Counseling Psychology (PhD)

Payton Bruland has been a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2019. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Seattle Pacific University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Gonzaga University.

At Northeastern, Payton works on the SNAP/Social Research team with Dr. Christie Rizzo and the More Fun with Sisters and Brothers (MFWSB) team with Dr. Laurie Kramer. Her research interests align with each of these labs, examining both protective and risk factors among children and adolescence in the areas of emotion regulation and interpersonal relationships.

Payton also has an interest in the ways childhood trauma affects outcomes in adolescence and later life. Clinically, she has worked with children, adolescents, and their families in a variety of settings, including outpatient and inpatient services.

Elizabeth (Libby) Collier enrolled in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at Northeastern in the fall of 2021. Prior to her move to Boston, Libby received an M.A. and Ed.M. in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. Libby’s clinical fieldwork placement was at Mount Sinai Hospital where she conducted group therapy and individual therapy sessions involving dual diagnosis patients.

During her master’s program, she also spent time in two research labs affiliated with New York University and Columbia University that focused on youth mental health. These studies focused on interventions for adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis and systems-level interventions concerning youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Libby is in the Adolescent Relationships and Risk Behavior Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Christie Rizzo. She hopes to continue to work alongside youth at-risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system and is interested in mentorship as a facilitator of positive youth development.

Ruthann Hewett has been a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program since the Fall of 2021. She holds a dual BA from Brandeis University in Psychology and Health: Science, Society & Policy (2016), as well as an MS from Northeastern University’s Counseling Psychology master’s program (2020).

She is a member of the Intersectionality Research Team under the supervision of Dr. Tracy Robinson-Wood. She has worked on research projects with the Intersectionality team including a study of the racial socialization experiences of biracial adults.

Prior to beginning her MS, she worked as a research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit. She has also worked as an intern clinician at the Therapeutic After School Program at the Home for Little Wanderers, and as a clinician at the Therapeutic After School Program at the Italian Home for Children.

Her interests include examining oppressive power systems operating within mental health treatment facilities, particularly state funded institutions, and interrogating how these systems can be modified to better serve clients with intersecting marginalized identities.

Katherine Laveway is a Ph.D. student in Counseling Psychology and a member of the Applied Psychology Program for Eating and Appearance Research (APPEAR) team since the Fall of 2020. She received her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University and her B.A. in English and Music from Wellesley College.

During her master’s training, Katherine gained clinical experience working in inpatient and outpatient settings at UMass Memorial Medical Center. Katherine’s research interests include body image and eating concerns among queer and trans individuals. She is particularly interested in sociocultural constructions of gender, experiences of weight stigma, and the role of social media on the psychological health of young people.

Briana Paulo previously studied at the University of Rhode Island for a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology, with a minor in Thanatology. She later earned a M.A. in Psychology Research from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2017. Briana came to Northeastern University in the Fall of 2020 with clinical experiences in a variety of settings with children and adolescents who experience a range of social, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. She also held a clinical research position at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center (PARC) at Bradley Hospital, where she led outreach and collaboration efforts with schools, pediatric office, and other community partners, conducted semi-structured diagnostic assessments, and facilitated in-home/in-community exposure and response prevention (ERP) sessions with children and adolescents.

Briana currently works with the Dating Violence and Relationship Risk Prevention Team, led by Dr. Christie Rizzo. Her work in this lab involves studies that assess health-related behaviors and interpersonal communication patterns of juvenile-justice involved teens to understand risk and protective factors of dating violence. Briana’s research and clinical interests lie in socioemotional and behavioral issues in children/adolescents of traditionally marginalized populations and increasing awareness of and access to mental health resources.

Isabella “Isa” Sereno has been a PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2020. Isa received a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida and an MA in Counselor Education, Clinical Mental Health Track, from Virginia Tech. Isa worked as a treatment coordinator at the Latinas y Niño’s Center in Casa Esperanza Inc., a substance abuse residential program for Latinx women in recovery and their children, where she worked closely with monolingual Spanish-speaking women and their families. Isa also worked as a clinical research coordinator II at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cancer Outcome Research and Education program (CORE), helping conduct research in palliative care for patients diagnosed with advanced cancer and their caregivers. She is a part of the APPEAR lab and is working under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Edwards-George and Dr. Rachel Rodgers. Isa will be completing her advanced fieldwork practicum at Martha Eliot Health Center/Boston Children’s Hospital. She is fluent in Spanish and is interested in understanding racial and ethnic disparities that affect the caregiver experience within health settings, particularly parents of children with complex care needs.

Genevieve (Genny) Nowicki began the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program in Fall 2022. She obtained her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior from Simmons University in 2020 and her M.S. in Applied Psychology from Northeastern University in 2022.

Before starting her doctoral training, she worked as a clinical research assistant at McLean Hospital in the Center for Depression, Stress, and Anxiety Disorders (CDASR), studying cognitive and neural markers of depression, stress, and treatment response using fMRI and EEG. As a master’s student, Genny worked in the APPEAR Lab with Dr. Rachel Rodgers, designing and conducting several studies examining how developmental, social, and cultural factors impact body image and disordered eating.

As a Ph.D. student, Genny’s clinical and research interests center around identifying transdiagnostic intra- and interpersonal mechanisms that drive mental health problems. Additionally, she is interested in studying protective factors, increasing their accessibility, and advancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion through her work. Her doctoral training has included clinical experience focused on exposure therapy and transdiagnostic CBT using the Unified Protocol, developing and testing a digital intuitive eating single-session intervention, and aiding in the creation and implementation of a mentored summer research program for historically marginalized undergraduates in Summer 2024

Isabel Cunha began the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program in Fall 2024. She is a member of Dr. Rachel Rodger’s APPEAR Lab. Her primary research interests include sociocultural influences of body image and eating disorders within the chronic illness community, the bidirectional relationship between chronic physical illnesses and overall mental health, and the role of perceived physical functionality on weight stigma and eating behavior. Her clinical interests include working with underrepresented individuals diagnosed with eating disorders and utilizing psychotherapy to aid with chronic pain and/or chronic gastrointestinal symptom management.

Prior to enrollment, she obtained her B.A. in Psychology and Cognitive Science from Rutgers University and her M.A. in Applied Psychology from Northeastern University. Her research experience in psychophysiology and managing clinical trials as an undergraduate and post-baccalaureate inspired her broad interest in the connection between physical and mental health. Prior and during her master’s, she obtained clinical experience working with individuals diagnosed with eating disorders both at an outpatient and residential level of care. She also has research and clinical experience in anxiety, OCD, and substance use populations.

Milena Braga is a PhD Candidate who entered the Counseling Psychology PhD program at Northeastern in the fall of 2022. She got her B.S. in psychology at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University her and her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at William James College in Newton, Massachusetts.

She is currently in the Mental Health Systems lab, led by her advisor, Dr. Donald Robinaugh. Her research interests are around the promotion of belonging to reduce adverse health outcomes and promote a sense of meaning in life. She is especially interested in doing this work in higher education and has worked and interned at both Stonehill College and Bridgewater State University’s Counseling Centers in pursuit of these interests.

  John Leman began the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at Northeastern University in 2023. He is currently a member of the Mental Health Systems Lab, where he works with advisor, Dr. Don Robinaugh, on projects related to grief and natural language processing. Together, they are collaborating with a team from the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital on a project examining the psychological and physiological mechanisms underlying prolonged grief—and how these mechanisms change in response to grief-focused treatment. 

Prior to enrolling in this program, John received his M.S.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling & Counselor Education from Indiana University Bloomington, where he taught undergraduate courses as an associate instructor and served as a research coordinator for a sexual violence prevention initiative with the Kinsey Institute. He also received his B.S. in Elementary Education—with a concentration in Special Education—from Taylor University. Before returning to graduate school, he served as a middle school special education teacher and worked in animal rescue.  

John’s academic interests include the psychophysiology of grief, developing culturally responsive treatment interventions for bereaved individuals from multicultural backgrounds, and, above all, teaching bright minds and strong hearts in the classroom setting—which is his favorite part of being in this program. When he is not busy with graduate school responsibilities, he is probably spending quality time with loved ones, hiking, skiing, drinking coffee, guessing answers incorrectly at trivia night, or playing pickleball—or perhaps unsuccessfully attempting to do all of these at once. 

Divya Hippolyte enrolled in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at Northeastern in 2024. Prior to Northeastern, Divya obtained her B.A. in Psychology from Boston University (2017) and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College (2020). Divya’s clinical practicum was at Boston College’s Alcohol and Drug Education program providing short-term, solutions-focused treatment to support harm reduction across the university.

At Northeastern, Divya works on the CHANGE Lab research team with Dr. Idia B. Thurston. Divya’s prior experience was aimed at understanding adolescent critical consciousness development, Black men’s experience in group counseling and relationships, and Asian-American women’s experience of racial trauma in the workplace. Her broad research interests include BIPOC health and wellness, psychosocial impacts of discrimination, and other social justice/equity topics related to building community-based support and intervention. 

Lily Hoerner received her Bachelor’s in Psychological Science from the University of Connecticut in 2020, and her Master’s in Community Psychology in 2024 from the University of New Haven. She began the Counseling Psychology PhD program in the Fall of 2024 at Northeastern University. Lily has several years of experience working in research with various content areas, including preventative research for adolescents at higher risk of opioid misuse, preventative research in addressing mental health stigma in adolescents, reentry programs and outcomes, research concerning treatment access during reentry, and research around trauma of those affected by mass incarceration.

At Northeastern, Lily is working under Dr. Christie Rizzo in the Adolescent Relationships and Risk Behavior Lab where she is assisting in prevention research aimed at reducing dating violence and other risk behaviors in various adolescent populations. During her Master’s, she completed a thesis concerning trauma and attachment for men coming out of prison and the ways in which this affected their parenting during reentry as a secondary analysis from a program evaluation of an attachment-based parenting program.

Lily is looking forward to her continued work at Northeastern and is interested in various reentry processes and the ways in which she can help people coming out of prison. Clinically, she is interested in working with populations affected by mass incarceration, including those in and coming out of prison. Lily plans to continue her research in the criminal justice space and evaluate programs that help this population.

Mackenzie joined the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program in Fall 2023, where she is a member of Dr. Rachel Rodger’s APPEAR lab. Her research interests include body image and eating concern risk among athletes, with an applied focus on intervention development. Mackenzie is also interested in the role of social media, climate change, objectification, and weight stigma on psychological health of young people.

Prior to starting at Northeastern, Mackenzie earned a B.A. in health studies from the University of Richmond and a M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology with clinical mental health counseling and sport psychology specializations from Boston University. 

Mackenzie has gained clinical experience in eating disorder treatment settings at Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) levels of care at Walden Behavioral Care, and the Behavioral Health Program PHP at McLean Hospital.

Jaylan Abd Elrahman, (She, Her) received her B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and her M.Ed. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, with a concentration in Child Advocacy.

She is currently a member of the Intersectionality Research Lab and her primary research interests rest at the nexus of adolescent identity development, trauma, culture and social change. She previously served in various research roles at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Brookings Institution and Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.

She has been actively involved in facilitating healing justice, youth development and community-based work across the nation for the last nine years, primarily with and for refugee, migrant, and young women of color. She welcomes all connections and can be reached at [email protected].

Laura Fischer received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island and an M.S. in Psychology from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

She has held positions across a variety of clinical, research, and community mental health settings, including the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Her primary clinical and research interests include empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders, mindfulness-based interventions, and the implications of intersecting identities for mental and physical health.

Madeline Manning has been a PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2017. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Communications from Stonehill College (2015) and her M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine (2017). She will be completing her pre-doctoral internship at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in the Neuropsychology Track with the goal of pursuing a career in Pediatric Neuropsychology.

Prior to beginning her doctoral training, Madeline worked as a mental health counselor in the adult inpatient psychiatric unit at Tufts Medical Center. She also worked as a clinical research assistant at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic (PARC) at Bradley Hospital and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital where she helped conduct research on the dissemination of treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/other anxiety related disorders in children and exploring factors which impact adolescent suicidality post-inpatient level of care.

During her graduate training, she completed clinical practicum experiences at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Rhode Island Hospital Pediatric Neuropsychology Program, Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessment at Butler Hospital Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Hasbro Children’s Sleep Disorder Clinic, Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospitalization Program, Boston Children’s at Martha Eliot Health Center (Mental Health Clinic and Early Intervention Program), and Franciscan Children’s Hospital Community Based Acute Treatment (CBAT) Unit.

She is part of the Adolescent Relationships and Risk Behavior Research Lab and the More Fun with Sisters and Brothers Research Lab, and also completed the Early Intervention Certification Program at Northeastern. Madeline’s primary research interests include exploring the protective factors that promote resilience in children and adolescents, as well as integrating community and individual resilience to violence and trauma. Madeline also has interests in the areas of adolescent dating violence prevention, pediatric psychology, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders.

Chantal Muse received an M.A. from Chatham University and a B.A. from Duquesne University. Previously, she worked on a study examining how employment status effects the health and well-being of Sub-Saharan African women. Also, she held a clinical position at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Acute Adult Trauma Unit and the Comprehensive Services and Recovery Unit. Her primary research and clinical interests are working with cancer patients, examining the patient-provider relationship, specifically the relationship between African-American women with breast cancer and white doctors, and health communication.

Kaitlyn Schneider received an M.S. from Villanova University and a B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Her primary research interests are in the areas of domestic violence, attachment, and trauma. Her previous work has explored the development of a rater-based method to measure secondary attachment strategies enacted within the maternal-fetal attachment relationship. She has also previously worked clinically with clients experiencing domestic violence.