Current Members

Director

Sarah Kate Bearman, Ph.D.

Sarah BearmanDr. Bearman’s research focuses on the dissemination and implementation of empirically supported practices (ESPs) for underserved youth in community settings. While the evidence base suggests that ESPs are efficacious for youth with a wide range of mental health problems, most of these interventions are not available in the settings where children receive treatment. Dr. Bearman’s research seeks to examine the processes and contexts that promote and support the effective use and sustainability of ESPs. Dr. Bearman also has many years of experience in the development, testing, and dissemination of effective treatments for youth. She is a co-author of a treatment manual for youth depression (Primary and Secondary Control Enhancement Training; Weisz, Gray, Bearman & Stark, 2008) and a trans-diagnostic manual for youth with anxiety, depression and disruptive conduct (Behavioral and Affective Skills in Coping; BASIC, Weisz & Bearman, 2010). She provides both clinical supervision and national trainings for therapists in the use of empirically supported practices (ESPs) for anxiety, depression, disruptive conduct and traumatic stress.

Dr. Bearman also co-authored the book Principle-Guided Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents: The FIRST Program for Behavioral and Emotional Problems (Weisz & Bearman, 2020) which came out February 10th, 2020. Please read her interview regarding the publication here!


Current Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Amanda A. Bowling is an alumna of UT’s Combined School/Clinical Child Psychology program and LEAP Lab. Dr. Bowling returned to the LEAP Lab following the completion of her clinical internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she was on the Integrated Behavioral Health track. Dr. Bowling’s research focuses on increasing access to empirically supported mental health practices (ESPs) for underserved youth, particularly through the dissemination and implementation of ESPs in community and school settings. She provides both clinical training and supervision to therapists in the use of ESPs for children and adolescents. Clinically, Dr. Bowling primarily supports youth and their families with disruptive behavior and anxiety-related concerns. Dr. Bowling specializes in modularized approaches to treatment and is certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).

 

Dr. Abby Bailin is a UT alumna (2020) and former LEAP Lab member. Dr. Bailin returned to the LEAP Lab following completion of her clinical internship in the Child and Adolescent Specialization track at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY and a postdoctoral fellowship in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and related anxiety disorders at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.  Dr. Bailin’s research is focused on increasing the reach and effectiveness of evidence-based mental health interventions for underserved children and families. In particular, she is interested in factors that support and enhance the implementation of evidence-based practices in both traditional and non-traditional behavioral health settings, including training and supervision. She provides both clinical training and supervision to therapists in the use of empirically supported practices for children and adolescents.


Current Lab Staff

Abby photo Abby Winnier graduated from the University of Texas in 2022 with a B.S.A. in Human Development and Family Sciences and a B.A. in Spanish. With multiple years of undergraduate research experience, she recently joined the LEAP Lab as a Research Associate. Research interests include the implementation of sustainable school-based interventions for minority groups and the development of efficacious treatment plans for youth with depressive disorders. 

 

Libby Hicks graduated from Skidmore College in 2022 with a B.A. in psychology and minor in statistics. Prior to joining the LEAP Lab, Libby was working as a mental health worker at a psychiatric hospital (Four Winds Hospital in Saratoga Springs, NY) on a pediatric inpatient unit by assisting the nursing and therapeutic staff with the treatment of patients between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. Libby’s research interests include investigating the comorbidity of post-traumatic stress and behavioral/conduct problems in children, as well as the development of effective AND accessible treatments for this population.


Current Graduate Students


On Internship

Alumni

Nichole Baker – Nichole Baker is a completing a two year post-doctoral fellowship with the psychology department at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Rafaella Sale – Rafaella Sale completed an APA-accredited internship at the Semel Institute at UCLA in 2020. Shortly thereafter, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Southam-Gerow, Ph.D. As of 2022, Rafaella serves as Associate Director of the Center for Evidence-based Partnerships of Virginia, a university-situated center dedicated to supporting Virginia’s state leaders in a behavioral health system redesign to prevent foster care entry.

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Rebecca Woo – Rebecca Woo completed her internship at Wellspan Philhaven CBT in York, Pennsylvania. For the 2022-2023 year, she will complete a clinical postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Antioch in California in Adolescent Intensive Outpatient.
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Jesslyn Jamison – Jesslyn Jamison completed her predoctoral internship on the Integrated Behavioral Health Care track at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is now completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the Penn Center for Mental Health in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In this role she helps to coordinate several implementation trials under the mentorship of Dr. Emily Becker-Haimes.

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The LEAP Lab also has a great team of undergraduate research assistants!

For more information on joining please visit the Prospective Graduate Student or Contact Page.