2021 ECP Leadership Academy Fellows
Krysten Bold
I am a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in substance use treatment and research. I received my PhD in 2015 from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and I am currently an Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine. I lead clinical research studies focused on tobacco prevention, intervention, and policy. I am passionate about the clinical research I do and am invigorated by the potential it has to make a broad impact on public health. My research projects involve 1) studying youth tobacco use to inform tobacco prevention and early intervention efforts, 2) expanding access to smoking cessation services through treatment implementation in specialized medical and community settings, 3) investigating ways to utilize technology to advance treatment delivery, and 4) studying the effects of potential tobacco regulatory policies to support state and federal regulations to protect public health.
Alyse Donovan
My name is Alyse Donovan, Psy.D. (pronouns she/her/hers). I graduated from Antioch University New England in 2017 and completed my post-doctoral training at The Institute of Living in Hartford, CT. I obtained my license in Clinical Psychology in October 2018 and continued my employment at the Institute of Living within the adult intensive outpatient programs. I initially worked in the Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program and am now in my current role within the Adult Day Treatment Program. My career is focused on the treatment of individuals who experience acute symptoms of severe mental illnesses. In particular, my work is specialized in treatment of individuals who have symptoms of psychosis, personality pathology, and/or behavioral dysregulation. I am also passionate about staff development to improve client treatment experience. Outside of work I like to stay active and try to incorporate movement into my daily routine. My athletic interests include skiing, golfing, playing softball, hiking, and doing gymnastics with my fellow “elder gymnasts.”
Alex Gonzales-Harsha
I am a psychologist at the West Haven VA, located at the Errera Community Care Center, a community center focused on services for Veterans struggling with SMI and homelessness. There my position is split between two roles: 1) Director of the Wellness Center, which provides health behavior change interventions adapted to the stressors of the ECCC population, as well as opportunities for engagement with complementary approaches such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation; and 2) Clinician within the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC), which focuses on group treatments to support community reintegration for ECCC Veterans. I co-direct the LGBTQ+ healthcare track of our Psychosocial Rehabilitation postdoctoral psychology fellowship, which trains fellows to become affirming and competent providers for this population, as well as agents of change to increase awareness and competence of providers within our VA system. Finally, I have an additional interest in employee wellness, and lead programming to this end (e.g. an 8-week stress resilience program called Stress First Aid, and a daily employee mindfulness break).
Melissa Jourdain
Stephanie Kerrigan
I am currently an Associate Research Scientist in the Program for Obesity, Weight, and Eating Research (POWER) at Yale School of Medicine. I graduated from Drexel University with a PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2018 following an internship at Rush University Medical Center where I received broad training in behavioral medicine and health psychology. My independent work focuses on treatment development for eating disorders and obesity, with a particular emphasis on the role of physical activity in treatment outcomes.
Jessica Lawson
Jessica L. Lawson, Ph.D., is an early career clinical psychologist with expertise in behavioral medicine and health psychology. She has a strong background in health behavior change and the treatment of obesity, eating and weight concerns, sleep problems, and chronic illness. Her research interests include outcomes and change in psychosocial variables following treatment for obesity and disordered eating as well as the study of telemental health and implementation science. She currently works as a staff psychologist for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System Clinical Resource Hub, providing short and long-term psychotherapy and primary care mental health integration service via telemental health to veterans across rural New England. As of 2020, she is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Lawson received her undergraduate degree from Connecticut College and a Master of Science from City University in London, England. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University, completed her clinical internship at Geisinger Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at Yale School of Medicine. With her clinical research interest in obesity and bariatric psychology, she continues to be an active member of The Obesity Society and is involved in committee leadership positions. She is delighted to be a new member of CPA and part of the 2021 Early Career Leadership Academy.
Edward Liebmann, Ph.D.
Edward Liebmann, Ph.D. is a first-year post-doctoral fellow in psychology at VA Connecticut—West Haven and Yale University School of Medicine and works in the Northeast Program Evaluation Center within the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Dr. Liebmann earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas and completed his predoctoral internship at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Dr. Liebmann is dedicated to improving patient outcomes and experiences of care through research and evaluation work focused on performance and quality measurement and the evaluation of policies for the implementation of evidence-based practices in mental healthcare. He currently conducts quality improvement-oriented research on the use patient experience measures within the contexts of substance use disorder treatment and mental health services, generally. Dr. Liebmann also works on program and policy evaluation projects, specifically the evaluation of VHA measurement-based care policies in mental health services and the routine administration of patient-reported outcome measures across mental health services. Dr. Liebmann hopes to continue to engage in research and program evaluation through his post-doctoral fellowship and as he transitions into an early career position.
Kristin Serowik
Kristin Serowik earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Suffolk University in Boston, MA. She recently joined the Clinical Resource Hub at VA Connecticut Healthcare System as a staff psychologist, after participating in the Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addiction Treatment. Dr. Serowik’s program of research focuses on treatment engagement and retention in substance use disorder treatment. She is particularly interested in studying the implementation of evidence-based treatments for substance use disorder and comorbid conditions (i.e., PTSD, chronic pain), as well as the use of telehealth services to enhance treatment engagement for substance use disorder.
Danielle Spearman-Camblard
Dr. Danielle Spearman-Camblard is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She received her Psy.D. from the University of Hartford’s Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology (GIPP). Her specialties include but are not limited to CBT, trauma-informed care, play therapy, parent-child dyadic treatment, infant mental health, perinatal mental health, faith-based counseling, motivational interviewing, racial trauma, and culturally competent treatment for African Americans. She enjoys working with clients of all ages from birth to adulthood. Dr. Camblard provides psychotherapy and supervision at The Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Tolland, CT. She serves on the Connecticut Psychological Association’s Child & Family Committee and the Ethnic Diversity Task Force (EDTF).
Email for contact: dr.daniellecamblard@outlook.com
Laura Yoviene Sykes, PhD
Laura Yoviene Sykes, PhD (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist and Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Prior to joining the faculty at Yale, Dr. Yoviene Sykes completed her pre- and post-doctoral fellowships in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, specializing in the treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, including specialized training in treating first episode psychosis at the STEP program. Currently, Dr. Yoviene Sykes is the Director of the Connecticut Early Psychosis Learning Health Network, a statewide initiative focused on workforce development and community education throughout the state of Connecticut to transform access, care quality, and outcomes for individuals and families impacted by recent onset psychosis. Dr. Yoviene Sykes also serves as a staff psychologist and oversees the provision of family services for the Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) clinic at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC). When she is not chasing her toddler around, she enjoys cheering on the Buffalo Bills and training for triathlons with her partner.
Amanda Zold
I am an early career psychologist that specializes in providing services for individuals who experience serious mental illness, with an emphasis on intervention for individuals who experience psychosis. I currently work as a psychologist at the Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program (SRP) at the Institute of Living where I am passionate about implementation of evidence-based care for this population. I completed my doctoral degree at the University of Alaska, Anchorage and predoctoral internship at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in the SMI track. My postdoctoral fellowship was completed at the Institute of Living through the SRP. My research interests are related to stigma reduction toward individuals with SMI, reduction of discrimination due to mental health treatment, and program evaluation and implementation.
Program Structure
- To promote and build leadership skills among early career psychologists (ECPs) in Connecticut
- Engagement of ECPs within CPA and their profession within the state
- Foster the development of the next generation of psychology leaders
- Help shape the future of psychology in Connecticut.
- Application Period: February 15 – March 15
Program Outline
- The program will run from March 30 – December 14, 2021
- Participants will attend zoom Webinars throughout the program (Monthly)
- Peer group leadership discussions (Monthly)
- 1-1.5 hours each Webinar
- Participants will also be paired with a leadership mentor throughout the duration of the program
Past Webinars and Zoom call topics included:
- Building Advanced Leadership Skills
- Running Effective Meetings
- CT legislation advocacy (influencing laws and policies)
- Ethics in Leadership
- Leading Businesses I/O perspectives
- Leadership in Professional Organizations
- Radio and Camera Skills – Talking with the Media
And more
Benefits of Joining The CPA Leadership Academy
Participants will be connected with a one-on-on mentor with advanced leadership skills, and meet with their mentor once a month for leadership coaching. Mentors will help participants set and develop leadership goals, and provide advice and counsel to help build leadership competencies, skills, and abilities.
Additional Benefits
- Participate in monthly leadership webinars and zoom calls
- Access to Pre-recorded Webinars on Different Topics Relevant to our Field
- Exposure and opportunities to network with psychologists and psychology leaders throughout the state.
- The opportunity to expand leadership potential and explore leadership opportunities to advance your career.
- Learn to host a professional webinar
- Opportunities to learn and get involved with CPA Governance
Non CPA Members to join CPA and the Leadership Academy
- CPA Membership Fee Reduced to $45 to join CPA as an ECP (Reg. Price $100 or more)
- Academy attendees new to CPA will get 50% off the Fall CPA Convention
Benefits for Current CPA ECP Members
- Free to join the Academy
- Free Convention
Leadership Academy Timeline
Starts in March 2021, ends in December 2021 (8 month program)
Monthly Webinars Start April 2021-December 2021
Expectations of CPA Leadership Academy Participants
- ECPs will develop goals to work on during the academy experience
- ECPs need to commit to being able to attend a majority of the webinars
- ECPs commit to meeting monthly with their mentor
Application Materials
- Applications Should be Submitted by March 14 – First Meeting March 30
- Meetings/Virtual Events Typically Held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Evenings.
- Meeting Schedule can be found below:
- Tuesday, March 30th
- Tuesday, April 6th
- Wednesday, April 28th
- Tuesday, May 11th
- Thursday, May 27th
- Saturday, June 12th
- Thursday, June 24th
- Thursday, July 15th
- Wednesday, June 21st
- Tuesday, August 10th
- Thursday, August 26th
- Tuesday, September 14th
- Thursday, October 7th
- Wednesday, November 3rd
- Wednesday, November 17th
- Tuesday, December 14th
Eligibility Criteria
- CPA Members or willing to join CPA (discounted rate for new members who join the academy)
- Early Career Psychologists (within 10 years of their doctoral degree) or a postdoctoral resident/fellows
- ECPs and Postdocs with a strong interest in developing and growing their leadership skills.
ECP Leadership Academy Application
The application period for the 2021 ECP Leadership Academy is currently closed. For more information contact CPA Early Career Representative, Darius Fathi, PsyD at dfathi@gmail.com