{"id":2,"date":"2016-07-20T14:00:37","date_gmt":"2016-07-20T19:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/current-projects\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:39:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T16:39:31","slug":"group-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/group-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab Members"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Each member of the CASE lab actively participates in one or more of the lab’s projects. We meet as a team on a regular basis to plan, conduct, and write about, and present our findings. Our lab is group focused, meaning that we are collaborative and support each other in our various projects. We also actively collaborate with faculty and at other universities, which is essential given the inter-disciplinary nature of our work. Members of the CASE lab take an active role in scholarship by regularly co-authoring journal articles and book chapters and presenting at national and international conferences several times a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Principal Investigator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\"A<\/figure>
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Chris McCarthy<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I have been a faculty member in the Department of Educational Psychology since 1995 and my professional specialization is in both Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.  My research focuses on stress and coping in educational contexts, particularly with respect to understanding the stress that teachers experience and how to help them cope and thrive in their role as educators. Another important research focus for me is group interventions, particularly how we can train counselors to become group leaders and use groups to promote wellness. Last but not least, I have a strong professional commitment to career development, both in terms of career counseling practice and the impact that career development has on overall psychological well-being. My primary professional affiliations are with the Association for Specialists in Group Work, the American Educational Research Association, and the Trauma, Stress, Anxiety, and Resilience Society. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Current Students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Francesca<\/figure>
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Francesca  Di Rienzo<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ciao! My name is Francesca and my pronouns are she\/her\/hers. I am from Italy and have recently moved to Austin to pursue a PhD in Counseling Psychology at UT. I am thrilled to be part of the CASE lab and focusing on the study of stress, which is an interest I first developed while working on burnout prevention in humanitarian contexts. Before I moved to Austin, I could be found driving my vespa around Rome when not at work. These days, you can find me exploring Austin with google maps in hand when not on campus. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Will Glynn<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After three years in the US Army and pursuing an education in engineering, I transitioned to studying psychology, earning my BA at UT Austin. During my undergraduate years, I volunteered as a research assistant at the CASE Lab, where my life’s journey and research interests began to align. My research experience includes qualitative and mixed-methods projects focused on teacher stress and coping, the stress experiences of school principals and their interpersonal relationships, and the role of process observers in group settings. These projects have sparked my interest in exploring the relationships within school communities, from students and their families to district authorities and policymakers, and how we might cultivate meaningful interconnectivity within those communities through intervention and holistic accountability and outcome measures. Outside of work, you can find me at a yoga class, sitting on my meditation cushion, bouldering, on a hiking trail, or exploring as much of Austin as possible\u2014I’ve lived in Austin since 2016 and still have yet to exhaust its wonders!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Trisha<\/figure>
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Trisha Miller  <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I am currently a student in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program with a primary research interest in the area of stress, coping, help-seeking, and suicide prevention in college students and emerging adults. I received my Bachelor\u2019s degree in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas and worked as an elementary school teacher in the Austin area for 5 years. This experience also sparked my interest in studying teacher coping and stress. After teaching, I attended Texas Woman\u2019s University and received a Master’s degree in Psychological Science. Outside of research and studying, I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family and my three dogs. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sarah Omachi<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I am a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program from Tokyo, Japan. I recently completed my master\u2019s degree in Human Development and Education at Harvard University, after earning my bachelor\u2019s degree in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University. My past research has focused on\u00a0health-related stress, school intervention efficacy, and student well-being using both qualitative and quantitative methods. I am excited to work alongside the CASE lab members to\u00a0investigate factors that contribute to teacher stress, coping processes, and the potential spillover effects of these experiences within school nvironments.\u00a0During my free time, I love playing tennis, trying out a new recipe, or perfecting my matcha latte.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Nathan Overholt<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before joining UT, I worked as a research assistant at UT Southwestern Medical Center and as a behavioral technician in the psychiatric emergency center at Fort Worth\u2019s county hospital. These experiences allowed me to observe large medical systems and learn how to implement evidence-based interventions. In the CASE lab, I am excited to combine my interest in mindfulness with my background in large-scale helping systems to explore how to best integrate mindfulness in education and how it may support health and performance in the classroom and beyond. Outside of the lab, I might be playing basketball, hiking, or exploring the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Yijie<\/figure>
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Yijie Tian (Teresa)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I am from Qingdao, China. I am a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Texas at Austin. I attended Bucknell University, where I received my undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology. I worked primarily on investigating the relationship between social isolation and stress for college students during Covid pandemic. I am so excited to work with this research group because it fits my research interests in stress and coping. In my free time, I love hanging out with my friends and exploring everywhere in Austin.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Lab Alumni<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Molly Allender
Abbie Balat
Travis Bauer
Michelle Beard
Madison Blaydes
Lauren Boyle
Nicolina Calfa
Jeremy Capello
Blaine Carr
Betsy Crowe
Anna Dematitis


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Ryan Douglas
Jendayi Dillard
Maytal Eyal
Cassandra Gearhart
Mike Ghormley
Sara Gilbert
Katie Hatch
Scott Hosford
Bert Hoopes
Brian Juncker
Sarah Kelton
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Debra Kissen
Sally Lineback
Hsin-Tine Liu
Minda Markle
Colleen McCarthy
Olga Mejia
Lauren Melendres
Kristen Mosley
Susan Murphy
Emily Playfair<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jenson Reiser
Mikaela Sebree
Monique Shah
Maria Tortorice
Valerie Van Horn Kerne
Sara Villarreal
Caroline Weppner
Josh Westheimer
Esme Williams<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n




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Each member of the CASE lab actively participates in one or more of the lab’s projects. We meet as a team on a regular basis to plan, conduct, and write about, and present our findings. Our lab is group focused, meaning that we are collaborative and support each other in our various projects. We also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":102,"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":606,"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions\/606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.edb.utexas.edu\/copingandstress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}