While psychologists have been training at the Child Study Center since its inception, the formal predoctoral internship program began in 1977. APA approval was granted in 1981, and in 1989 the psychology faculty embarked upon a plan to develop a two year coordinated predoctoral internship and post-graduate fellowship. We are delighted to welcome six new Psychology Fellows to the Program:
Kevin Coleman, M.A., the first year Pediatrics Fellow, is currently a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. program at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. Kevin earned his B.A. in Family and Human Services with a minor in Psychology from John Brown University in 2007. During his undergraduate studies, Kevin conducted research examining the psychological traits associated with foster parent retention and completed an internship with Arkansas’ Department of Human Services. Prior to beginning his doctoral program, Kevin worked for several years as a Mental Health Specialist with children, adolescents, and adults in inpatient and partial hospitalization settings. During graduate school, Kevin completed his clinical training with under-resourced children and families within two large medical centers in Chicago where he provided psychological services to the outpatient pediatric oncology and endocrinology clinics, inpatient medical and pediatric intensive care units, pediatric and adult emergency rooms, and adolescent/young adult primary care clinic. His primary clinical interests include: developmental psychopathology, play therapy, family therapy, and psychological interventions with children diagnosed with acute and chronic medical illnesses. Kevin’s research experience includes involvement with the Applied Research Lab of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) where he studied factors promoting resilience and recovery in children exposed to extreme stressors and trauma. His dissertation examines the role of helping behavior in moderating the relationship between resource loss and posttraumatic stress in survivors of Hurricane Katrina. As a former college tennis player, Kevin enjoys spending his spare time on the tennis court competing in leagues and tournaments.
Naama de la Fontaine, M.A., the first year Child Trauma Fellow, is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University. Following her move from Israel to New York, Naama completed her B.A. in Psychology at Queens College. After graduating with high honors, Naama led a research team investigating the neuropsychological and behavioral manifestations of Pervasive Developmental Disorders in animal models. Complimenting her research interest, Naama worked as an Applied Behavioral Analysis Specialist and as an Art Counselor at A.C.E Preschool Head Start, treating underserved children diagnosed with autism as well as children exhibiting an array of behavioral and emotional difficulties. Naama’s dedication to the study and treatment of psychological trauma ignited her dissertation topic which examines the effects of the 2006 Second Lebanon War on Israeli soldiers’ psychological wellbeing as well as spiritual and political ideologies. During her graduate training, Naama gained extensive clinical experience in the area of trauma, working at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Child and Family Support Program, with survivors of sexual abuse, followed by the adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit at Brooklyn Children’s Center. Most recently she has gained both clinical and research experience through her work with 9/11 first responders at the Bellevue/NYU World Trade Center Health Program. Naama was recently awarded a Teaching Fellowship position and is currently teaching a graduate level course on trauma at Adelphi University. Naama is passionate about specializing in trauma prevention and treatment and is particularly interested in the psychological effects of political trauma. Naama enjoys creating artwork, traveling, and spending time with friends. She is married to Rafi, an architect, and both, along with their mini Australian Shepherd Bella, are excited about their move to Connecticut!
Rebecca Doggett, M.A.,a first year Autism Fellow, is currently a Ph.D. student in the Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Rebecca received her B.A. from Yale University, where she double majored in psychology and music. Following her graduation, she stayed at Yale to earn her Masters in Clarinet Performance from the Yale School of Music while working concurrently as a research assistant in the Yale Child Study Center Developmental Disabilities Clinic. At UCSB, Rebecca was awarded the Louis H. Towbes fellowship, a multi-year award, for showing exceptional potential as a graduate student. Rebecca’s primary clinical and research involvement has been through the UCSB Koegel Autism Center. She has had extensive training in Pivotal Response Treatment by Drs. Robert and Lynn Koegel and has served as a behavioral therapist and parent educator for many families with children on the autism spectrum. Rebecca is particularly interested in designing interventions to improve social conversation in children with autism. Her dissertation investigates the effect of a self-management intervention on social conversation skills, such as topic maintenance and question-asking, in adolescents with autism. Outside of psychology, Rebecca loves playing and attending concerts, baking, and playing tennis.
Jennifer Foss-Feig, M.S., one of the first year Autism Fellows, is currently a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University. Jen received her B.A. from Williams College in 2004, completing a double major in psychology and chemistry with a concentration in neuroscience. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked as lab manager in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Georgetown University, conducting functional neuroimaging studies of executive functioning in children with ADHD and autism. At Vanderbilt, Jen has completed practicum placements in outpatient assessment and therapy, working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders across the lifespan, as well as with children having a range of psychological, developmental, and neurological disorders. Jen completed her master’s thesis on timing aspects of auditory-visual integration in school-age children with autism and, in 2009, received a Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowship from Autism Speaks to pursue a follow-up study, using EEG to examine the neural correlates of basic sensory processing and cross-modal integration. For her dissertation project, she is looking at the relation between rapid auditory temporal processing and aspects of language, sensory, and social functioning in children on the autism spectrum. Jen is a Connecticut native and is thrilled to be returning to the northeast, seeing more of friends and family, and having access to both ocean and mountains within easy driving distance!
Sarah Gray, M.A., the first year Early Childhood Fellow, is currently a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Sarah graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a degree in History in 2004 before completing a yearlong post-baccalaureate Harris Fellowship in Child Development at the Yale Child Study Center. She then returned to her home state of Louisiana in 2005, where she taught high school for 3 years. As a graduate student at UMass Boston, Sarah has published research articles and chapters in the areas of early-emerging psychopathology and gender variant youth, and her master’s thesis on school readiness won the Maxwell Schleifer Prize for Best Child Thesis. Her dissertation examines the impact of parent factors, including the parent-child relationship, parent insight, and parent psychopathology, on the social-emotional functioning of low-income preschool-aged children exposed to violence. For the past two years, she has been completing pre-doctoral clinical training at the Yale Child Study Center Outpatient Clinic, where she has worked in group, family, and individual treatment modalities. She is currently a Zero to Three Leader for the 21st Century Fellow. Outside of her professional interests, Sarah enjoys spending time with her spouse, family, and friends, playing the banjo, knitting, and canoe camping.
Lindsay Scharfstein, M.S., the first year Anxiety Disorders Fellow, is currently a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. She received her B.A. in 2005 from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. While at UMD, Lindsay majored in Psychology and worked with research mentors in the areas of the etiology, developmental course, clinical manifestation, and treatment response for clinical disorders. She continued this line of work as a research assistant at the Penn State College of Medicine-Hershey Medical Center, an extern at the Children’s National Medical Center, and a graduate student at UCF, resulting in several peer-reviewed journal publications and national presentations. Lindsay is particularly interested in the direct comparison of diagnostic groups with a shared symptom presentation (e.g., anxiety, social skill impairment) to better understand the unique clinical features of each disorder and inform the development of optimal remediation efforts for each diagnostic group. Lindsay’s dissertation examines the social behavior, physiological arousal, anxiety, and peer acceptance of children with anxiety disorders. Lindsay’s clinical training includes individual, group, family, and virtual reality therapy modalities, inpatient and outpatient therapy across multiple age groups, parent training, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and behavioral, physiological, sleep, diagnostic, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological assessment. Outside of Lindsay’s professional interests, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.