Deziah Bermudez

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: ethnic-racial identity; resilience in ethnic-racial minorities

Deziah is originally from New York, where she graduated from Molloy College with her B.S. in Psychology. Prior to attending Florida State, Deziah worked as a Recreation Therapist at a medical model Adult Day Health Care Program. She plans to conduct research that addresses the shortcomings in theoretical frameworks of child development by contributing knowledge on the factors that make the minority developmental process unique.

Nakita Carroll

• Program: Marriage & Family Therapy
• Research: Impact of the African American experience on roles in the family system, family resilience, and wellness

Nakita is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Florida. She earned her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she also earned a certificate in Play Therapy. Nakita has worked with the homeless population in community mental health, served as an administrator at a research institute providing relationship education to the community, and started her private practice in 2016. 

Kaley de Leon

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: Family Life Education program evaluation and implementation; marriage and relationship education

Kaley de Leon is an in-flight doctoral student and is also a Program Associate at the Florida Center for Prevention Research where she assists with research projects that aim to evaluate programs in the areas of adolescent pregnancy prevention and marriage education. Through her specialized coursework at FSU, she obtained her license as a provisional Certified Family Life Educator.

Lenka Feng

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: parent-child relationships; child emotional development; parenting; cultural diversity

Lenka is an in-flight doctoral student originally from Beijing, China. She graduated from Ohio State University with her B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in Education. She has two years of experience working in child developmental labs and has held an internship in a primary school. Lenka also has experience as an intern in a youth psychiatric hospital. These undergraduate experiences helped her to focus her research interests in parenting and parent-child relationships. She wants to understand how parents’ behaviors and relationships influence their child’s development and how these factors contribute to a better family environment for child growth.

Soojin Han

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: multigenerational family patterns; emotionally-focused therapy; experiential approach; parental attachment and parent-child relationships

Soojin is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in the State of Florida. She is originally from Seoul, South Korea and earned her B.A. with a double major in Counseling Psychology and Social Welfare from Handong Global University in Pohang, South Korea. She then completed her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Wheaton College. Soojin worked as an Associate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Illinois at a private practice mainly working with Korean immigrant families. Soojin is interested in empowering clients to rebuild trustful relationships with family members by providing evidence-based systemic therapy and mentoring future generations of marriage and family therapists by teaching and supervision.

Alexis Hughes

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: anxious solitude in childhood; development of psychopathology (particularly eating disorders); childhood victimization

Alexis is an in-flight doctoral student. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University in Family and Child Sciences and Psychology. Through her research, she hopes to gain a better understanding of factors that influence the development of psychopathology.

Valentina Iturriaga

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: resilience; immigrant families; health disparities in marginalized and underserved populations; intergenerational transmission; emotion regulation; systemic inequities

Valentina received a B.A. in Psychology and a certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from Florida International University, and an M.S./Ed.S. in Mental Health Counseling from Florida State University. Valentina’s research interests include trauma and resilience, intergenerational transmission, emotion regulation and the impact of structural inequities on marginalized populations, specifically undocumented immigrant families and Latinx populations. After graduation, her goals are to work in an academic setting and continue to pursue her research interests. She hopes her research contributes to the well-being of underserved families.

Karina Jalapa Sandoval

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: maternal depression, stress, and trauma; developmental trauma; resilience in children; cross-cultural research

Karina was born in Toluca, Mexico but considers Fort Worth, Texas to be her home since she moved there after her first birthday. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. Karina is interested in studying the outcomes of maternal stress, trauma, and depression on pre and postnatal development and why some children exposed to these early childhood stressors develop resilience while others do not. She is also interested in examining cross-cultural differences in children exposed to trauma, specifically within Latinx populations. Karina plans on staying in academia so that she can pursue her passion for research and teaching.

Echo Jiao

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: parent-child relationship; family dynamics; adolescents' socio-economic development; cultural difference in parenting practices

Echo has lived in three different countries so far: Beijing (China), South Africa, and Hong Kong. Echo graduated from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) with her Honors degree in Psychology and completed her M.A. in Family and Child Education from the Education University of Hong Kong. Echo had two years of working experience as a research assistant at multiple universities in Hong Kong prior to attending Florida State University. Being exposed to multiple cultures also deepens her interest in understanding the impacts of socio-cultural factors on family relationships and parenting practices.

Trinity Johnston

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: child well-being; family and child therapy; child emotional development; parent-child relationships; implications of attachment theory; parenting

Trinity was born in Lakeland, Florida and has always wanted to attend Florida State University. She graduated from FSU with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Child Development. Her research interests surround child well-being, parenting, and parent-child relationships. She is specifically interested in how environmental factors can impact a child’ s development and growth.

Celia Tseyen Lee

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: cultural differences in family dynamics; parental divorce and interparental conflict; parent-child relationships; adolescent development

Celia is an in-flight doctoral student. Her research interests include the influence of family relationships (such as parental divorce, interparental conflict, and parent-child relationship quality) on adolescents, as well as cultural differences in family dynamics. Through her research, she hopes to understand and minimize the negative outcomes caused by strained family relationships, and advocate for the many children that have been affected by such poignant circumstances.

Chorong Lee

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: parent-child relationships; cultural differences in parenting; young children's social and emotional development; evidence-based practices in family therapy.

Chorong received her master’s degree in school counseling at Purdue University and worked as a lecturer and researcher before coming to Florida State University. Her research interests include parent child relationships, mother’s mental health and children’s emotional development, cultural differences in parenting, and evidence based practices for family and child therapy.

Dylann Lowery

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: generational trauma transmission through parenting styles for families with lower resources and higher risk for exposure; biopsychosocial lifespan implications among individuals who experienced complex trauma (i.e., abuse, neglect, maltreatment) in early childhood (ages 0 – 4); social-ecological play therapy interventions in systemic trauma-based clinical practice; posttraumatic adaptation and resiliency among survivors of complex trauma; couples who have experienced dual trauma and the ability to navigate romantic relationships; couple outcomes and systemic treatment in relationships with Intimate Partner Violence

Dylann received her B.S. in Human Development and Family Science and B.S. in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University. Following her undergraduate studies, she pursued a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Auburn University. Dylann has served in a wide variety of clinical settings including working with underserved populations of the Tuskegee/Auburn/Opelika cities. Her clinical focus is providing trauma-informed care for families with children ages 4 -12. Upon graduation from Florida State University, Dylann wants to continue research to influence trauma intervention within families.

Crystal Marroquin

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: feminist family therapy; perinatal care; mindfulness; social justice; self of the therapist; therapy retention rates within Hispanic communities

Crystal received a B.A. in Psychology & Spanish from Texas Tech University where she then completed a master’s degree in Couple, Marriage, and Family Therapy. She has experience working with a variety of populations in different settings including the juvenile justice system. After graduation, she hopes to work in an academic setting while also continuing her clinical work.

Jordan Marshall

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: romantic relationships; parenting; mindfulness; mind-body connection

Jordan is an in-flight doctoral student. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in theatre. She then completed her M.S. in Clinical-Counseling Psychology at Illinois State University. Jordan worked as a licensed professional counselor in Illinois at a neurodevelopmental psychology practice. Her primary research interests focus on the influence of relationships on well-being. She has a number of secondary interests, including mindfulness and mind-body connection.

Chrystal McDowell

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: parent-child relationships; Autism Spectrum Disorder; cognitive behavioral therapy; access and barriers to care; role of technology in treatment

Chrystal received her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Mercer University in 2017. During her master’s program, Chrystal developed an interest in working with children with disabilities and their families through her internship at the Navicent Health Autism Center working under Developmental Pediatrician, Dr. Elizabeth Young. Chrystal was also fortunate enough to present at the Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy conference in 2017 on Parent Child Interaction Therapy: Applying PCIT Interventions in an MFT Clinic Setting. She also help develop Autism support groups in her community as a developing professional and presented on this process at the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy conference in 2019.

Darrian McKiernan

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: sexuality; psycho-sexual education; sexual abuse; abusive relationships; intimacy in relationships

Darrian's educational background includes a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Couple and Family Therapy. Darrian works clinically with adult individuals, teens, couples, and families. Her long-term goals include working at a university and eventually developing a curriculum to start implementing psycho-sexual education within school systems.

Katie Morris

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); ACT and interpersonal relationships; self-compassion; self of the therapist

Katie completed her bachelor’s in Psychology from Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. and received her M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the same institution. While earning her master’s degree, Katie provided therapy for individuals, couples, children, and families. During that time she also worked as a staff member in the Student Development sector where she discovered her desire to work with college students. Her long-term goals include working at a university where she can utilize her skills as a clinician, researcher, supervisor, and teacher.

Chioma Opara

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: mindfulness and well-being in ethnically diverse families; health and well-being in diverse families; mindfulness in family relationships; impact of mindfulness

Chioma obtained both her bachelor’s (B.Sc. Ed.) and master’s (M.Ed.) in Home Economics from the University of Nigeria Nsukka. While studying Home Economics, Chioma understood the nature of humans as it relates to their physical, biological, social, intellectual, emotional, mental, and psychological development and well-being. She was exposed to different areas of knowledge that help proffer solutions to problems in the family and society. Chioma is passionate about understanding and improving the health and well-being of family members. Through her research interests, she plans and intends to enhance relationships among family members, establish healthy lifestyles, and promote the general well-being and health of the individuals in the family. She would achieve this by researching mindfulness and well-being in ethnically diverse families and thus helping these families to become aware of their feelings and pay attention to their thoughts so that, instead of being overwhelmed by them, they are better able to manage them.

Carson Outler

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: risk and resilience; intersectionality; attachment; self of the therapist

Carson received both her B.S. in Psychology and her Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Her primary research interests include risk, resilience, and intersectionality. Carson is passionate about creating research that centers around marginalized families and hopes to use her research to advocate for systemic change. In the future, she aims to work as a professor at the master’s level where she can help train the next generation of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Sung Min "Pearl" Park

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: attachment-based therapy; developmental trauma; parenting and parent-child relationship; repeating problems; immigrant families

Pearl earned her bachelor’s in psychology at the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities, and her master’s in MFT at Adler Graduate School in Minnesota. She loves meeting clients as a marriage and family therapist and is pursuing doctoral degree in MFT to be an advanced researcher as well as more competent therapist. Some of her primary research interests include attachment-based approach especially for people with developmental trauma, dynamics between traumatized children and parents, and parenting. She is also interested in the repeating problems that persist at multiple points of individuals’ lives.

Kinsey Pocchio

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: social work; medical family therapy; parent-child relationships; influence of marriage and family therapy throughout different agencies; children's health

Kinsey pursued her B.A. at Mercer University, double majoring in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies. After graduation, she accepted a Graduate Assistant position and was given the opportunity to complete her Master of Family Therapy degree at Mercer as well. Kinsey has experience working in the department of family and child services and has a passion for the field of social work. In addition to her previous training in this field, she also has extensive experience in the Medical Family Therapy system. Kinsey plans to continue efforts to understand the role and influence of Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) in both the social work and medical systems. Through both aspects of her research, Kinsey plans on finding ways in which MFT’s can broaden their understanding on health, relationships, and wellbeing alongside ways in which this field can positively impact the development of children.

Sapna Srivastava

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: mental health accessibility for underserved populations; intercultural couples and families; cultural considerations in clinical settings

Sapna is originally from Austin, TX where she completed her B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin. She worked in an administrative role for a therapy non-profit in the Austin area before pursuing her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Abilene Christian University. Sapna’s current research interests revolve around how intercultural couples negotiate cultural differences within their relationships, and culturally sensitive clinical considerations for working with diverse client populations. Sapna is particularly interested in mentoring and providing research-informed clinical training to future generations of marriage and family therapists.

Kayla Stange

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: continuity and change of anxious solitude from childhood to young adulthood; development of anxiety disorders; effectiveness of early therapeutic intervention following youth anxiety and trauma

Kayla is currently a research assistant in Dr. Gazelle’s Social Development Lab. She graduated with her B.A. in Psychology at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kayla has worked in a variety of different clinical settings with children, which led to her passion of researching youth populations. Her current research focuses on the mental health outcomes of adults who demonstrated socially anxious behavior as children. Kayla plans on going into academia after graduation, with goals to be a research mentor and professor.

Dania Tawfiq

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: therapeutic alliance; clinical supervision; self of therapist; emotion regulation; intergenerational transmission; intersectionality; tele-mental health; implications of mindfulness

Dania earned her M.S./Ed.S. degrees in Mental Health Counseling at Florida State University. Dania is a Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern in the State of Florida practicing at the Center for Couple and Family Therapy. Dania developed her passion for mental health during her training and work as a crisis counselor for both local and national crisis hotlines. During her master’s training, she developed a passion for addressing mental health through a systemic lens. She hopes to contribute to the field of systemic research by addressing concepts that impact therapeutic outcomes and the diverse populations it can affect. During her doctoral education, Dania has set the intention to strengthen her skills as a researcher, clinician, educator, and supervisor. Dania’s goal is to contribute to the training of future therapists, and the overall advancement of the mental health field.

Nick Triplett

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: ethics and professional conduct; mentorship and clinical pedagogy; intersectionality; clinical issues of death and dying; gerontology and aging clinical populations

Nick earned his B.A. in Psychology from Indiana University Southeast and his M.S. in Couple & Family Therapy from Purdue University Northwest. Nick is passionate about understanding the role of therapy – and therapists – in helping foster effective and just systemic change in relational systems; both inside and outside of the therapy room. His research interests primarily focus on the use of relational ethics in clinical and professional decision-making, as well the use of an intersectional perspective in guiding effective mentorship and training of emerging therapists. Additionally, he also has specific scholarly interests in issues facing aging clinical populations, and how therapists systemically conceptualize death and the dying process in therapeutic settings. Nick aims to one day serve as an instructor and supervisor for Master’s-level MFT trainees, where he will be able to directly witness and contribute to the development of the next generation of systemic therapists and scholar-clinicians.

Lexie Unhjem

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: developmental trauma; parenting/caregiving; attachment; trauma-informed interventions

Lexie is originally from Crosby, North Dakota and received her B.S. in Psychology from North Dakota State University. She completed her M.S. in Child Development and Family Science with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University Northwest. During her master’s program she worked extensively with families in Chicago who had experienced trauma, which motivated her to pursue a PhD for research opportunities in the trauma field. Lexie’s research interests include developmental trauma and how attachment affects outcomes for children experiencing trauma. She also is interested in clinical research that would examine which trauma-informed interventions are most effective for children and families. Lexie hopes to work in academia at a master’s level program teaching and supervising future clinicians, while maintaining a small caseload of clients.

Amelia Welch

• Program: Marriage and Family Therapy
• Research: marriage and family therapy; mindfulness interventions; intergenerational family relationships; medical family therapy; acceptance and commitment therapy

Amelia completed her bachelor’s in Hispanic Studies at Indiana University-Bloomington. After graduation she moved to Illinois, where she earned a Certificate in Pre-Clinical Psychology from the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies. She went on to earn her M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northwestern University in 2019. While at Northwestern, Amelia completed clinical hours at The Family Institute locations in Millennium Park and Westchester. Amelia provided therapy to individuals, couples, families, and groups. She participated in the program’s Project Strengthen initiative where she completed co-therapy with Family Institute staff therapists.

Jacob Williams

• Program: Human Development and Family Science
• Research: aggression; emotion regulation; behavioral development

Jacob completed his bachelor’s degree in Family and Child Sciences at Florida State University. He is currently a research assistant in the Social Development Lab, working on the Youth Wellness Project. His research focuses on making empirical connections between life experiences and an individual’s emotional and behavioral development. He hopes to use this research to make more definitive contributions to the field regarding the origins of human aggression. Jacob believes that conventional emotion regulation is necessary for successfully achieving life milestones. He aims to use his research to understand how individual differences can affect emotional regulation. Jacob plans to pursue academia to combine his passion for research and teaching others, where his appropriate career goal is to be become a professor.