Clinical

My clinical training has focused on evidence-based, culturally sensitive evaluation and treatment of anxiety in children, adolescents and young adults. In addition to supervised practice at multiple Twin Cities clinics, I have completed extensive pre- and post-doctoral training within the Anxiety Behaviors Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania’s Child and Adolescent OCD, Tic, Trich, and Anxiety Group, and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Areas of expertise include:  

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Phobias
• Selective Mutism
• Separation Anxiety Disorder
• Skin Picking and other Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
• difficulties that commonly present with anxiety, including sleep problems and food selectivity

I also have experience treating number of issues that frequently co-occur with anxiety disorders and can influence treatment outcomes, including depression, attention problems, and disruptive behavior.  

Teaching

I very much enjoy working closely with undergraduate students in both a teaching capacity and through supervision of student research, clinical work and scholarship.  I have designed and taught a number of courses at the University of Minnesota and have served as an adjunct professor at Hamline University and Macalester College. 

Courses taught include:

• Introduction to Psychology
• Introduction to Child Psychology
• Adolescent Psychology
• Child Development Across Cultures
• Behavioral and Emotional Problems of Children
• Research-based study abroad program in northern Uganda

I have also given a number of professional talks and invited lectures within institutional and educational settings, including in-services at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Minnesota, and as part of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities fellowship program.  

Research

My research examines psychological, social and cultural factors that influence how children respond to and recover from trauma as well as the impact of violence and aggression on children’s mental health and development. 

My latest work in northern Uganda focuses on cultural and gender differences in aggression, including how forms of aggression and victimization influence mental health outcomes in children whose communities have been heavily impacted by the recent conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army.  I also serve as an ad-hoc reviewer for the peer-reviewed research publications Development and Psychopathology and PLOS One.