All core and associated faculty members involved in the PhD Program in Clinical Psychology are listed below, along with their interests. Both the Director of Clinical Training (DCT) and Associate Director of Clinical Training (Associate DCT) are also core faculty members of the program.
Individual faculty members often indicate on their lab websites whether they are considering applications for a mentee during the current application cycle. You may reach out to faculty members via email if you have questions about their work or wish to inquire about their plans for mentoring new students in the upcoming year. Applicants are strongly encouraged to
- consider associated faculty members who mentor students in research as indicated below as potential research mentors. These associated faculty members are closely involved in the program and work with clinical populations and/or have interests in areas connected to clinical psychology, including autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities, neuropsychology, and psychology and law. Students mentored by associated faculty members will receive additional clinical mentorship by the Director of Clinical Training or another core faculty member.
- consider core faculty members with backgrounds in school psychology as potential research mentors, especially if the applicant is interested in the mental health and educational needs of children and adolescents. Students working with these faculty members can expect to have opportunities for conducting research related to school settings and school mental health and receive training in valuable skills in working with youth, such as cognitive assessment, academic assessment, and crisis intervention.
Christopher M. King, JD, PhD
Director of Clinical Training and Core Faculty Member
Associate Professor
clinicalpsychologydct@montclair.edu
kingch@montclair.edu
Dr. King’s Lab Website
- Education: JD, PhD, Clinical Psychology, Drexel University
- Research Interests: Forensic mental health assessment, correctional psychology, police and public safety psychology, and mental health law
- Clinical Interests: Forensic mental health assessment, police and public safety services, severe mental illness, cognitive behavior therapy, and psychotherapy integration
- Our program is a grateful member of the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP).
Jazmin Reyes-Portillo, PhD
Associate Director of Clinical Training and Core Faculty Member
Associate Professor
associatedct@montclair.edu
reyesportilj@montclair.edu
Dr. Reyes-Portillo’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University
- Research Interests: Youth mental health services, including use of technology to increase racial/ethnic minority youth access to and use of mental health treatment for internalizing disorders; improving implementation and dissemination of evidence-based treatments and practices in school and community settings; Latino mental health
- Clinical Interests: Evidence-based treatments for child and adolescent anxiety and depression
Pevitr S. Bansal, PhD
Assistant Professor
bansalp@montclair.edu
- Education: PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Kentucky
- Research Interests: Clinical child psychology; development, assessment, and treatment of childhood conduct problems and antisocial behavior; the role of callous-unemotional traits upon aggressive and disruptive behaviors throughout childhood
- Clinical Interests: Evidence-based assessment and intervention for childhood disruptive behavior disorders; parent management training, behavior therapy
Samantha Coyle-Eastwick, PhD
Associate Professor
coyles@montclair.edu
Dr. Coyle’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, School Psychology, Northern Illinois University
- Research Interests: School-based mental health assessment and intervention. Risk and protective factors related to mental health difficulties (e.g., stress, bullying-victimization, social support); school climate and school safety
- Clinical Interests: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in schools, school consultation, school crisis response and intervention practices
Jeremy K. Fox, PhD
Associate Professor and Former DCT
foxjer@montclair.edu
Dr. Fox’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Clinical Psychology, University at Albany, SUNY
- Research Interests: Developmental psychopathology and early intervention of childhood anxiety; temperament, emotion regulation, and coping; parenting and internalizing disorders; school mental health and dissemination issues
- Clinical Interests: Evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents with internalizing disorders
Sally L. Grapin, PhD, NCSP
Associate Professor
grapins@montclair.edu
- Education: PhD, School Psychology, University of Florida
- Research Interests: Social justice and multicultural issues in psychology; preparation and training of social justice advocates; impact of online racial discrimination on student outcomes
- Clinical Interests: Academic assessment and intervention with K-12 students
Erin Kang, PhD
Assistant Professor
kange@montclair.edu
Dr. Kang’s Lab Website
- Education: Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Stony Brook University
- Research Interests: Developmental psychopathology and plasticity implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social challenges in youth; neural mechanisms of clinical phenotypes in ASD; refining interventions informed by clinical and neural insights; predictors and moderators of treatment response
- Clinical Interests: Evidence-based interventions for youth with ASD; comorbid mental health issues in intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) populations
Carrie Masia Warner, PhD
Professor
masiac@montclair.edu
Dr. Masia’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Child-Clinical Psychology, West Virginia University
- Research Interests: Development and systematic evaluation of evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents in community settings, including schools and pediatric medical settings; understanding how to support the adoption and sustainability of interventions by front-line professionals for anxiety and depression in youth
- Clinical Interests: Evidence-based interventions for anxiety and depression in children and adolescents; training of school professionals and nurse practitioners in delivery of treatments for anxiety and depression; parent training for prevention and treatment of internalizing disorders
Tina M. Zottoli, PhD
Associate Professor
zottolit@montclair.edu
Dr. Zottoli’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Clinical Psychology, Forensic Specialization, Graduate Center & John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
- Research Interests: Adolescent decision-making and legal competencies, plea bargaining, and wrongful conviction
- Clinical Interests: Forensic assessment of adolescents and adults, with primary practice areas in legal competencies, sentencing mitigation, and risk assessment
Tarika Daftary Kapur, PhD
Associate Professor, Justice Studies
daftarykaput@montclair.edu
Dr. Daftary Kapur’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Psychology, Psychology and Law Specialization, Graduate Center and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
- Research Interests: Guilty plea decision making, adolescent development and legal competencies, reentry research, and translating research to policy
Laura Lakusta, PhD
Professor
lakustal@montclair.edu
Dr. Lakusta’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Cognitive Developmental Psychology/Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University
- Research Interests: Language and cognitive development in typically developing infants and children, as well as children with developmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Specific Language Impairment, and Williams syndrome; specifically, how infants’ representations can support language development and how language input from the environment can influence development
Nicole Lytle, PhD
Associate Professor, Social Work and Child Advocacy
lytlen@montclair.edu
Dr. Lytle’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Experimental Psychology, University of Toledo
- Research Interests: Eyewitness testimony, forensic interviewing, children’s memory and suggestibility, and investigative decision-making
Joshua Sandry, PhD
Professor
sandryj@montclair.edu
Dr. Sandry’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Cognitive Psychology, New Mexico State University
- Research Interests: Cognitive impairment and neuropsychological changes in multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury
Yingying (Jennifer) Yang, PhD
Associate Professor
yangyi@montclair.edu
Dr. Yang’s Lab Website
- Education: PhD, Developmental Psychology, University of Alabama
- Research Interests: Cognitive development in typically developing children and children with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder; application of developmental research to real-world educational and clinical settings
- Paul Amhrein, PhD (Cognitive Psychology)
- Kevin Askew, PhD (I/O Psychology)
- Michael Bixter, PhD (Cognitive Psychology)
- Milton Fuentes, PsyD (Clinical Psychology)
- Peter Vietze, PhD (Emeritus)