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Anil Chacko

Anil Chacko is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at NYU and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. (2006) in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed his clinical internship at the Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry, the University of Illinois at Chicago and then a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. His research interests focus primarily on the development of effective, engaging, and efficient prevention, intervention and service delivery models for youth at-risk for or affected with disruptive behavior disorders.

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Tori Dahl is a sixth-year doctoral student under the mentorship of Anil Chacko, Ph.D., in the Counseling Psychology Program in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University. Throughout her professional career, Tori has committed her efforts to working with at-risk children and adolescents from high-poverty communities. In particular, her year serving with City Year, an AmeriCorps program, and being a teaching assistant in Cornell's Prisoner Education Program have informed her research interests, which include: mindfulness-based interventions for children with behavioral problems (ADHD, ODD,CD, etc.), cognitive and behavioral therapeutic approaches, the juvenile justice system, and the school-to-prison pipeline. 

With FACES Lab she has taken a leadership role on two projects: in 2016-2018 the Little Flower Yoga Study, which evaluated a school-based yoga program and its impact on the emotion regulation and attention of students in kindergarten and first grade classes. Currently she is the co-Principal Investigator on the Mindful Parenting and Behavioral Parent Training Project, which is evaluating the impacts of a combined mindfulness-based parenting group and behavioral parent training (or BPT) intervention for parents of children with disruptive behavioral problems on several outcomes related to child behavior, family functioning, and family quality of life. 

Tori is currently on internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She completed her previous training experiences at the Center for Counseling and Community Wellbeing, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, the NYU Child Study Center, NYC Health+Hospitals: Gouverneur, and Harlem Children's Zone, where her training experiences included: individual therapy with children, adolescents, and adults;  psychoeducational and neuropsychological testing with children and adolescents; leading process therapy groups of adolescents and (social) skills-based treatment groups of children and young adults; and family therapy (structural and parent training). 

Tori received her B.A. in Psychology and Near Eastern Sciences from Cornell University, where she conducted psychology research under Steve Ceci, Ph.D., in his Child Witness and Cognition Lab in the Department of Human Development.

 

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Brittany Matthews, Ed.M., is a Doctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Anil Chacko in the Counseling Psychology program at New York University. 

Her research interests lie in the dissemination of evidence-based practices to underserved communities, the development of culturally responsive interventions for families of youth with disruptive behavioral disorders, and investigating the effectiveness vs the efficacy of such interventions. Her research and clinical interests intersect at reducing the gap between research and practice for underserved communities by increasing access to and engagement in services.

Before NYU, she joined the vibrant East Harlem community as an AmeriCorps member of City Year New York. She worked collaboratively with students, teachers and families to improve outcomes for youth and hopes to work toward future collaboration with other diverse communities in the coming years. 

Brittany later worked as a research assistant under Dr. Stanley Huey, Jr at the University of Southern California. While there, she worked on a project to assess the long-term impacts of a multi-systemic therapy intervention for suicidal and juvenile justice involved youth.

Brittany graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Vanderbilt University and earned her Ed.M. in Prevention Science and Practice from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a concentration in Prevention Research.

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Amrita Mitchell-Krishnan is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at New York University, under the mentorship of Dr. Anil Chacko. She is currently working on various projects related to interventions and treatments for disruptive behavior disorders (DBD). She is interested in research related to mindset and is currently looking at the relationship between teacher and student mindsets for her dissertation. In the future she hopes to integrate this work with child DBDs and interventions at both the child and adult (teacher and parent level). In her clinical work, she is currently training at the UC Davis Medical Center.  Her past clinical experiences have been at New York Presbyterian on the inpatient unit, the NYU Child Study Center, and the Center for Counseling and Community Wellbeing (CCCW). She also serves as an instructor for courses for the Masters in Mental Health and Counseling Program. Prior to NYU, Amrita worked as a post-baccalaureate research associate at the Yale Child Study Center focused on the neural correlates of decision-making in children and adolescents with anxiety and depression. She later worked as a Study Coordinator for the ADHD and neuroimaging program at the UC Davis MIND Institute where she assisted on a longitudinal imaging study and a clinical trial examining the efficacy of Vyvanse. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Stony Brook University, graduating magna cum laude with departmental honors.

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(Maria) Michelle Vardanian is a first-generation, Armenian-American doctoral student under the mentorship of Anil Chacko, PhD, in the Counseling Psychology Program in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Her research interests are primarily in the area of mental health disparities within non-White, diverse racial/ethnic communities. She is particularly interested in the potential facilitators and barriers of initial and ongoing parent engagement with children’s mental health services and how the stigmatization of mental illness within non-White cultures may play a role in these families. She is also passionate about social justice advocacy and delivering culturally competent services to children and families. 

Prior to NYU, Michelle worked as a research associate for The Center for Implementation-Dissemination of Evidence-Based Practices among States (IDEAS Center) at the NYU Child Study Center under Dr. Kimberly Hoagwood, where she coordinated and managed the evidence-based training known as the Managing and Adapting Practices (MAP) Program in New York State. Michelle graduated summa cum laude and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from New York University’s College of Arts and Science. 

She currently serves as an instructor for NYU Steinhardt’s Masters in Mental Health Counseling courses, conducts research with the FACES lab regarding parent engagement as well as behavior parent trainings, and is a psychology extern working part-time at the New York City Children’s Center, working with diverse children and youth significant mental health treatment needs. She completed her previous externship at the NYU Center for Counseling and Community wellbeing, where she provided services for a wide range of clientele that varied across age, racial/ethnic identity, gender identity, sexual identity, and symptom presentation. In the future, she hopes to continue investigating the mechanisms behind family engagement with children’s mental health services and develop interventions that may improve or enhance engagement for families seeking treatment, especially within diverse racial/ethnic communities.  

 

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Violeta Bangiyev is currently a first year Masters student in Mental Health Counseling at NYU. I recently graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology and a Bachelors in Judaic Studies from Binghamton University. My research and clinical interests include mental health stigma and family dynamics, particularly in underserved communities. I am also very passionate about behavioral problems children with diagnoses such as ADHD and ODD exhibit. My previous research has covered mental health stigma and awareness within the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, mental health and trauma in descendants of Holocaust survivors, as well as internalized homonegativity, adverse childhood experiences, and religiosity in sexual minority individuals. During my time at FACES I hope to delve more into the field of intervention research with children and help make a direct positive impact.

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Mirjam graduated with a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from New York University. She has worked at Weill Cornell’s substance abuse outpatient clinic and is currently in private practice. Her research and clinical interests include developing effective interventions for externalizing and internalizing disorders in children, child development outcomes in the context of parenting, as well as neurocognitive and developmental bases of emotion regulation and dysregulation and the role of mindfulness in various treatment modalities. Her research and clinical interests also include the development of effective treatment and intervention for disordered eating. Mirjam is trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Mirjam intends to pursue a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

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Zuania Capó is a first-year graduate student in NYU Steinhardt's master’s program in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness. Her research interests include the effects of children’s externalizing and internalizing behavioral disorders in their social performance and overall wellbeing, specifically its impact on the close family members’ mental health, particularly centered on the mother’s role. Previously, Zuania worked as a media executive and journalist for over 15 years, with a focus on the Hispanic community, especially in Latina outlets that catered them with wellness and lifestyle content. After completing her master’s, Zuania plans to pursue a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology.

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Nicole Lui graduated from NYU with a B.S. in Applied Psychology and is currently a master's student in the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests are primarily in the area of childhood externalizing disorders (ADHD, ODD, CD) and personalizing treatment towards this population. Nicole previously worked as a clinical counselor at NYU Langone's Summer Program for Kids and then worked as a clinical/intake coordinator at the NYU Child Study Center where she gained experience in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and other behavioral type therapies. Nicole intends to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology specializing in child and adolescent psychopathology.

 

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Roheena Moosa is pursuing a Master’s in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness at New York University's Applied Psychology Department, with plans to pursue further studies to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Roheena received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Baylor University. Her research interests primarily include working with children diagnosed with behavior disorders and assisting in intervention and treatment. Her research experience includes working with college students to explore the effects of social media on young adults. Roheena served as a Mental Health and Wellness Ambassador at Baylor University and worked on many initiatives to promote mental health on campus. As a Mental Health and Wellness advocate, she has also volunteered her time towards local community initiatives designed to promote wellness amongst young adults and senior citizens. ends and family. She is looking forward to working with everyone in the FACES lab.

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Sarah Seto is currently pursuing her master’s degree on the clinical psychology track in NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Her research and clinical interests involve developing interventions for children with externalizing disorders and their families. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. While in Baltimore, at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, she worked with children and adolescents with severe and treatment-resistant behavioral problems. She also recently interned as a counselor at NYU Langone’s Summer Program for Kids. Here, she implemented a comprehensive behavior modification system to improve behavioral functioning, strengthen peer interactions, and boost self-esteem in children with externalizing disorders (ADHD, ODD, etc.). In both places she enjoyed the opportunity to be involved with parent training. Sarah looks forward to contributing to the FACES community. Sarah intends to pursue a Ph.D. focusing on child and adolescent psychology.

 

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Samantha Fagan is a graduate of Towson University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. She is currently beginning her Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, and eventually wants to continue her education and obtain a PhD in Psychosocial Oncology. She hopes to work with pediatric populations, as she is passionate about and dedicated to children's mental health. 

 

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Oriana Barone is currently a senior at NYU pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She is interested in researching intervention strategies for children with externalizing disorders. Her experiences working with children with disruptive behavior disorders allowed her to develop a passion for clinical psychology. Outside of NYU, Oriana volunteered for the Bellevue Innovation Lab and the PEERS Social Skills Program. After she graduates, Oriana hopes to pursue a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in child and adolescent psychology.

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Maggie Ding is currently a junior undergraduate student at NYU College of Arts & Science double major in Psychology and Mathematics. After graduation, she intends to continue to study psychology in a graduate program with a focus on child psychology or educational psychology. Her research interests include helping youth exhibiting disruptive behavior disorders in terms of academic achievement and apply related research findings in academic settings. Outside the lab, Maggie enjoys painting, sketching, and dancing.

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Yaqi(Vion) He is currently a sophomore at NYU pursuing a B.S. degree at the Applied Psychology Department in Steinhardt. Her current academic interest is counseling psychology and interventions for children with disorders.  She intends to pursue a higher degree in the field of counseling psychology and explore more on the aspect of intervention programs for children as well as families.

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Yuika (Lia) Iwai is currently a senior at NYU pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. Her current research interests are in the development of externalizing disorders, particularly disruptive behavior disorders. She has spent the past two summers working at an English school for children in Japan, some of whom had ADHD, which motivated her to pursue an education to further her knowledge about children with disruptive behavior disorders. In the future, she wishes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in child and adolescent psychology. 

 

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Kaitlyn Kugler is currently a third-year undergraduate student at NYU pursuing a degree in applied psychology. She is interested in child and adolescent mental health and working with children with externalizing disorders. Outside of the lab, she volunteers in early childhood classrooms and does language development testing with young children. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a degree in clinical psychology with a concentration in neuroscience

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Kelly Liao is currently a sophomore completing her Bachelors of Science degree in Applied Psychology in NYU Steinhardt. 

Her research interests are to understand the effects of parents’ interventions on their children, how to develop mental wellness for children and adolescents, as well as counseling. 

She is also interested in developing interventions and methods to aid children, adolescents and teenagers with behavioral disorders. She had an experience as a volunteer in Children’s Hospital to assist the children and their families in gaining better experience and more knowledge during their stay in the hospital. After she graduates, she would like to purse a higher degree in counseling psychology.

 

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Siyi(Ice) Lou is currently a junior undergraduate at the NYU College of Arts & Science double majoring in Psychology and minoring in Business Studies. She is interested in working with kids who struggle with externalizing disorders and helping parents establish an excellent rapport with their kids through preventive interventions. She has gained an immense range of clinical experience interning as a counselor at NYU Langone’s Summer Program for Kids (SPK). There Ice followed an evidence-based protocol to help the children with externalizing disorders improve their confidence and self-esteem in social, academic, and sport competences. She has joined the FACES Lab since fall 2019, currently involved in several projects. After graduation, Ice intends to pursue her PhD in Clinical Psychology.

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Jiayue Mao is currently a junior, pursuing a B.S. degree at Applied Psychology department in NYU Steinhardt. Her academic interest is public mental health, especially for children and adolescents. She has joined the FACES Lab since summer 2019, currently getting involved in a few projects including the BPT assessment and Initial Parental Engagement Review. She intends to pursue higher educational opportunities in the field of counseling or clinical psychology. 

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Sophia Mysak is currently a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology at NYU. Her research interests revolve primarily around the effects of childhood trauma on a child’s social and emotional development. She is also interested in the impact of a child’s home environment on their development. In the future she would like to get a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a PsyD in clinical psychology. She aspires to become a clinical psychologist and would like to work with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. During the summers, she volunteers at a community farm where fruits and vegetables are planted and harvested to then be distributed to food banks. Her work planning and maintaining the farm for the past six years has helped her develop a strong desire to understand the needs of her community. 

 

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Tina Vong is currently a sophomore pursuing a B.S degree in Steinhardt's Applied Psychology Undergraduate Program. Her focus is within the clinical field and she is interested in abnormal psychology, particularly externalising disorders. She hopes to continue her NYU education through the accelerated Masters Program in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness.

 

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Betty Yan is currently a Junior pursuing her B.S. degree in Applied Psychology at Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She is interested in child and adolescent mental health, specifically, of Asian American population. In the future, Betty wishes to continue her Masters degree in Counseling Psychology in order to help Asian American kids battle against mental health problems that come from parental divorce, bullying, lower self-esteem, etc.

Lab Alumni

MiAmor Aguirresaenz--MiAmor Aguirresaenz is an upcoming third year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology program at Pace University. She earned her MA in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness from NYU and is currently working as a psychotherapist with individuals, children and families at a private practice and at the McShane Center for Psychological Services. 

Mikell Bursky- Mikell graduated from NYU’s Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology Program. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Clinical Psychology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Queens College as a Graduate Center Fellow.

Alyssa Chimiklis- Former graduate student under Dr. Chacko’s mentorship. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Currently she is completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research. 

Elizabeth Chan- Lizzy is currently a doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at Florida State University. She is a graduate of NYU’s Counseling in Mental Health and Wellness program. 

Meredith Cohen

Elysha Clark Whitney- Elysh is a former undergraduate RA. She is currently a research coordinator at the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medicine. 

Tiffany Davis- Tiffany is currently a graduate student at Tufts University in the Masters in Occupational Therapy Program. 

Rhonda Donoho -- Dr. Donoho is an alumni from the PhD in Counseling Psychology program. She provides therapy services in a private practice setting in Atlanta. 

Noureen Faliksher - Noureen graduated from NYU and is pursuing a Masters Program at Columbia, where she will be prepared to become a school psychologist. 

Nicole Feirsen -- Dr. Nicole Feirsen received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology (with an emphasis in Neuropsychology) from Queens College of the City University of New York in 2016. She then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center. She is currently working as the assistant director of the Neuropsychology Assessment Service at Montefiore Medical Center, where she sees patients across the lifespan. 

Katie Fogarty- Katie is a former undergraduate RA and is currently entering her 4th year in Hofstra University’s Clinical Psychology PhD Program. 

Kelly Goss -- Kelly is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Long Island University - Brooklyn. She graduated in May 2017 from NYU with her B.A. degree in Global Liberal Studies and her M.A. degree in Psychology. Kelly is currently working on her dissertation project, which examines the relationships between dream narratives and experiences and personality functioning. 

Michael Levy- Michael graduated from the Doctoral program in Counseling Psychology in 2020. He is currently in a post-doctoral position at the Baltimore VA. 

Janice Lu- Janice is currently a TA for the NYU CAMS courses and a researcher at the Bellevue Innovation Lab. She will begin her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Hofstra University this fall. 

Gabrielle MacNaughton -- Gabrielle graduated from NYU with honors in Applied Psychology in 2018. After graduating, Gabrielle worked for two years in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston Children's Hospital as a Clinical Research Assistant. Gabrielle recently assumed a new role at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior as a Research Staff Associate in the Jeste Developmental Neurophysiology Lab. 

Elizabeth Mateer- Elizabeth is a graduate of the Masters in Mental Health and Wellness program at NYU. She is currently pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology at Seattle Pacific University. 

Sarah Peralta- Sarah is a graduate from NYU’s Masters in Counseling in Mental Health and Wellness program. After leaving FACES lab she worked as a bereavement counselor at Calvary Hospital and will be beginning her PhD in Clinical Psychology at University of Maryland Baltimore. 

Estrella Rajwan-Heber, PhD -- Dr. Rajwan-Heber earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the CUNY Graduate Center in 2018. She is currently at Northwell Health/Lenox Hill’s Hospital Center for Attention and Learning where she conducted and supervises neuropsychological evaluation for children and adolescents.  

Suni Shah -- Suni graduated from NYU Steinhardt in 2019 with a B.S. in Applied Psychology. She is currently a second-year student in NYU Silver's Master of Social Work program. Suni is pursuing a career path in the field of social justice, specifically educational and racial justice.

Angela “Page” Spears--Angela “Page” Spears is a first-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student. She is studying suicide risk under the mentorship of Dr. Christine Cha at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before starting her doctoral degree, Page obtained her bachelor's degree in Applied Psychology, with honors, at New York University. She subsequently worked for three years as a post-baccalaureate research coordinator at the James J Peters VA Medical Center.

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Stephanie Thomas- Stephanie worked in the FACES lab from 2016-17. She then went on to complete a Masters of Art in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she focused on group dynamics and coaching. Stephanie now works as a project manager at the psychology based consulting firm, Mind Gym, in New York City. 

Jodi Uderman -- Dr. Jodi Uderman received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology (with emphasis in Neuropsychology) from Queens College of the City University of New York in 2015. She then completed a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship at Northwell Health in Lifespan Neuropsychology. She is currently working as a clinical neuropsychologist at Montefiore Medical Center, where she sees both children and adults.

Rachel Wong -- Rachel graduated NYU from the  Applied Psychology program in 2019. She now works in California for a nonprofit working with survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault.