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TEAM

The CHARISMA Lab team is composed of program director Dr. Christopher Kearney,

doctoral students, and undergraduate research assistants.

Doctoral Students
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AMANDA N. HOWARD, M.A.

Amanda is a seventh year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. After graduating from Michigan State University in 2016 with degrees in Psychology and Sociology, Amanda now conducts research within the Adolescent and Child Trauma Lab. Amanda collaborates closely with the Clark County Department of Family Services where she conducts psychological assessments and provides therapeutic support to children in residential custody at Child Haven. Amanda’s research interests include the assessment of childhood PTSD and the impact of child maltreatment on the development of traumatic stress symptomatology. Outside of research, Amanda provides individual, family, and group therapy services for children, adolescents, and their families, with a special interest in trauma-focused intervention and complex traumatic grief. When she is not working, you are most likely to find Amanda hiking with her dog or watching cliché horror films.

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VICTORIA R. BACON, M.P.S., M.A.

Victoria (she/her) is a sixth year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She earned her Master of Professional Studies degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include risk and protective factors for school attendance problems, particularly for those from marginalized groups. Her clinical interests include working with children and adolescents with anxiety and related disorders, comorbid medical disorders, and school refusal and selective mutism. She is also interested in program evaluation and the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based treatments. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her friends, family, pets, and plants.

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MELANIE REDE, B.S.

Melanie (she/her) is a fifth year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She is from southeastern Idaho and earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Idaho State University. She has had experience working with children and families at a Developmental Disabilities Agency as well as Mental Health agencies. Melanie's educational interests are in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents presenting with symptoms of selective mutism and anxiety. She has a specific interest in those also diagnosed with developmental disorders. Her leisure interests include hiking, reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and playing video games.

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SHADIE BURKE, M.A.

Shadie (she/her) is a fifth year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. Shadie is particularly interested in understanding the impact of trauma and race-related stress on racial/ethnic marginalized maltreated youth. Shadie enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her cat.

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Co-creator of the Helping Give Away Psychological Science/Marginalized Survival Kit: Navigating Academia as a Marginalized Student - Wikiversity

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KAROLYNE BASTOS STUCKI, M.A.

Karolyne (she/her/they/them) is a fifth year student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program. Karolyne earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of culturally competent, evidence-based treatment programs for youth and families from diverse communities. Her clinical interests include individual, group, and family therapy for youth suffering from anxiety, mood, and trauma-related disorders. Karolyne enjoys playing video games, yoga, and hanging out with her 3 cats.

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AMANDA MRAZ, M.A.

Amanda (she/her) is a fourth year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She is from Las Vegas and received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has experience working with both adolescents and adults in biopsychological and physiological settings. Amanda's educational interests are in the diagnosis and treatment of stress disorders across the lifespan, and her current research interest includes studying the impact of complex trauma on adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys going to the theatre, watching movies, and playing with her dog and cat.

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KINSEY ELLIS, B.S.

Kinsey (she/her) is a third year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She is from Rapid City, South Dakota and received her Bachelor of Science in Psychological Sciences from Northern Arizona University.  As an intern at NAU’s Family Violence Institute, she assisted with the Arizona Child and Adolescent Survivor Initiative (ACASI), a program which aims to support Arizona youth who have lost a caregiver to intimate partner homicide. Kinsey’s research interests include child maltreatment, anxiety, traumatic experience, and posttraumatic stress. She is particularly interested in researching how emotional regulation strategies can be used to reduce severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms in victims of maltreatment. In her free time she enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, playing board games, and spending time with her friends and family. 

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MICHAEL FENSKEN, B.S.

Michael (he/him) is a third year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. He earned his Bachelor of Science from The College at Brockport, State of University of New York. His research interests involve studying the risk and protective factors surrounding problematic school refusal in children and adolescents. His clinical interests are in anxiety related disorders in youth. In his free time, Michael enjoys spending time outside hiking, running, as well as playing soccer, and golf.

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VANNI JEFFERSON V. ARCAINA, B.A.

Jefferson (he/him) is a second year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and English from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received experience with the CHARISMA Lab as a research assistant during his undergraduate career. He is interested in researching culturally sensitive/relative assessments and interventions for youth who exhibit posttraumatic stress symptoms after experiencing maltreatment or other traumatic events. He intends to focus on historically marginalized groups such as people of color, LGBTQIA+ community, and those with disabilities. He is also interested in researching resilience in these populations. In his free time, Jefferson likes to hike, read, write poetry, eat vegan food, and take care of his many, many plants. 

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Randolph Dupont, B.S.

Randolph (he/him) is a first year in the clinical psychology doctoral program. He earned his Bachelor of Science degrees in psychology and computer science from Loyola University, New Orleans. His research interests involve leveraging machine learning techniques to elucidate problematic school refusal in children and adolescents. His clinical interests are in anxiety related disorders in youth. In his free time, Randolph enjoys reading, cooking, and playing board games.

Undergraduate Research Assistants
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Karina (she/her) is a fourth-year student at UNLV majoring in psychology. Her goal is to attend graduate school and become a practicing clinician. She is interested in making mental health resources more normalized, and accessible, for youth in marginalized communities. 

Karina Rose Carrillo Juarez

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Alex (she/her) is a junior at UNLV majoring in Biology. Her goal is to attend medical school to become a pediatrician. She is currently the Webmaster of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), a Pre-Professional Honor Society at UNLV. Her hobbies include playing video games, binge-watching TV shows, and taking care of her dog, Lebby.

Alexandra Caballero

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Katie (she/her) is a senior majoring in Psychology at UNLV. Katie is interested in researching resilience factors and early trauma detection and treatment in children and adolescents. She is currently active in the research community at UNLV and is a member of the Research Honors Program. Katie researches how pre-service teachers view mental health in the classroom and works as a Research Assistant for the College of Education. Katie is applying for graduate school in hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys riding horses, relaxing with her dogs, and going out with her friends.

Katherine Conklin

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Jaelin is a senior at UNLV majoring in psychology and minoring in family studies. Her major goal is to get her PhD in Clinical Psychology and open her own private practice being a clinical psychologist for children. She also has a goal to conduct her own research one day. She has many hobbies and interests including lacrosse and reading. Jaelin is the president of the women’s lacrosse team at UNLV and has been playing the sport for 10 years. She is an avid reader. Last year she read 84 books! 

Jaelin Isquith

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Priscilla is a third year majoring in Biology. She is interested in researching childhood trauma and PTSD in order to learn more on the effects of child maltreatment and how to treat and remedy the after effects. Her goal after graduation is to pursue a degree in medicine and become a neurosurgeon specifically working in pediatrics. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and catching up on her reading. 

Priscilla Herrera

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Janelle (she/her) is a senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Services. She is interested in researching depression and anxiety in adolescents and adults. She plans to go to graduate school to obtain a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and eventually own her own practice. Her on-campus activities include being the Psi Chi President, a Peer Mentor to Honors College first-year students, and a research assistant in the GAME Lab. Off-campus, she is a Clinical Intake Coordinator at the Eating Disorder Institute and a violinist in the Nevada Chamber Orchestra. She enjoys getting boba with friends, traveling with her family, and spending time with her dogs, Walu and Fivo, in her free time.

Janelle Ferraris

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Shreyas (he/him) is currently a senior at UNLV majoring in Psychology. His goal is to attend graduate school and pursue a career in clinical psychology. Shreyas is interested in becoming a licensed therapist specializing in anxiety related disorders. For hobbies, Shreyas enjoys video games, anime, and checking out new music genres and artists.

Shreyas Bhat

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Jessica (she/her) is a senior majoring in Psychology at UNLV. Her areas of research are trauma-informed yoga, social and emotional learning, and sexual trauma. She currently has her own business called Blooming Minds where she teaches Emotional Intelligence to kids through yoga, mindfulness, and art. At UNLV, she is an advocate for The Care Center, a research assistant at the Baby and Child Rebel Lab, and teaches yoga classes. After her undergrad, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, hiking, reading, and spending time with loved ones. 

Jessica Castillo

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Emma (she/her) is a recent graduate of UNLV with a BA in psychology and a minor in neuroscience. Emma’s research interests primarily include the differing forms of treatments based upon varying types of trauma. Her future goals include pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. 

Emma Domschot

Past Doctoral Students
Past Research Assistants

Wesley Allan
Krisann Alvarez
Julie Beasley

Arva Bensaheb
Kevin Bergan
Gillian Chapman
Caitlin Cook
Timothy Day
Rachele Diliberto
Kelly Drake

Mirae J. Fornander
Marisa Gauger/Hendron

Andrew Gerthoffer
Courtney Irwin/Haight
Harpreet Kaur
Kara Klingspon
Mark LaSota
Amie Lemos-Miller
Lisa Linning
Tami Jo McKnight
Courtney Pursell
Tami Roblek
Emma Ross
Rachel Schafer/Loftis
Jenna Silverman
Karen Sims

Kyleigh Skedgell
Melissa Spear
Stephanie Stowman
Cheryl Tillotson
Dio Turner
Jennifer Vecchio
Diane Wadiak
Adrianna Wechsler
Maria-Dawn Williams de Coronado

Jordan Tirone

Nouhayla Benjelloun

Nicholas Vespia

Angelina Daniels

Allen Lai

Frida Reyes

Kimberly Chavez

Jessica Cotta

Lamia Alston

Jefferson Arcaina

Lorena Beltran

Dayton Davis

Steffi Del Rosario

Jordan Donohue

Liya Ferrante

Patricia Fritz

Diana Gastelum

Marilyn Goodwin

Pamela Green

Elise Griffin

Ahlam Hamdan​

Patricia Hill

Allyssa Howell

Brittany Klenczar

Diana Manriquez-Rivera

Kayla Millette

Brittany Miller

Veronica Mullins

Carmen Nieto

Karisa Odrunia

Anthony Romero

Janelle Salcedo

Rebecca Smith

Keiyan Austin Silos

Kimberly Usbeck

Zuzana Warhola

James Webster

Valerie Velasco

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