Current Interns: 2022-23 Academic Year

Devika Duggal, M.A.
City College of New York

Devika Duggal is a sixth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at City College of New York. Her clinical interests include working with individuals with multilayered clinical presentations, such as PTSD, complex trauma, personality pathology and co-occurring medical conditions. Her approach to clinical practice is largely psychodynamic and incorporates components of evidence-based treatments including Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Transference-Focused Psychotherapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy. She prioritizes understanding the individual’s clinical presentation within the context of their psychosocial and cultural environment in order to provide interventions that are person-centric and culturally attuned. Devika’s clinical interests are reflected in her research work, as her doctoral dissertation aims to examine the impact of social exclusion in individuals with borderline personality disorder using a novel experimental design that incorporates behavioral, affective, and neural measures.

Emily McNamara, M.A.
Temple University

Emily McNamara is a sixth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at Temple University. Her primary clinical interests are treating anxiety, trauma, and relationship distress among adults. Emily has experience conducting evidence-based treatments including cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder, cognitive processing therapy for PTSD, compassion-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical-behavior therapy (DBT), short-term psychodynamic therapy, and emotionally-focused couples therapy. Emily aims to provide a person-centered and humanistic approach to care, integrating what she has learned from cognitive-behavioral, third-wave (i.e., ACT, DBT), psychodynamic, and emotionally-focused therapies to treat adult individuals, couples, and groups. Emily’s research interests focus on the interrelated nature of social anxiety and loneliness and on optimizing the treatment of adult anxiety disorders. Emily’s dissertation examined the relationship between social media use, loneliness, and social anxiety among young adults. In her free time, Emily enjoys cooking, cycling, playing volleyball, and taking walks with her dog

Giovanni (Gio) Ramos, M.A.
University of California, Los Angeles

Giovanni “Gio” Ramos is a 6th-year doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), researching strategies to improve the contextual and cultural fit of evidence-based treatments for people of color, with an emphasis on Latinx populations. His research program also includes the use of digital mental health interventions to make mental health care more widely available in marginalized communities. Born and raised in Mexico, he began serving families in need while training to become a therapist at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). After transitioning to the US as a monolingual Spanish speaker in 2013, he has pursued additional opportunities to serve individuals experiencing multiple sources of marginalization (e.g., people of color, Spanish speakers, low-income individuals, families experiencing homelessness), using multiple treatment modalities, such as CBT, MBCT, DBT, IBCT, CPT, and brief psychodynamic therapy. His dissertation is a randomized controlled trial examining the acceptability and effectiveness of an app-based mindfulness meditation intervention to reduce adverse mental health outcomes associated with experiencing elevated levels of race-related stress among people of color.

LaTrice Wright, M.A., M.S.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

LaTrice Wright is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). Her primary clinical interests center on delivering strengths-based and culturally responsive interventions to individuals and families from traditionally marginalized populations. She has trained and worked in a variety of settings, and her theoretical orientation integrates multicultural-feminism, cognitive behavioral (CBT), dialectical behavioral (DBT), and family systems therapies. LaTrice’s research examines how experiences of gendered racism (i.e. the intersection of racism and sexism) influence Black women’s health and the potential buffers (e.g., exercise, mindfulness) that mitigate this negative association. Her dissertation investigates the roles of family and intimate partner support/strain and mindfulness in the association between subtle forms of gendered racism and anxiety symptoms.

Katerina (Kat) Castaño, M.A.
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University

Katerina “Kat” Castaño is a doctoral candidate at the Clinical Psychology with Health Emphasis PhD program at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University. She is interested in the relationship between psychosocial factors, early childhood adversity, culture, and chronic health outcomes in underserved and Spanish-speaking populations. Inspired by experiences throughout graduate school, Katerina continues to investigate the effects of exposure to trauma and adversity and how culturally-appropriate evidenced-based interventions may support healthy outcomes. Her doctoral research focuses on the relationship between acculturation proxies, acculturative stress, and asthma/panic outcomes in Latine adults with comorbid asthma and panic disorder. Looking to the future, she hopes the integration of her clinical work and a participatory action research framework will inform her efforts to support and empower underserved and immigrant communities in New York and Latin America.

Celenia DeLapp, M.A.
Catholic University of America

Celenia DeLapp (She/her/hers), M.A., is a fifth-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology with a focus on Children, Families, and Cultures at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Master’s Degree from the Catholic University of America. Celenia has received intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She has also received training in various trauma modalities and has received a certification in Clinical Suicidology from the National Register. Celenia has training and experience working with children and adolescents across a variety of settings and has treated youth with a range of anxiety and behavioral disorders. Celenia also has experience working with youth diagnosed with developmental disabilities and she is also trained in crisis intervention and prevention. Celenia’s current research interests involve the psychological resiliency and strength of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers and their families. Her previous research has also focused on other aspects of the Latinx immigrant experience. She is also interested in how BIPOC clients cope with racial stress and trauma. In addition, she was involved in the creation of an assessment of racial trauma, the UnRESTS. Celenia is a member of the Oppression and Resilience Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). She has presented her research at numerous national conventions. When not at the office, Celenia can be found hiking, biking, or trying to find the best lobster roll.

Jesse Finkelstein, Psy.M.
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP), Rutgers University

Jesse Finkelstein, Psy.M., is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. At GSAPP, Jesse has been a researcher and training clinical at the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinic (DBT-RU) at Rutgers University. He has also received clinical training experience at NYU Langone's Gender and Sexuality Service, and the Columbia Day Program. Jesse's research and training interests include the dissemination of evidence-based treatments. In collaboration with DBT-RU, Jesse has developed a series of popular animation, videos, and games for the dissemination of therapeutic interventions.

Anielle (Ani) Fredman, M.Phil.
City College of New York

Anielle “Ani” Fredman is a 4th year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at The City College of New York (CCNY). Ani’s clinical and research interests center upon questions of identity and adolescent development, in terms of attachment, gender expression and sexuality, as well as psychosocial factors. Ani comes to psychology from a background in theology, working with youth in school-settings, and studying non-verbal communication between children and caregivers. Ani is committed to anti-racist praxis and LGBTQIA+ affirming-care. Outside of clinical and research interests, Ani’s a basketball player and a cyclist.

Kaitlin Carson, M.A.
Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)

Kaitlin Carson is pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology at Queens College and the Graduate Center, affiliates of the City University of New York. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Fordham University and her master's degree in counseling and clinical psychology from Columbia University's Teachers College. Her dissertation focused on understanding the association between sexual victimization experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder, with a particular emphasis on the disclosure process. Her clinical interests lie in neuropsychology and she aims to become a board-certified neuropsychologist.