Kaylyn Garcia (she/her/hers) is a Psychology Fellow within the Yale Department of Psychiatry's Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology. Her primary placement is at The Consultation Center (TCC), and her secondary placement is at the Substance Use and Addiction Treatment Unit (SATU). She is a doctoral candidate in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of South Carolina. Utilizing community-based participatory research approaches, Kaylyn partners withcommunities to identify health priorities and co-create health programs, while examiningcommunity-academic partnerships and systems-level initiatives to promote health equity. More recently, she has begun exploring the intersection between substance use and moral injury as an emerging area of research. In her clinical work, Kaylyn integrates third-wave cognitive therapies and an ecological systems framework to support adults presenting primarily with substance use, moral injury, and trauma-related concerns. Kaylyn holds a BA in Psychology from Western Oregon University and an MA in Community Psychology from the University of New Haven. She also worked as a Research Associate at The Consultation Center at Yale University for two years prior to her doctoral studies.
Current Fellows
Connecticut Mental Health Center
Organizations on this page
Consultation, Prevention, & Program Evaluation Services - The Consultation Center
Substance use Services - Substance Use Treatment Unit (SATU)
- Carlos (he/him/él) is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PsyD program at Albizu University in Miami, Florida. He earned his Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Albizu University and completed his Bachelor of Science in Psychology in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Carlos has clinical experience in community mental health and correctional settings. He received a HRSA funded training award that provided specialized instruction in opioid use disorder treatment within multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Carlos has also worked with justice involved individuals in reentry programs, which strengthened his understanding of the challenges people face during community reintegration. Carlos uses an integrative approach that combines cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic techniques and incorporates motivational interviewing and trauma informed care in both English and Spanish. His research interests focus on improving treatment for substance use disorders, particularly for underserved populations. His doctoral dissertation examines the safety and efficacy of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy for substance use disorders. Outside of psychology, Carlos enjoys hiking, reading novels, traveling, and spending time with his dog and family. Carlos is excited to join the Yale community as a fellow at the Substance use and Addiction Treatment Unit and the Hispanic Clinic.
- Sonia Ruiz (she/her) is a predoctoral psychology fellow in the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Her primary placement is at the Substance use and Addiction Treatment Unit, and her secondary placement is at The Consultation Center. Sonia is a doctoral candidate in the clinical psychology PhD program at Yale University. Her clinical training has focused on supporting individuals with substance use disorders, trauma-related symptoms, and chronic emotion dysregulation across outpatient community mental health and intensive outpatient hospital settings. Her approach is integrative, drawing from cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic principles. Broadly, her research has examined learning and decision-making related to substance use, particularly how negative consequences are considered during decision-making. Originally from the Bay Area, CA, Sonia has been honored to call New Haven home for the past several years, and is grateful to continue her training here as a psychology fellow.
Hispanic Behavioral Health Services - The Hispanic Clinic
- Monica Sanchez (she/her/ella) is a predoctoral psychology fellow in the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Monica's primary internship placement is with the Hispanic Behavioral Health Services - Hispanic Clinic and a secondary placement at Child and Adolescent Services. Monica is a graduate student in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program at the University of Georgia, where she also earned her M.Ed. in Professional Counseling. In her clinical work, Monica supports clients in healing from traumatic experiences through a decolonial and feminist lens. As a bilingual clinician, she also provides culturally responsive therapy to Spanish-speaking clients, attending to the ways identity, systemic factors, and lived experiences shape mental health. Her research centers the use of immigrant mother daughter conversations as a space for healing within Latiné families. She is also interested in researching supervision practices with marginalized clinicians, qualitative methods with diverse populations, and culturally responsive approaches to trauma within Latiné communities.
Adult Community Mental Health
- Stevi Ibonie (she/her/hers) is a predoctoral psychology fellow in the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Her primary placement this year is at Adult Community Mental Health Services with a secondary placement at the Community Services Network at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Stevi is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) with certificates in Cognitive Science and College Teaching. She graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara, with an undergraduate degree in psychology and minor in counseling, clinical, and school psychology. Stevi’s research focuses on understanding social functioning and relationships in the context of psychopathology. Her dissertation work implemented an awe-based mindfulness walk in nature-based settings and at an art museum to improve individual and social well-being. In her clinical work, Stevi has provided individual and group therapy in both psychiatric inpatient and outpatient settings. She integrates third-wave cognitive therapies like CBT, DBT, and ACT, and mindfulness-based approaches to support recovery. She is especially interested in the integration of research and practice to develop accessible interventions to promote well-being in individuals affected by serious mental illness.
- Anna Grace (Gracie) Kelly is a predoctoral psychology fellow in the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Gracie's placements are in Adult Community Mental Health and Adult Inpatient Services, both at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Gracie is a doctoral candidate in the clinical psychology program at George Mason University. Her research focuses on the experiences of individuals navigating both serious mental illness and chronic medical conditions. In addition, Gracie is interested in the social processes of internalized stigma, help-seeking, and patient-provider relationships, and enjoys psychometrics and research methods.
Young Adult Services
- Daniella is a Predoctoral Psychology Fellow at the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Daniella’s primary internship placement is in the Young Adult Services with a secondary placement at Child & Adolescent Services. Daniella is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Case Western Reserve University. Her clinical training has focused on the treatment of mood, anxiety, and traumatic stress disorders across the developmental lifespan, with a focus on adolescents and emerging adults. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults across outpatient hospital settings, clinical trials, and community mental health centers such as the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth Medical Center. Her research focuses on the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions for traumatic stress among marginalized populations. Daniella holds a B.A. in Psychology from New York University and a M.A. in Psychology from Case Western Reserve University. She also completed a post-baccalaureate research position at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School's Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders.
Adult Inpatient Services
- Yan Mei Nie (she/her) is a predoctoral psychology fellow in the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Her placement is with Adult Inpatient Services at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Yan Mei is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Adelphi University. Her interdisciplinary academic background includes dual B.S. degrees in Psychology and Biology, as well as an M.S. in Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities. Yan Mei’s research focuses on interpersonal processes in psychotherapy and the development of the therapeutic alliance. Her dissertation examines how patients’ interpersonal problems influence the therapeutic alliance across treatment and how the alliance develops and changes over time. Her broader research interests include psychosis and serious mental illness. She is also interested in the intersection of law, psychiatry, and psychology, particularly the application of psychological research and clinical science to forensic evaluation and the care of individuals with serious mental illness involved in legal and forensic settings. Clinically, Yan Mei has trained across hospital-based psychiatric settings, including inpatient psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, and psychiatric emergency services at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. She also has experience providing outpatient psychotherapy to both adults and children across a range of clinical presentations. Additionally, Yan Mei has several years of experience with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, where she worked as both a Crisis Counselor and a Quality Improvement Specialist. Her clinical approach is grounded in psychodynamic theory while integrating CBT, DBT, ACT, and other evidence-based approaches to support recovery among individuals with serious mental illness. She is particularly interested in expanding her training in psychosis treatment, forensic psychological assessment, and behavioral interventions.
Yale New Haven Hospital
Organizations on this page
Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Kelly Klein is a predoctoral psychology fellow in the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Kelly's primary internship placement is in the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Outpatient Program. Kelly is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at American University. Her clinical training has focused on evidence-based treatments for adolescents and adults with emotion dysregulation, personality pathology, trauma-related disorders, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors across outpatient, hospital, and community mental health settings. Her research examines emotion regulation, interpersonal functioning, and suicide risk using ecological momentary assessment and intensive longitudinal methods to characterize within-person processes that can inform more personalized prevention and intervention efforts, including digital mental health approaches.
- Martin Wilkins (he/him) is a predoctoral psychology fellow in the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Martin's primary internship placement is in the Adult DBT Service at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Martin is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Hofstra University. His clinical training has focused on evidence-based cognitive-behavioral and third-wave therapies, including DBT and ACT, working with individuals presenting with OCD, mood disorders, emotion dysregulation, and high-risk behaviors across levels of care, in settings including Hofstra University's DBT and ACT Clinics, the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy, and Northwell Health's Zucker Hillside Hospital. His research centers on how emotion regulation, identity, and social context shape psychological distress and resilience, with a particular focus on how conformity to traditional masculine norms predicts suicide risk in men through emotional awareness and acquired capability for suicide, aiming to inform more effective and gender-sensitive prevention efforts.
Behavioral Medicine Services
- Madeline Foster (she/her; MSPH, MA) is a Behavioral Medicine Clinical Psychology Fellow at Yale School of Medicine and a doctoral candidate at Fielding Graduate University. Originally from Australia, she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Melbourne, followed by a Master of Public Health from King’s College London and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Fielding. Madeline completed predoctoral externships in behavioral medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her clinical work focuses on the psychosocial complexities of serious illness and the application of cognitive-behavioral and existential interventions in medical settings. She specializes in addressing health-related anxiety, adjustment to illness, existential concerns, and treatment-related side effects, with an emphasis on maintaining quality of life and adherence to care. She also has an interest in psychological assessment in oncology, transplant, and pain populations. As a clinical researcher, Madeline’s work examines factors that promote psychological strengths and well-being among individuals with medical conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, and arthritis. She also explores women’s health, particularly how physical activity may mitigate the psychological and cognitive impacts of menopause.
- Edgardo (he/him/él) is a Clinical Fellow within the Yale Department of Psychiatry's Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology, primarily working within the Behavioral Medicine Service at Yale New Haven Hospital. His primary placements are within the Psycho-Oncology and Digestive Health programs, and his secondary placement is in Cardiovascular Research. Edgardo is a Clinical Psychology doctoral candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Born in California and raised in Iowa, he holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Iowa and an M.A. from UCLA. He previously worked as a research manager at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, leading efforts within cancer health equity research programs. His research centers on social determinants of health, sociocultural processes and coping among historically marginalized communities experiencing health-related adversity. His dissertation explores how cultural values and social network factors work to shape depression and multimorbidity burden over time in Latino adults. He aims to develop time-limited, culturally responsive interventions that advance health equity in underserved communities experiencing chronic illness. Clinically, he employs an integrative third-wave cognitive behavioral therapy approach that adapts to the evolving needs of individuals across settings and is rooted in social justice to nurture resilience.
Gender Program
- Nikola Vehabovic is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. They earned an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, along with an Advanced Certificate in Sexuality, Women, and Gender, and received a B.A. in Psychology with Honors and High Distinction from the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Nikola’s research and clinical interests focus on transgender and gender diverse mental health, affirming care, and the ways relationships, identity, and resilience shape well-being across the lifespan. Their work has examined gender euphoria, barriers to affirming care, and provider responses to transgender and gender diverse adults, and their current dissertation explores intimacy, sexuality, and relationships among older transgender adults. Across their training, Nikola has worked in community, research, and integrated behavioral health settings with a strong commitment to affirming and evidence-based care. They are especially excited to continue supporting gender diverse youth and families.