FAQs

Our research is constantly evolving based on members’ interests, availability of new methodology, ongoing collaborations, etc. However, the purpose of our research is relatively constant: to improve well-being and alleviate suffering. To this end, areas we study include intervention evaluation and dissemination, personalized treatment, transdiagnostic processes of change, integration of LLMs into mental health treatment, digital mental health interventions, idiographic–nomothetic analytic methods, presentations related to anxiety/OCD (e.g., perfectionism), acceptance and commitment therapy, process-based therapy, and improving treatment quality and access for minoritized groups.

Please see our mission and current projects on the lab website; it might also be helpful to view my OSF profile for ongoing/in development projects.

Applicants who are interested in research similar or related to the work we do (e.g., intervention evaluation, idiographic–nomothetic analytic methods, OCRDs, treatment accessibility for underserved groups)—see answer to What kind of research does your lab do? above—and share our collective lab values (as described in the lab manual‍) are generally a good fit for our lab.

Because this is a research-oriented lab, if you are primarily interested in clinical work (e.g., you want to go into private practice) or teaching, our lab would not be a good fit.

These questions are answered in detail in the Expectations section of our lab manual.

I use a scoring rubric to evaluate applicants. Criteria I consider include fit with respect to research interests and mentorship style, critical thinking skills, and interpersonal skills. Ultimately, fit is the most important factor I weigh, especially in the first round of review, so strong applicants whose interests do not align with our lab research will likely not be invited for interviews.

I suggest reading our lab manual to see if my mentorship style and expectations align with what you would like to get out of graduate school. If you have specific questions that are not answered here or in the lab manual, please email me.

You don’t have to email to say that you’re applying to the lab—it won’t affect your chances in any way. Similarly, I don’t engage in lengthy email exchanges with applicants prior to reviewing applications (out of fairness, since I cannot do this for everyone), so whether I reply to your email has no bearing on how I evaluate your application.

Because I cannot meet with every applicant, out of fairness, I will not meet with any applicant. You are welcome to email me to express interest, but it will have zero impact on your application. Most of your questions about the lab will likely be answered in our lab manual.

I receive (too) many emails and don’t have the bandwidth to reply to every single one. I usually prioritize emails, so I’m more likely to reply to those that require an urgent response (e.g., clinical issues) or that contain specific questions. My non-response is not a sign of disinterest, so if you are interested in working with me, please still apply to our Ph.D. program.

For information on program sequence, course requirements, funding, etc., refer to the program brochure (not yet updated for 2026). In short, the Ph.D. program is designed to take 6 years, with 5 years on campus and a 1-year predoctoral internship. Students are guaranteed funding for the 5 years through Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, Graduate Fellowships, and Agency Placements (the stipend is $26,000 over 12 months for 2026–2027). More information can be found on the university website (which is poorly organized).

If you still have unanswered questions, take a look at our lab manual. If the manual doesn’t answer your questions, please send me an email with your specific question(s). It’s helpful for me to know where there are gaps in these resources, so I genuinely want to know if I have missed a question.