Graduate Students

4th-Year Student: Brianna T. Ricker, M.S., M.A. E-mail: brianna.ricker@ttu.edu

Brianna graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Southwestern University. She then worked as a caseworker for adults with serious mental illness in a small, rural community mental health clinic. Brianna completed her M.S. in Psychological Sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas, where she studied developmental trajectories of externalizing behaviors among low income, ethnic minority children and how these trajectories are associated with academic achievement. She also recently completed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Texas Tech University, where she studied the mediating role of peer victimization in the links between harmful parenting behaviors and child externalizing behavior problems.

Her current research interests include parenting behaviors and the ways in which parents impact children’s peer relationships and other psychosocial outcomes. She is particularly interested in factors that contribute to aggressive behavior and peer victimization among children. She is also interested in identifying factors that buffer the negative impacts associated with maladaptive parenting behaviors and conflictual peer relationships.

Master’s Thesis: “Parental Psychological Control and Childhood Externalizing Problems: The Mediating Role of Peer Victimization”

Qualifying Examination: “A Review of Biological, Cognitive, and Social Factors that Influence the Links between Parenting Behaviors and Peer Difficulties Among Children and Adolescents”

Dissertation: “Investigating a Brief Positive Parenting Seminar Series as a Universal Intervention”

Lab Manager; 3rd-Year Student: Carlos Sanchez, B.A. E-mail: carlos.sanchez@ttu.edu

Carlos graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Florida International University (FIU). He then began working as a research assistant for the S.E.L.F-Regulation Lab at FIU, which focuses on children's self-regulation in the context of school readiness, nutrition, and interventions.

His current research interests include factors that affect social wellness among children, particularly as it pertains to relationships. He is also interested in understanding how different external and internal factors may contribute to outcomes associated with peer victimization. Lastly, Carlos is interested in exploring ways to improve the effectiveness of intervention programs targeting peer victimization.

Master’s Thesis: “Peer Victimization and Callous-Unemotional Traits: The Impact of Parents and Teachers”

2nd-Year Student: Montana Baker, M.S. E-mail: montana.baker@ttu.edu

Montana graduated with a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience and minors in Sociology and Biology from the University of Denver. She then worked as a mental health counselor at a residential treatment facility for teens who had been exposed to trauma. After two years of working as a counselor, she attended the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to obtain a M.S. in Psychology. At UTSA, her research focused on how mother-child emotion dialogues relate to children’s behavioral development.

Her current research goals are to study the influence of community violence on behavioral development and possible interventions to improve the mental health of children and adolescents impacted by community violence. Additionally, she is interested in improving the identification of risk factors and interventions for youth with suicidal ideation/behavior.

Master’s Thesis: “Witnessed Community Violence and Aggression in Childhood: The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation”

1st-Year Student: Elizabeth (“Lizzy”) Gunder, B.A. E-mail: elizabeth.gunder@ttu.edu

Lizzy graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Forensic Science from Texas Tech University in Spring 2022. As an undergraduate, she worked in the TTU Peer Relations Lab and Dr. Adam Schmidt’s Pathways to Resilient Development (PRYDe) Lab. She then worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant in both the TTU Peer Relations Lab and Dr. Sean Mitchell’s Suicide Risk and Prevention (SRPR) Lab on a project focused on providing training to primary care physicians across the West Texas region on evidence-based screening and intervention methods for youth patients experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors.

Lizzy’s current research interests include how adverse experiences early in life impact social and emotional development throughout childhood and adolescence. She is also interested in the impacts of various forms of trauma, including peer victimization, on the development of psychopathology. Lastly, Lizzy is interested in investigating how to improve the efficacy of clinical interventions for youth experiencing peer victimization.

1st-Year Student: Jenna Sims, B.S. E-mail: jennsims@ttu.edu

Jenna graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Alabama in 2019. She then began working as a research coordinator at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Urban Youth Trauma Center, which serves youth and families affected by trauma and community violence. Jenna subsequently moved back to her hometown of New Orleans and worked for Tulane University as a research coordinator for projects involving the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder and psychophysiology in very young children with disruptive behavior.

Jenna’s research interests include examining risk and protective factors that influence social, behavioral, and health outcomes for youth experiencing adversity or traumatic stress and, in turn, understanding how to better address problems and foster resilience through implementing and evaluating evidence-based interventions. She is also passionate about identifying and reducing barriers to treatment access for under-resourced youth and families, primarily through school-based interventions.

Graduate Student Collaborators

Tristen Hefner, M.S. E-mail: tristen.hefner@ttu.edu

Tristen is currently a 3rd-year doctoral student in clinical psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Van Allen. He began collaborating with the Prevention & Intervention Lab in Fall 2022 and currently serves as a child skills group leader. His research and clinical interests primarily involve factors that promote physical activity, healthy eating behavior, and adaptive sleep among children and adolescents.

Victoria Dennis, M.A. E-mail: victoria.e.dennis@ttu.edu

Victoria is currently a 3rd-year doctoral student in clinical psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Adam Schmidt. She began collaborating with the Prevention & Intervention Lab in Spring 2023 and currently serves a child skills group leader and a positive parenting group leader. Her research and clinical interests involve improving the identification of risk and protective factors for at-risk youth and providing intervention services for this population; she is also interested in neurocognitive assessments for children and adolescents.