2023 Psychology Section Graduation Honors Fellows, Faculty

The Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry’s Psychology Section celebrated the graduation of its class of 2023 last month.

Fourteen fellows in the Doctoral Internship in Clinical & Community Psychology were honored in the annual commencement ceremony, held June 6, 2023. The ceremony marked the completion of the fellows’ one-year internship at Yale, the final step toward obtaining their doctorate in psychology.

Diplomas were presented to:

• Emily Farina, a fellow in the Adult Community Mental Health, placements in adult outpatient and inpatient services at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC)
• Caroline Ferreira, a fellow at the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit and at the adult mental health services at CMHC
• Jessica Flori, a fellow with primary placement at the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit (SATU) and secondary placement at the CMHC adult outpatient services
• Frances Griffith, a fellow with a primary placement at The Consultation Center (TCC) and a secondary placement at Adult Community Mental Health at CMHC
• Helen Hailes, a fellow in Adult Community Mental Health at CMHC, with placements in outpatient and inpatient services
• Tina Halabian, a fellow in the Young Adult and Child and Adolescent Services programs at the Connecticut Mental Health Center
• Madeleine Hardt, a fellow in the Behavioral Medicine Service at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), where she completed rotations in transplant, cardiovascular medicine, palliative care, psycho[1]oncology, sleep medicine, pain medicine, and tobacco treatment
• Allura Ralston, a fellow in the Yale Pediatric Gender Program
• Samantha Romero, a fellow at the Hispanic Clinic at CMHC
• Natasha Sidhu, a fellow in Adult DBT Intensive Outpatient Services at YNHH, and participated in a year-long elective with the Long-Term Care Clinic
• Sydney Simmons, a fellow with placements at The Consultation Center and the West Haven Mental Health Clinic’s Child and Adolescent Service
• Daniel Tso, a fellow in the adult inpatient services at CMHC
• Emily Weiss, a fellow in the Adult DBT Intensive Outpatient Program at YNHH
• Kelcie Willis, a fellow in the Behavioral Medicine Service at YNHH, where she completed rotations in psycho-oncology, palliative care, sleep medicine, chronic pain management, smoking cessation, and digestive health

The Psychology Section within the Yale Department of Psychiatry offers one of the nation’s premier internships in clinical and community psychology, developing the next generation of leaders in this field. Over 15 students are accepted annually to this program, which has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1970. Psychology Fellows apply to one of nine training rotations based at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) and Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH). Students typically complete this clinically-oriented internship as the final year of a five-year program of graduate study, which leads to a PhD or PsyD.

The annual graduation of fellows also serves as an occasion to recognize faculty within the Psychology Section. The following awards were conferred this year:

• Michelle Comas, PhD, for Outstanding Contributions as a Supervisor
• Rebecca Miller, PhD, for Outstanding Contributions as a Teacher
• Jennifer McQuaid, PhD, for Outstanding Contributions to Psychology Training
• Allison Kalpakci, PhD, for Outstanding Contributions to Psychology Training