Lab Members

Current Graduate Students

Matt Crowley

Clinical Doctoral Student (2018-Present)
Contact: mdc3606@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Improving the treatment outcomes of PTSD in the military population, and how to use novel technologies to improve the dissemination of evidence-based treatments.

Kendall Whitney-Snel

Clinical Doctoral Student (2020-Present)
Contact: kew6331@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Exploring sexual assault trauma outcomes in order to better inform prevention and intervention strategies. Additionally, she is interested in researching the comorbidity of trauma and mental illness.

Leyli Beims-Ukens

Clinical Doctoral Student (2021-Present)
Contact: leb9224@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Validating and improving PTSD/trauma interventions, and improving access and reducing barriers to PTSD/trauma interventions. She is also interested in assessing the impact of education on rates of sexual assault and attitudes/beliefs regarding sexual assault and consent, and understanding sexual assault and consent, particularly in the LGBTQ+ population.

Dayana Villarreal

Clinical Doctoral Student (2021-Present)
Contact: ldv0460@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Exploring the interaction of sleep and emotion processing/regulation among individuals exposed to trauma. Examining factors that contribute to the susceptibility for the onset of PTSD and other comorbid conditions following exposure to trauma.

Christy Mather

Clinical Doctoral Student (2021-Present)
Contact: cem4201@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: My research explores the etiology and therapeutic approaches for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related trauma-induced disorders, with a particular focus on the intersection of interpersonal trauma and institutional betrayal. Additionally, I am interested in the role of sleep as a medicine in understanding and addressing these conditions.

Aditi Verma

Clinical Doctoral Student (2022-Present)
Contact: adv0143@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Researching sexual revictimization in childhood maltreatment survivors; studying potential risk factors like maladaptive coping strategies that contribute to subsequent trauma post-exposure to traumatic events. Looking at psychological trauma from a global perspective; adding to and improving clinical interventions that promote resilience and decrease the vulnerability of the survivor.

Melody Robinson

Clinical Doctoral Student (2022-Present)
Contact: mdr3347@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Sexual violence among women and bisexual individuals, experiences of shame and self-blame among survivors, protective mechanisms against trauma like self-compassion, and improving trauma interventions and advocacy for diverse survivors (e.g., LGBTQ+, disabled). Melody is a Disability, Advocacy, and Research Network member. For information, see: www.darndisability.org

Current Undergraduate Student Members

Amanda Schwenke, Senior
Teresa Nguyen, Junior

For undergraduates who are interested in joining our lab, please email the lab manager, Aditi Verma, for consideration.

The Hall of Lab Managers

These are the proud men and women who have had the privilege of serving as TRAPT Lab Manager.

Graduate Student Lab Alumni

Tim McDermott, Ph.D. (2017-2023)

Contact: tjm2973@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Improving treatment outcomes for individuals with PTSD by integrating findings from neuroimaging. Using neuroimaging to predict which individuals will best respond to what type of treatment and to predict long-term treatment outcomes.

Caitlin Paquet, Ph.D. (2018-2023)

Contact: cbp6442@utulsa.edu
Research Interests: Understanding the role that sleep plays in the etiology and maintenance of mental health disorders especially stress and anxiety-related disorders. She is also interested in improving EBP for co-morbid insomnia and mental health disorders through better understanding the relationship between sleep and mental health.

Jenny Lee, Ph.D. (2016-2022)

Contact: jyl266@utulsa.edu
Internship Site: Minneapolis VA
Postdoctoral Site: Minneapolis VA
Current Employment: Minneapolis VA
About: I am a staff psychologist in the Primary Care Mental Health Integration clinic. I provide treatments for behavioral health concerns and conduct brief psychodiagnostic and cognitive evaluations.

Chelsea Cogan, Ph.D. (2015-2021)

Internship Site: Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC, Denver, CO
Postdoctoral Site: Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention, Denver, CO
Current Employment: Staff Psychologist at Psychology Specialists of MaineAbout: After leaving graduate school and academia, I have worked hard to differentiate myself from my career. I spend the majority of my time with friends and family and engaging in various hobbies. In my spare time, I work as a staff psychologist at a group practice doing individual treatment and leading DBT skills groups.

Ashley N Clausen, Ph.D. (2014-2018)

Contact: aclausen@saint-lukes.org, ashley.n.clausen@gmail.com
Internship Site: Durham VAMC
Postdoctoral Site: joint research fellowship with Duke University Brain Imaging and Analysis Center and the VISN 6 MIRECC (neuroimaging and neuropsychology)
Current Employment: Clinical Neuropsychologist at Saint Luke’s Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute
About: I currently work as an outpatient adult clinical neuropsychologist in a medical setting. I conduct evaluations to assess current neuropsychological status and provide differential evaluations in patients with cognitive complaints. My specialty is assessment of TBI and vascular-related events (e.g., stroke or metabolic-related changes). I have a joint appointment at the University of Kansas Medical Center as an assistant professor. My primary function in that role is training and research. I provide didactics related to assessment and treatment of TBI and continue to conduct TBI-related research.

Rachel Micol, Ph.D. (2012-2018)

Contact: rachel@collaborativepsychcenter.com
Internship Site: VA Boston Healthcare Center
Postdoctoral Site: VA Boston Healthcare Center, PTSD
Current Employment: Owner, Licensed Psychologist, Collaborative Psychology Center, LLC
About: I am a psychologist in my own private practice. I provide individual therapy, consult, and conduct assessments to address trauma-related difficulties in adult populations.

Katherine Miller, Ph.D. (2009-2016)

Contact: katherine.miller13@va.gov
Internship Site: Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Postdoctoral Site: National Center for PTSD, D&T Division, VA Palo Alto Health Care System & Stanford University School of Medicine
Current Employment: Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Clinician Investigator TeamAbout: Dr. Miller is a clinical psychologist on the Clinician Investigator Team at the Minneapolis VA, where she conducts research on the assessment and treatment of sleep disturbances, with a particular interest in nightmares and ambulatory technology, and provides behavioral sleep medicine and trauma-related treatment services.

Kelsey Hancock (2013-2016)

Contact: kelsey-hancock@utulsa.edu
Current Employment: Compliance Officer for Campus Safety and the University of Tulsa
About: The compliance officer for campus safety works closely with the chief compliance officer and the Office of General Counsel updating the status of open investigations, compliance requirements and deadlines as well as with other internal offices to ensure compliance, aid in furthering the goal of the university and to ensure the learning and working environment is safe, respectful, open, diverse and inclusive. They also review, monitor and enforce university policies and educational practices related to campus safety, violence prevention and drug and alcohol awareness at The University of Tulsa; compile and submit mandatory reports to external reporting bodies; and lead education, training, prevention and awareness efforts within these compliance fields for students, faculty and staff. Hancock holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from TU.

Rachael Swopes, Ph.D. (2008-2012)

Contact: rmswopes@gmail.com
Internship Site: Duke University Medical Center
Postdoctoral Site: Behavioral Healthcare of Rural Missouri
Current Employment: Citizens Memorial Hospital – Pediatric Clinic
About: Pediatric psychologist, currently doing therapy and psychological evaluations in an outpatient primary care setting, working with ages 0-18.

Certified in TF-CBT and PCIT therapies. Clinical director for outpatient behavioral health therapy services at CMH. Director of school-based therapy program and ED behavioral assessment team.

Kristi E. Pruiksma, PhD, DBSM (2005-2011)

Contact: pruiksma@uthscsa.edu
Internship site: Southern Arizona VA Health Care System
Postdoctoral site: STRONG STAR Research Consortium, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Current employment: University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioAbout: Dr. Pruiksma is an Associate Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist board certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Her research and clinical interests center on behavioral sleep medicine and treatment evaluation for co-occurring sleep and psychological disorders. I aim to help determine and disseminate the optimal evidence-based approaches for treating co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleep disturbances, particularly among active-duty military personnel. She serve as an investigator, research therapist trainer, and supervisor with the STRONG STAR Consortium which is the world’s largest research center dedicated to the development and evaluation of the most effective detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment programs possible for combat-related PTSD and related conditions, including nightmares and insomnia.

Christiane “Nina” Schneider

Contact: nschnitz@gmail.com
Internship Site: Lexington, KY VA Medical Center
Postdoctoral Site: Continued at Lexington, KY VA Medical Center
Current employment: Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (Savannah, GA CBOC)About: I am the section chief of the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic for the community-based outpatient clinic in Savannah, GA. I also am involved in research for PTSD through the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Undergraduate Student Lab Alumni

• Gillian McPhail
• Abhinita Premkumar
• Sara Altawil
• Madeline Hudson
• Alec Baxter
• Kallyn Meyer
• Emily Moore
• Kim Shields
• Anna Jaffe
• Joe Tomlins
• Melissa Ebel
• Kim Hill
• Melissa Tibbits
• David Richardson
• Donica Romeo
• Marcy Elder
• Jordan Heroux
• Julie Burch
• Monica Steele
• Doug Griesenauer
• Shanna Niccum
• Jennifer Allen
• Rachel Lee
• Laura Luke
• Julian Frazier
• Sonja Worthy
• Gabriella Pierce
• Patrizia Perazzo
• Taylor Haag
• Rachel Perry
• Westley Youngren
• Destinee Yandell
• Bri Trappe
• Elisabeth Akeman
• Sarah-Nicole Johnson
• Savannah Phillips
• Mariah Rubino
• Ashley Bailey
• Hannah Cole