People

My name is Noah Emery. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University, licensed psychologist, licensed addiction counselor, and Director of ARC. I completed my undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, and I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Dakota. Prior to joining the Department of Psychology at CSU, I completed my clinical psychology residency at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a NIDA-funded T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.

My name is Angelica DeFalco and I am a first-year graduate student in the Counseling Psychology PhD program. I received my Bachelor of Science degree with departmental honors from the University of Miami before spending 2 years as a post-baccalaureate lab manager at Oregon State University, using psychophysiological measures to better understand the relationship between addiction and affect. My research interests include trying to quantify and understand what characteristics set-up individuals with substance use disorders and emotional dysregulation for success in therapy, as well as how to design personalized treatment protocols to leverage one’s personal experience – particularly centered around positive affect, acceptance and mindfulness. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, reading, writing, painting, drawing and watching sitcoms.

My name is Cassandra Richardson, and I am a first-year graduate student in the Counseling Psychology PhD program, working with Drs. Noah Emery and Mark Prince. I completed my undergraduate training at the University of South Florida, where I worked as a Team Lead in the Sleep, Stress and Health (STEALTH) Lab and as an Adventure Trip Leader through Campus Recreation. My research interests center on understanding the relationship between nature exposure and well-being, and investigating nature-based therapies in an empirically supported framework. Additionally, I am interested in substance use treatment and harm reduction strategies. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, camping, rock climbing, attending live music events, and exploring local coffee shops

My name is Sara Mei and I am a second-year graduate student in the Counseling Psychology PhD program. I received my Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and continued my training as a post-baccalaureate clinical research coordinator at McLean Hospital. I am primarily interested in using novel technologies to understand individual differences within the cognitive, affective, and behavioral mechanisms underlying substance use in order to develop individualized treatment for a wide range of populations.

My name is Maggie Mataczynski. I am a third-year graduate student in the Counseling Psychology PhD program, working with Dr. Noah Emery. I completed my undergraduate training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I worked at the Addiction Research Center. After my time at Wisconsin, completed a 2-year post-baccalaureate position at Emory University studying adolescent and young adult substance use. My research interests center on using intensive longitudinal designs to better understanding how the interplay of interpersonal and emotional processes contribute to substance use among young people and the ways in which this information can help improve treatment efforts.

My name is Angelina Sung and I’m a fourth-year graduate student in the Counseling Psychology PhD program. I completed my undergraduate training at Carnegie Mellon University. I also received a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology (Marriage and Family Therapy track) at Santa Clara University. My research interests lie at the intersection of positive psychology and health psychology. Specifically, I’m interested in the health-protective effects of positive emotions and mindfulness-based practices, as well as understanding positive emotion functioning in the context of stress and coping.

I am Mason L. Hatwan, a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at the University of South Dakota, soon to begin my clinical residency at the VA Connecticut Healthcare Systems in West Haven, CT. My academic foundation is rooted in a scientist practitioner model in clinical psychology, starting with a B.S. and advancing through an M.A. to my current doctoral studies. Throughout my academic journey, my research has consistently focused on the dynamics of affective and behavioral changes across diverse contexts. I have developed a particular interest in exploring catalysts and barriers to change, employing sophisticated analytic techniques and innovative data collection methods to advance our understanding of these phenomena.

My name is Russ Marks and I am a staff psychologist within the ACT partial hospitalization program Rhode Island Hospital and clinical faculty at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. I am also an ARC collaborator. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and completed my Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of South Dakota. Prior to graduating, I completed an APA-accredited internship at the VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS)/ University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Psychology Internship Consortium.