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2016.1253891   Pdf

  11. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Erickson, T. M., & Fisher, A. J. (2017). Interpersonal problems predict differential response to cognitive versus behavioral treatment in a randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 48(1), 56-68. PMID: 28077221 PMCID: PMC5240795 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2016.05.005  Pdf

  12. Jacobson, N. C. & Newman, M.G. (2017). Anxiety and depression as bidirectional risk factors for one another: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 143(11), 1155-1200. PMID:28805400  https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000111 (Winner of the 2018 Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student, Penn State, Department of Psychology.) Pdf

  13. Jacobson, N. C. Lord, K. A. & Newman, M.G. (2017). Perceived emotional social support in bereaved spouses mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 211, 83-91. PMID: 28103522 PMCID: PMC5304338 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.011  Pdf

  14. Jacobson, N. C., Newman, M. G., & Goldfried, M. R. (2016). Clinical feedback about empirically supported treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behavior Therapy, 47(1), 75-90. PMID: 26763499 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2015.09.003   Pdf

  15. Jacobson, N. C. & Newman, M. G. (2016). Perceptions of close and group relationships mediate the relationship between anxiety and depression over a decade later. Depression and Anxiety, 33(1), 66-74. PMID: 26290461 PMCID: PMC4959466 https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22402   Pdf

  16. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Erickson, T., & Fisher, A. J. (2016) Interpersonal problems predict differential response to cognitive and behavioral therapies in a randomized controlled trial. SITAR Newsletter https://sitarnewsletter.weebly.com/the-clinical-angle---newman.html

  17. Newman, M. G., Castonguay, L. G., Jacobson, N. C. & Moore, G. A. (2015). Adult attachment as a moderator of treatment outcome for generalized anxiety disorder: Comparison between cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) plus supportive listening and CBT plus interpersonal and emotional processing therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(5), 915-925. PMID: 26052875 PMCID: PMC4961354 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039359  Pdf

  18. Szkodny, L. E., Jacobson, N. C. Llera, S. J., & Newman, M. G. (2014). Generalized anxiety disorder. In F. Schneier, & B. Milrod (Eds). Gabbards treatment of psychiatric disorders. Part IV: Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders (Fifth Ed., pp. 381-392).  Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9781585625048.gg19                  Pdf

  19. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., & Castonguay, L. (2014). Interpersonal and emotion-focused processing psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder. In P. M. Emmelkamp & T. Ehring (Eds.), The Wiley Handbook of Anxiety Disorders (pp. 840-851). Chichester, UK: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118775349.ch41   Pdf

  20. Jacobson, N. C. & Newman, M. G. (2014). Avoidance mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression over a decade later. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28(5), 437- 445. PMID: 24858656 PMCID: PMC4957550 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.03.007  Pdf

Hanjoo Kim

hanjoo.kim82@gmail.com

Hanjoo is a research fellow at the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program, University of Michigan. He obtained his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Penn State University and completed an APA-accredited psychology residency at the New Mexico VA/Southwest Consortium. Hanjoo's primary research interests center around the “underlying mechanisms” of emotional disorders, including anxiety, unipolar depression, and bipolar spectrum disorders. Currently, his research focuses on understanding the emotion dysregulation processes involved in repetitive negative thoughts, such as worry and rumination. To investigate this topic, Hanjoo is utilizing psychophysiological methodologies, such as skin conductance, emotional facial expressions, and heart rate variability, alongside intensive longitudinal data analysis. Outside of academics, Hanjoo likes playing basketball, birdwatching, and drawing.

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:​

  1. Kandemir, B., Kim, H., Newman, M. G., Adams, R. B., Li, J., & Wang, J. Z. Demographic differences and biases in affect evoked by visual features. (2023). In Wang, J. Z., & Adams, R. B. (Eds.), Modeling visual aesthetics, emotion, and artistic style (pp. 331- 347). New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50269-9_19  Pdf

  2. Kim, H. & Newman, M. G. (2023). Worry and rumination enhance a positive emotional contrast based on the framework of the contrast avoidance model. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 94, 102671 PMID: 36681058, PMCID: 10071830 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102671  Pdf

  3. Newman, M. G., Rackoff, G. N., Zhu, Y., & Kim , H. (2023). A transdiagnostic evaluation of contrast avoidance across generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 93, 102662 PMCID: PMC10080671 .https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102662  Pdf

  4. Kim, H. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Avoidance of negative emotional contrast from worry and rumination: An application of the contrast avoidance model. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 32(1), 33-43. Special edition on Anxiety Disorders. PMID: 35693377; PMCID: PMC9181176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbct.2021.12.007 Pdf

  5. Newman, M. G., Schwob, J. T., Rackoff, G. N., Van Doren, N., Shin, K. E., & Kim, H. (2022). The naturalistic reinforcement of worry from positive and negative emotional contrasts: Results from a momentary assessment study within social interactions. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 92, 102634. PMID: 36182690 PMCID: PMC10187062 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102634  Pdf

  6. Kim, H. # , Rackoff, G. N.#  Fitzsimmons-Craft, E., Shin, K. E., Zainal, N. H., Schwob, J. T., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2022). College mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a nationwide survey. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 46, 1-10. PMID: 34177004 PMC: PMC8214371 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-021-10241-5  Pdf

  7. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Taylor, C. B., Newman, M. G., Zainal, N. H., Rojas-Ashe, E., Lipson, S. K., Firebaugh, M. L., Ceglarek, P., Topooco, N., Jacobson, N. C., Graham, A. K., Kim, H. M., Eisenberg, D., & Wilfley, D. E. (2021). Harnessing mobile technology to reduce mental health disorders in college populations: A randomized controlled trial study protocol. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 103, 106320. PMID: 33582295. PMCID: PMC8089064 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106320  Pdf

  8. Kim, H. & Newman, M. G. (2019). The paradox of relaxation training: Relaxation induced anxiety and mediation effects of negative contrast sensitivity in generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 259, 271-278. PMID: 31450137 PMCID: PMC7288612 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.045  Pdf

  9. Kim, H., Lu, X., Costa, M., Kandemir, B., Adams, R. B., Jr., Li, J., Wang, J. Z., & Newman, M. G. (2018). Development and validation of Image Stimuli for Emotion Elicitation (ISEE): A novel affective pictorial system with test-retest repeatability. Psychiatry Research, 261, 414-420. PMID: 29353766 PMCID: PMC6510029 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.12.068  Pdf 

  10. Newman, M. G., Cho, S., & Kim, H. (2017). Worry and generalized anxiety disorder: A review. Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.05108-7  Pdf

  11. Youn, S., Xiao, H., Kim H., Castonguay, L. G., McAleavey, A. A., Newman, M. G., Safran, J. D. (2017) Effective and less effective therapists for generalized anxiety disorder: Are they conducting therapy the same way? In L. G. Castonguay and C. E. Hill (Eds.), How and why are some therapists better than others?: Understanding therapist effects (Chapter 14; pp. 259-283). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000034-015  Pdf

Ki Eun Shin

kxs558@psu.edu

Kay is currently an assistant professor at Long Island University, Post Campus. Her research interests focus on understanding cognitive and emotional processes and treatment mechanisms in internalizing disorders and suicidality. She has a particular interest in identifying transdiagnostic cognitive and emotion regulatory processes, such as repetitive negative thinking. Her recent work has focused on using mobile-based ecological momentary assessment and advanced longitudinal analytic methods to examine cognitive and emotional processes and their dynamics in internalizing disorders as they naturally unfold in daily life. Her past projects include examining interpersonal problem tendencies in internalizing disorders, comparing GAD and panic disorder based on developmental risk factors, and identifying daily emotional experiences that mediate long-term maintenance and comorbidity in depression and GAD. Kay also tested a novel way to enhance outcomes of exposure therapy, using retrieval cues, and used advanced statistical methods (e.g., time-varying effect modeling) to elucidate how treatment moderation effects changed over the course of treatment in individuals with GAD. Her dissertation used ecological momentary assessment and network analysis to examine comorbidity between GAD and depression at the level of daily symptoms. 

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Baik, S. Y., Shin, K. E., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2024). The relationship of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, parental education, financial hardship and comorbid mental disorders with quality of life in college students with anxiety, depression or eating disorders.  Journal of Affective Disorders, 366, 335–344. PMID: 39173926 PMCID: PMC11444337 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.098  Pdf

  2. Newman, M. G., Schwob, J. T., Rackoff, G. N., Van Doren, N., Shin, K. E., & Kim, H. (2022). The naturalistic reinforcement of worry from positive and negative emotional contrasts: Results from a momentary assessment study within social interactions. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 92, 102634. PMID: 36182690 PMCID: PMC10187062 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102634  Pdf

  3. Kim, H. # , Rackoff, G. N.#  Fitzsimmons-Craft, E., Shin, K. E., Zainal, N. H., Schwob, J. T., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2022). College mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a nationwide survey. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 46, 1-10. PMID: 34177004 PMC: PMC8214371 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-021-10241-5  Pdf

  4. Shin, K. E., Newman, M. G., & Jacobson, N. C. (2022). Emotion network density is a potential clinical marker for anxiety and depression: Comparison of ecological momentary assessment and daily diary. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61(S1), 31-50. Special Issue: mHealth and Technology Innovations for Anxiety and OC Spectrum Disorders. PMID: 33963538 PMCID: PMC8572316 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12295 Wiley, Top Cited Article Published in 2022-2023 Pdf

  5. Llera, S. J., Shin, K. E., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Newman, M. G. (2022). 6.19 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In G. J. G. Asmundson (Ed.), Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 336-355). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818697-8.00213-2  Pdf

  6. Shin, K. E. & Newman, M. G. (2019). Self- and other-perceptions of interpersonal problems: Effects of generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and depression. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 65, 1-10. PMID: 31054457 PMCID: PMC6658327 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.04.005   Pdf

  7. Shin, K. E., LaFreniere, L. S., & Newman, M. G. (2019). Generalized anxiety disorder. In B. Olatunji (Ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Anxiety and Related Disorders Part IV: Etiology and Phenomenology of Specific Anxiety (Chapter 18; pp. 517-549). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108140416.019   Pdf

  8. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Zainal, N. H., Shin, K. E., Szkodny, L. E., & Sliwinsky, M. (2019). The effects of worry in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study supporting the tenets of the contrast avoidance model. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(4), 794-810. PMID: 31372313; PMCID: PMC6675025 https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619827019  Pdf

  9. Newman, M. G., Shin, K. E. #, & Lanza S. T. (2019). Time-varying moderation of treatment outcomes by illness duration and comorbid depression in generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 87(3), 282-293.  PMID: 30714750 PMCID: PMC6632089 https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000385  Pdf (Note that this is a co-first-authored publication).

  10. Shin, K. E. & Newman, M. G. (2018). Using retrieval cues to attenuate return of fear in individuals with public speaking anxiety. Behavior Therapy, 49(2), 212-224. PMID: 29530260 PMCID: PMC6658328 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2017.07.011 (Winner of the 2018 Best Clinical Paper Award, Penn State, Department of Psychology.)  Pdf

  11. Newman, M. G., Shin, K. E., & LaFreniere, L. S. (2017). Mechanisms and Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In D. McKay, J. S. Abramowitz & E. A. Storch (Eds.), Treatments for Psychological Problems and Syndromes (Chapter 8; pp. 100-114). Chichester, UK: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118877142.ch8              Pdf

  12. Newman, M. G., LaFreniere, L. S., Shin K. E. (2017). Cognitive-behavioral therapies in historical perspective. In A. J. Consoli, L. E. Beutler, & B. Bongar (Eds). Comprehensive textbook of psychotherapy: Theory and practice (Chapter 5: 2nd Ed.; pp 61-75). New York: Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/comprehensive-textbook-of-psychotherapy-9780199358014?cc=us&lang=en&#                 Pdf

  13. Newman, M. G., Shin, K. E., Zuellig, A. R. (2016) Developmental risk factors in generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 206, 94-102. PMID: 27466747 PMCID: PMC5077703 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.07.008  Pdf

Luc LaFreniere

llafreniere66@gmail.com

Lucas (“Luc”) LaFreniere, PhD, is currently an Assistant Professor at Skidmore College. He received his doctoral training under Dr. Newman's mentorship and continues to collaborate with her and the lab on research. Luc specializes in developing and researching ecological momentary interventions for anxiety and worry. His research aims to determine core processes of anxiety psychopathology, devise treatments targeting those processes, test their efficacy, and examine their mechanisms. His basic research has revealed Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) deficits in learning the probabilities of future outcomes, learning by reinforcement, and engagement with positive emotions. In his applied research, he has developed and tested ecological momentary interventions (EMI) for correcting these problems via smartphone. For example, his Worry Outcome Journal (WOJ) EMI employed an enhanced form of worry outcome monitoring, guiding participants to see the high costs, low benefits, and inaccuracies of their worries in daily life via smartphone. A randomized controlled trial of the WOJ supported its efficacy. His SkillJoy EMI guides clients to savor enjoyment of positive experiences, mindfully appreciate good aspects of the present moment, recognize worry’s inaccuracy, and gain exposure to being “off guard.” Compared to an active treatment control, the app successfully reduced worry, anxiety, and depression and increased positive emotions, optimism, and enjoying the present moment.

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1.  LaFreniere, L. S. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Savoring changes novel positive mindset targets of GAD treatment: Optimism, prioritizing positivity, kill-joy thinking, and worry mediation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 177, 104541. PMID: 38640622 PMCID: PMC11096009 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2024.104541 Pdf

  2. LaFreniere, L. S. & Newman, M. G. (2023). Upregulating positive emotion in generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial of the Skilljoy ecological momentary intervention. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 91(6), 381–387. PMID: 36716146 PMCID: 10580378 https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000794 Featured publication of the American Psychological Association’s Kudos Showcase. Winner of the 2020 Distinguished Dissertation Award in Clinical Psychology from APA Division 12  Pdf

  3. LaFreniere, L. S. & Newman, M. G. (2023). Reducing contrast avoidance in GAD by savoring positive emotions: Outcome and mediation in a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 93, 102659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102659 PMID:36549218, PMCID: 9976801 Pdf

  4. LaFreniere, L. S., Newman, M. G., & Graham, J. (2021). Parental support and monitoring influences on adolescent alcohol use: A peer selection mediation model. Mental Health and Addiction Research, 6(2), 1-8.  PMID: 35693631; PMCID: PMC9180891 https://doi.org/10.15761/MHAR.1000202  Pdf

  5. LaFreniere, L. S., & Newman, M. G. (2020). Exposing worry’s deceit: Percentage of untrue worries in generalized anxiety disorder treatment. Behavior Therapy, 51(3), 413-423. PMID: 32402257 PMCID: PMC7233480 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2019.07.003   Pdf

  6. Shin, K. E., LaFreniere, L. S., & Newman, M. G. (2019). Generalized anxiety disorder. In B. Olatunji (Ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Anxiety and Related Disorders Part IV: Etiology and Phenomenology of Specific Anxiety (Chapter 18; pp. 517-549). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108140416.019   Pdf

  7. LaFreniere, L. S. & Newman, M. G. (2019). The impact of uncontrollability beliefs and thought-related distress on ecological momentary interventions for generalized anxiety disorder: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 66, 102113. PMID: 31362145 PMCID: PMC6692212  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.102113  Pdf

  8. LaFreniere, L. S. & Newman, M. G. (2019). Probabilistic learning by positive and negative reinforcement in generalized anxiety disorder. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(3), 502-515. PMID: 31448183; PMCID: PMC6707536 https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702618809366   Pdf

  9. Newman, M. G., LaFreniere, L. S., & Jacobson, N. C. (2018). Relaxation-induced anxiety: Effects of peak and trajectories of change on treatment outcome for generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapy Research, 28(4), 616-629. PMID: 27855541 PMCID: PMC6134846 https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2016.1253891   Pdf

  10. Newman, M. G., Shin, K. E., & LaFreniere, L. S. (2017). Mechanisms and Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In D. McKay, J. S. Abramowitz & E. A. Storch (Eds.), Treatments for Psychological Problems and Syndromes (Chapter 8; pp. 100-114). Chichester, UK: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118877142.ch8              Pdf

  11. Newman, M. G., LaFreniere, L. S., Shin K. E. (2017). Cognitive-behavioral therapies in historical perspective. In A. J. Consoli, L. E. Beutler, & B. Bongar (Eds). Comprehensive textbook of psychotherapy: Theory and practice (Chapter 5: 2nd Ed.; pp 61-75). New York: Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/comprehensive-textbook-of-psychotherapy-9780199358014?cc=us&lang=en&#                 Pdf

  12. LaFreniere, L. S. & Newman, M. G. (2016). A brief ecological momentary intervention for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial of the worry outcome journal. Depression and Anxiety, 33(9), 829-839. PMID: 27062682 https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22507 (Winner of the 2016 Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student, Penn State, Department of Psychology.) Pdf

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Nur Hani Zainal

nvz5057@psu.edu

Dr. Zainal is a Presidential Young Professorship (PYP) Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Director of the Optimizing Wellness (OWL) Lab. She completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the Harvard Medical School (HMS), received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University, and completed her predoctoral clinical fellowship at the HMS-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) - Cognitive Behavioral Scientist Track. Her research interest focuses on how executive functioning, social cognition, and cognitive-behavioral strategies link to the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. She is also interested in technology-facilitated interventions and psychoneuroimmunology. To achieve these aims, she uses a variety of approaches and datasets. These include cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, basic science experiments, ecological momentary assessments, and prospective cross-panel designs. To this end, she hopes to make novel and positively impactful contributions to basic science and translational clinical research and practice. Also, Dr. Hani is a recipient of awards such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Leonard Krasner Dissertation Award, Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Alies Muskin Career Development Leadership Program (CDLP), and the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) Superior Teaching and Research (STAR) award.

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. Identifying prescriptive predictors of mindfulness ecological momentary intervention for social anxiety disorder harnessing machine learning on randomized controlled trial data. Manuscript invited for resubmission in JMIR Mental Health.

  2. Zainal, N. H., Eckhert, R., Rackoff, G. N., Fitzsimmons-Craft E. E., Rojas-Ashe, E. Taylor, C. B., Funk, B., Eisenberg, D. Wilfley, D. E. & Newman, M. G. Capitalizing on natural language processing (NLP) to automate the evaluation of coaches’ implementation fidelity in guided digital cognitive-behavioral therapy (d-CBT). Manuscript invited for resubmission in Psychological Medicine.

  3. Van Doren, N., Zainal, N. H., Hong, R. Y., & Newman, M. G. (in press). Examining cross-cultural invariance of common mental disorder symptom measures in the United States and Singapore. Cognitive Therapy and Research.   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-024-10519-4 Pdf

  4. Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2024). Treatment as a moderator and executive function as a mediator of the effect of a mindfulness ecological momentary intervention for generalized anxiety disorder. Psychological Medicine, 54(13), 3715–3728. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291724001958  Pdf

  5. Sarkar, N., Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Self-esteem mediates child abuse predicting adulthood anxiety, depression, and substance use symptoms 18 years later. Journal of Affective Disorders, 365, 542–552. PMID: 39178955 PMCID: PMC11415822 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.107  Pdf

  6. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Treatment condition as a moderator and change in trait mindfulness as a mediator of a brief mindfulness ecological momentary intervention for generalized anxiety disorder. European Psychiatry, 67(1), e40. PMID: 38711385 PMCID: PMC11363003 https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.1750   Pdf

  7. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Mindfulness enhances cognitive functioning: A meta-analysis of 111 randomized controlled trials. Health Psychology Review, 18(2), 369–395.  PMID: 37578065 PMCID: 10902202 https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2023.2248222 Pdf

  8. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Examining the effects of a brief, fully self-guided mindfulness ecological momentary intervention on empathy and theory-of-mind for generalized anxiety disorder: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health, 11, e54412. PMID: 38787613 PMCID: PMC11161716 https://doi.org/10.2196/54412  Pdf

  9. Zainal, N. H., Tan, H. H., Hong, R. Y. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Is a brief mindfulness ecological momentary intervention more efficacious than a self-monitoring app for social anxiety disorder? A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 104, 102858. PMID: 38657408 PMCID: PMC11411489 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102858  Pdf

  10. Zainal, N. H., Tan, H. H., Hong, R. Y. S. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Testing the efficacy of a brief, self-guided mindfulness ecological momentary intervention on emotion regulation and self-compassion in social anxiety disorder: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health, 11, e53712. PMID: 38640015 PMCID: PMC11069101 https://doi.org/10.2196/53712 Pdf

  11. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2024). Which client with generalized anxiety disorder benefits from a mindfulness ecological momentary intervention versus a self-monitoring app? Developing a multivariable machine learning predictive model. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 102, 102825. PMID: 38245961 PMCID: PMC10922999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102825 Pdf

  12. Ng, M. H. S., Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2024) Positive reappraisal coping mediates childhood experiences of parental abuse and affection on adulthood generalized anxiety severity. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 102, 102826. PMID: 38244467 PMCID: PMC10993168.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102826  Pdf

  13. Chen, S. Z., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2024). Elevated depression and anxiety predict future patterns of individualistic and collectivistic cultural values: A cross-lagged longitudinal network analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 349, 310-320. PMID: 38181844 PMCID: PMC10950001 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.12.083 Pdf

  14. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Rojas-Ashe, E., Topooco, N., Zainal, N. H., Rackoff, G. N., Eisenberg, D., Shah, J., Desage, C., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2023). Training, supervision, and experience of coaches offering digital guided self-help for mental health concerns. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1217698. PMID: 38078269 PMCID: PMC10698738 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217698  Pdf

  15. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2023). Prospective network analysis of proinflammatory proteins, lipid markers, and depression components in midlife community women. Psychological Medicine, 53(11), 5267 - 5278.  PMID: 35924730, PMCID: 9898473 https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329172200232X  Pdf

  16. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2023). A cross-lagged prospective network analysis of depression and anxiety and cognitive functioning components in midlife community adult women. Psychological Medicine, 53(9), 4060-4171. PMID: 35534458 PMCID: 9646930 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722000848 Pdf

  17. Sanghvi, D., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2023) Trait self-acceptance mediates parental childhood abuse predicting depression and anxiety symptoms in adulthood. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 94, 102673. PMCID: PMC10193854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102673 Pdf

  18. Barber, K. E., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2023). The mediating effect of stress reactivity in the 18-year relationship between generalized anxiety and depression severity.  Journal of Affective Disorders, 325, 502-512. PMID: 36642311, PMCID: 9930685 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.01.041  Pdf

  19. Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2023). A randomized controlled trial of a 14-day mindfulness ecological momentary intervention (MEMI) for generalized anxiety disorder. European Psychiatry, 66(1), e12 PMCID: PMC9970156 https://www.doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2. Winner of the ABCT Best dissertation award and the FABBS dissertation award. Winner of the European Psychiatry Top 10 Downloaded Paper Award for 2023. Pdf

  20. Barber, K. E. Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Positive relations mediate the bidirectional connections between depression and anxiety symptoms. Journal of Affective Disorders, 324, 387-394. PMID: 36584704, PMCID: 9893796 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.082  Pdf

  21. Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Corrigendum: Curiosity does help to protect against anxiety and depression symptoms but not conversely. Journal of Affective Disorders, 323, 894-897. PMID: 36435400, PMCID: 9867916 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.11.038 Pdf

  22. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2023). Elevated anxious and depressed mood relates to future executive dysfunction in older adults: A longitudinal network analysis of psychopathology and cognitive functioning. Clinical Psychological Science, 11(2), 218-238.  PMID: 36993876, PMCID: 10046395 https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026221114076 Pdf

  23. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2022) Executive functioning constructs in anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic stress, and related disorders. Current Psychiatry Reports, 24, 871–880. PMID: 36401677, PMCID: PMC9676877 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-022-01390-9   Pdf

  24. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Commentary: Understanding the relationship between life satisfaction and cognitive decline. Clinical Psychiatry News https://www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/257114/alzheimers-cognition/understanding-relationship-between-life-satisfaction

  25. Nguyen, V.V., Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Why sleep is key: Poor sleep quality is a mechanism for the bidirectional relationship between major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder across 18 years. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 90, 102601. PMID: 35850001, PMCID: PMC9945467 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102601  Pdf

  26. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Life satisfaction prevents decline in working memory, spatial cognition, and processing speed: Latent change score analyses across 23 years. European Psychiatry, 65(1), e27, 1-13. Selected as Editor’s choice by European Psychiatric Association. PMID: 35437134 PMCID: PMC9121850 https://www.doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.19. Pdf

  27. Marr, N. S., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2022). Focus on and venting of negative emotion mediates the 18-year bi-directional relations between major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Journal of Affective Disorders, 303, 10-17. PMID: 35065091 PMCID: PMC8917061 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.079  Pdf

  28. Kim, H. # , Rackoff, G. N.#  Fitzsimmons-Craft, E., Shin, K. E., Zainal, N. H., Schwob, J. T., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B. & Newman, M. G. (2022). College mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a nationwide survey. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 46, 1-10. PMID: 34177004 PMC: PMC8214371 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-021-10241-5  Pdf

  29. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Curiosity helps: Growth in need for cognition bidirectionally predicts future reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms across 10 years. Journal of Affective Disorders, 296, 642–652. PMID: 34627855 PMCID: PMC8759714 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.001 Pdf

  30. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Inflammation mediates depression and generalized anxiety symptoms predicting executive function impairment after 18 years. Journal of Affective Disorders, 296, 465-475. PMID: 34649180 PMCID: PMC8603378 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.077  Pdf

  31. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2022). Depression and worry symptoms predict future executive functioning impairment via inflammation. Psychological Medicine, 52, 3625-3635. PMID: 33653430 PMCID: PMC8413386 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291721000398 (Honorable Mention of the 2021 Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student Award, Penn State, Department of Psychology.) Pdf

  32. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2021). Increased inflammation predicts nine-year change in major depressive disorder diagnostic status. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 130(8), 829–840. PMID: 34618490  PMCID: PMC8629837 https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000716  Pdf

  33. Zainal, N. H., Chan, W. W., Saxena, A. P., Taylor, C. B., & Newman, M. G. (2021). Pilot randomized trial of self-guided virtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 147, 103984. PMID: 34740099 PMCID:PMC8759454 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2021.103984  Pdf

  34. Van Doren, N., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2021). Cross-cultural and gender invariance of emotion regulation in the United States and India. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 1360–1370. PMID: 34706449 PMCID: PMC8802756 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.04.089  Pdf

  35. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2021). Depression and executive functioning bidirectionally impair one another across 9 years: Evidence from within-person latent change and cross-lagged models. European Psychiatry, 64(1), e43. PMID:34134796  PMCID: PMC8278253 https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2217  Pdf

  36. Bartek, M. E., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2021). Individuals’ marital instability mediates the association of their perceived childhood parental affection predicting adulthood depression across 18 years Journal of Affective Disorders, 291, 235-242. PMID: 34051530  PMCID: PMC8296596 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.04.091  Pdf

  37. Win, E., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2021). Trait anger expression mediates childhood trauma predicting for adulthood anxiety, depressive, and alcohol use disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 288, 114-121. PMID: 33853004. PMCID: PMC8154744 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.086  Pdf

  38. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2021). Within-person increase in pathological worry predicts depletion of unique executive functioning domains. Psychological Medicine, 51(10), 1676-1686. PMID: 32188519. PMCID: PMC7501084 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720000422  Pdf

  39. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Taylor, C. B., Newman, M. G., Zainal, N. H., Rojas-Ashe, E., Lipson, S. K., Firebaugh, M. L., Ceglarek, P., Topooco, N., Jacobson, N. C., Graham, A. K., Kim, H. M., Eisenberg, D., & Wilfley, D. E. (2021). Harnessing mobile technology to reduce mental health disorders in college populations: A randomized controlled trial study protocol. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 103, 106320. PMID: 33582295. PMCID: PMC8089064 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106320  Pdf

  40. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2021). Larger increase in trait negative affect is associated with greater future cognitive decline and vice versa across 23 years. Depression and Anxiety, 38(2), 146–160. PMID: 32840954 PMCID: PMC7902413 https://doi.org/10.1002/da.23093   Pdf

  41. Zainal, N. H., Newman, M. G. & Hong, R. Y. (2021). Cross-cultural and gender invariance of transdiagnostic processes in the United States and Singapore. Assessment, 28(2): 485–502. PMID: 31538795 PMCID: PMC7082183 https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191119869832  Pdf

  42. Newman, M. G. & Zainal N. H. (2020) The value of maintaining social connections for mental health in older people. Lancet Public health, 5(1) e12-e13. PMID: 31910976 PMCID: 7261393 https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-2667(19)30253-1   Pdf

  43. Newman, M.G., Zainal, N. H. (2020). Interpersonal and emotion-focused therapy (I/EP) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). In A Gloster, & A Gerlach (Eds). Generalized anxiety disorder and worrying: A comprehensive handbook for clinicians and researchers (Chapter 11; pp. 231-244). NY: Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119189909.ch11  Pdf

  44. Newman, M.G., Zainal, N. H., Hoyer, J. (2020). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). In A Gloster, & A Gerlach (Eds). Generalized anxiety disorder and worrying: A comprehensive handbook for clinicians and researchers (Chapter 10; pp. 203-230). NY: Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119189909.ch10  Pdf

  45. Newman, M. G., Jacobson, N. C., Zainal, N. H., Shin, K. E., Szkodny, L. E., & Sliwinsky, M. (2019). The effects of worry in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study supporting the tenets of the contrast avoidance model. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(4), 794-810. PMID: 31372313; PMCID: PMC6675025 https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619827019  Pdf

  46. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2019). Relation between cognitive and behavioral strategies and future change in common mental health problems across 18 years. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(4), 295-304. PMID: 31045412 PMCID: PMC6707366https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000428 (Winner of the 2019 Best Clinical Paper Award, and Honorable Mention for Outstanding publication by a Penn State Graduate Student, Department of Psychology.) Pdf

  47. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2018). Executive function and other cognitive deficits are distal risk factors of generalized anxiety disorder nine years later. Psychological Medicine, 48(12) 2045-2053. PMID: 29224581 PMCID: PMC6707521 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717003579   Pdf

  48. Zainal, N. H. & Newman, M. G. (2018). Worry amplifies theory-of-mind reasoning for negatively-valenced social stimuli in generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 227, 824-833. PMID: 29254067 PMCID: PMC6707505 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.084   Pdf

Natalia Van Doren

nzv7@psu.edu

Natalia Van Doren is currently a postdoctoral Fellow at University of California San Francisco. She primarily worked with Jose Soto in graduate school. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Pennsylvania State University in August 2023. She is interested in using digital therapeutics for substance use disorders, and in particular, the reduction of racial/ethnic health disparities, as well as the relationship of emotional states to substance use patterns. She completed her clinical psychology internship at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and studied virtual reality applications to enhance mindfulness training for veterans with substance use disorders. She was appointed to the T32 Program in 2023, working with Drs. Derek Satre, Stacy Sterling, and Janice Tsoh at UCSF.

​

Publications with Dr. Newman include:

  1. Van Doren, N., Zhu, Y., Vázquez, M. M., Shah, J., Grammer, A. C., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Eisenberg, D., Wilfley, D. E., Taylor, C. B., & Newman, M. G. (2024). Racial and ethnic disparities in barriers to mental health treatment in U.S. college students. Psychiatric Services, 75(9), 839-846. PMID: 38807580 https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20230185 Pdf

  2. Van Doren, N., Zainal, N. H., Hong, R. Y., & Newman, M. G. (in press). Examining cross-cultural invariance of common mental disorder symptom measures in the United States and Singapore. Cognitive Therapy and Research.   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-024-10519-4 Pdf

  3. Van Doren, N., Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2021). Cross-cultural and gender invariance of emotion regulation in the United States and India. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 1360–1370. PMID: 34706449 PMCID: PMC8802756 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.04.089  Pdf

Other Former Graduate Student Mentees

Former Undergraduate Student Mentees

Alumni

  • Nur Hani Zainal graduated 2021 (Currently an intern at Harvard Medical School - Massachusetts General Hospital).

  • Hanjoo Kim graduated 2020 (Currently a postdoctoral fellow at Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan).

  • Ki Eun Shin graduated 2020 (Currently an assistant professor at Long Island University, Post Campus).

  • Lucas LaFreniere graduated 2020 (Currently an Assistant professor at Skidmore College).

  • Nicholas Jacobson graduated 2019 (Currently an Assistant Professor at Dartmouth)

  • Sunghye Jen Cho graduated 2018 (Currently a postdoc at Rutgers University).

  • Lauren Szkodny graduated 2016 (Currently an Assistant professor at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center).

  • Aaron J. Fisher graduated 2012 (Currently an Associate Professor at UC Berkeley).

  • Sandra Llera graduated 2011 (Currently an Associate Professor at Towson University)

  • Srijana Shresta graduated 2010 (Currently an Assistant Professor at Wheaton College)

  • Ellen Dzus graduated 2007 (private practice)

  • Amy Przeworski graduated 2006 (Currently an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University)

  • Thane Erickson graduated 2006 (Currently a Professor at Seattle Pacific University).

  • Christine Molnar graduated 2002 (private practice)

  • Andrea Zuellig graduated 2002 (private practice)

  • Kevin Kachin graduated 2001 (Currently a Manager of Implementation Strategy at the Human Performance Institute).

  • Allan P. Vives graduated 2001 (Currently in private practice)

  • Keith Aronson graduated 1999 (Currently Associate Director, Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness and Associate Director, Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at PSU)

Research Assistant Placements

​Class of 2023

​

Yiqin Zhu - PhD student, Clinical Psychology, University of Washington 

Yanjun Yang: - Master’s student at University of Rochester 

Mike Sandella-  Clinical Research Coordinator at Thomas Jefferson University 

​

Class of 2022

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Shreyas Sundar      –      Masters student, Social Work program at Columbia University

Katie Barber - Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at Marquette University 

​

Class of 2021

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Shannon McGovern      –      Masters student, Mental Health Counseling program at Delaware Valley University

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Class of 2020

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Zhaojiong Wang     –     Masters student, Mental Health Counseling program at UPenn

Fanwen Zhang     –     Masters student, Prevention Science and Practice program, Harvard University (2020)

Ammanda Maldonado     –     Masters student, Applied Clinical Psychology program at Penn State, Harrisburg

Ana Clever     –     Human Resources and Employment Relations program for the MS degree at Penn State

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Class of 2019

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Jessicca Wills     –     Successfully applied to PsyD at Marywood University and Masters of Counseling programs at University of Scranton
Emma Capichioni     –     Research program assistant in the Psychiatry Department of the Medical University of South Carolina
Kerslie Valerio     –     Health Educator at BronxWorks
Emily Forcht     –     PhD student at Lehigh University for Educational Psychology
Madeleine Miller     –     Clinical Research Assistant at Dissemination & Training Division at VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Marietta Kocher     –     Clinical Research Assistant at the University of Pittsburgh

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Class of 2018

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Chris Kim     –     Masters student, Computer Science, Pennsylvania State University

Gen Stafford     –     Masters student, Counseling, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Emily Diehl     –     PsyD student, Clinical Psychology, Widener University

Jessica Miller     –     Research coordinator, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, MD

Grant Smyth     –     MD student, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, PA

Sandy Liu     –     Masters student, Counseling Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY

Jenelle A. Richards     –     Master's Candidate at Columbia University, working with Dr. George Bonnano at Columbia University, Teachers College, Loss, Trauma, and Emotion Lab

Juliana Caricato     –     Physician assistant student at the University of Pittsburg

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Class of 2017

​

Kathleen Tully     –     PsyD student, Clinical Psychology, Long Island University Brooklyn

Robyn Mertz     –     PhD student, Clinical-Community Psychology, University of Alaska Anchorage Doctorate

Peri Kahraman     –     Masters student, Counseling Psychology, Ohio State University, OH

Allison Collum     –     Masters student, Criminology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, NJ

Rachel Kilbert     –     Masters student, Communication Sciences and Disorders Masters Program (Speech Pathology), San Diego State University, CA

Gia Canovali     –     Masters student, Social Work Masters Program, The California University of Pennsylvania, PA

Maranna Liberty     –     Blended Case Manager at Service Access and Management, Inc

Erin Fackenthal     –     M.Ed, PSU Word-campus Admissions Coach at the Inside Track, University Park, PA

Madeline White     –     PsyD student, Rutger's University (Dr. Elisa Shernoff), NJ

Alex Wilcox     –     Physician's Assistant program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

​

Class of 2016

​

Casey Saline     –     Masters student, Art Therapy, George Washington University, Washington DC

Kayla Lord     –     PhD student, Clinical Psychology, Suffolk University, MA

Sarah Greeley     –     Masters student, I/O Psychology, Penn State University, PA

Jenny Heyman     –     PhD student, Social Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Samantha Canillo     –     Masters student, Computer Science, University of Chicago, IL

Yesom Ha     –     Masters student, Clinical Psychology, Seoul National University, South Korea

Hanna Lee     –     MD student, Penn State School of Medicine, Penn State University, PA

Kirsty Bocado     –     Staff, AmeriCorps, New York City, NY

Malina Mastrocola     –     Masters student, Counseling Psychology, Rosemont College, PA

Kevin Deam     –     Social Worker, High Focus Centers Inc., NJ

Max Sheintoch     –     Research coordinator, University of Pennsylvania (Dr. Martin Franklin's lab), PA

Sarah Hamaker     –     Social worker, West Chester Chidren with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services (CIDDS), PA

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Class of 2015

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Kyle Deckman     –     Masters student, Psychology, Saint Joseph's University, PA

Jenna Cohen     –     Masters student, Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY

Wenjuan Xu     –     Masters student, Social Science, Chicago University, IL

Tally Metro     –     Counselor, Uniontown Treatment Center, Inc., PA

Emily Wright     –     PhD student, Kinesiology & Health, Miami University at Ohio, OH

Kirstie Herb     –     PhD student, Clinical Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, MI

Anthony Fissel     –     Social Worker, Human Services Inc., PA

Mina Mikhail     –     Masters student, Professional clinical counseling, LaSalle University

Shyler Patton     –     Therapeutic staff support (TSS) in the Philadelphia area

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Class of 2014 

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Stephanie Nelson     –     PysD student, Yeshiva University, NY

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Class of 2013 

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Evan Good     –     PhD student, Clinical Psychology, Michigan State University, MI

Annie Ivanka     –     PsyD student, William James College, MA

Laszlo Rendas     –     Masters student, Human Factors and Usability Testing, Missouri Western State University, MO

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Laboratory for Anxiety and Depression Research

The Pennsylvania State University

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