Feel free to reach out to any STEP team members below with questions
Ciera B. Lewis, M.A., is a doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology PhD program at Georgia State University. Her research explores the utility of culturally-specific constructs like Black racial identity and racial socialization as resilience factors in promoting psychological well-being among Black American emerging adults. Ciera’s clinical interests include helping Black Americans navigate emerging adulthood with particular focus on racial identity exploration, redefining the strong Black woman schema, and reducing stigma against mental health help-seeking in the Black community.
Contact: clewis64@student.gsu.edu
Corey Walker is an undergraduate psychology student in his senior year at Georgia State University. He is interested in pursuing a career in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. He serves as the STEP student program coordinator.
Contact: cwalker121@student.gsu.edu
Holly Aleksonis, M.A. is a doctoral student in the Clinical Neuropsychology Program. She works with Dr. Tricia King in the Developmental Neuropsychology Across the Lifespan Lab (DNP-ATL) where she studies long-term neurocognitive and adaptive outcomes of survivors of childhood brain tumor. She hopes to pursue a career as a pediatric clinical neuropsychologist.
Contact: haleksonis1@student.gsu.edu
M. Alejandra Arce, M.A. is a doctoral student in the Clinical and Community (CLC) Psychology concentration at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on processes and outcomes of resilience in immigrant communities, particularly immigrant youth of color. Alejandra’s ultimate goal is to make significant contributions to the disparities that continue to affect youth of color via interventions that extend beyond the individual.
Contact: marce1@student.gsu.edu
Claudia A. Delbasso, M.A. is a Ph.D. student in the CLC program. Her research interests include resilience, positive youth development, and program evaluation. Her research focuses on individual and contextual factors that influence positive development and resilience among immigrants and other communities of color, with an emphasis on Latinx immigrants.
Contact:
cdelbasso1@student.gsu.edu
Mary Fernandes, M.A. is a 5th year PhD student specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology. She is interested in research that answers questions about the neurobiological bases of anxiety, depression, and treatment for the same. She hopes to pursue a career in neuropsychology and mental health policy.
Contact: mfernandes2@student.gsu.edu
Meghan Goyer is a Community Psychology Ph.D. student. She works with Dr. Laura McKee in the Learning about Emotional Adjustment In Families Lab (LEAF) where she studies how contemplative practices, prosocial behavior, and positive emotions can be facilitated across community contexts (especially minority communities) to promote resilience against psychopathology and improved individual and community well-being. Meghan’s research supports her work as an advocate for social justice, and she is actively and collaboratively working to help break down systems of oppression and rebuild them using historical processing, moral imagination, social emotional learning, contemplative practices, and connectedness.
Contact: mgoyer1@student.gsu.edu
Hannah L. Joseph, M.A. is a fourth year doctoral graduate student in Clinical and Community Psychology at Georgia State University. Her research interests include promoting resilient communities and preventing youth violence.
Contact: hjoseph8@student.gsu.edu
Caitlin Shneider is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She works with Dr. Lindsey Cohen in the Child Health and Medical Pain (CHAMP) lab. She is interested in risk and resilience in children and adolescents in the context of chronic illnesses.
Contact:
cshneider1@student.gsu.edu
Dr. Suzann Lawry is a 1996 graduate of the Clinical Psychology Program at GSU and returned to teach and supervise therapy services in the GSU Psychology Clinic which is a low-cost training clinic. She is particularly interested in the intersection of the Impostor Phenomenon, Burnout, and Social Justice. In addition to her position at GSU, she maintains a local private practice.
Contact: slawry@gsu.edu
Dr. Vonetta Dotson is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Gerontology at GSU, and also serves as Associate Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology program. As a clinical neuropsychologist, her clinical and research interests center on positive and negative modifiers of cognitive and brain aging, including the role of health disparities in age-related disorders.
Contact: vdotson1@gsu.edu