Nuha Alshabani is a Counseling Psychology doctoral candidate at The University of Akron. She received an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Akron and a B.A. in Psychology from Baldwin Wallace University. Her research interests focus on refugee and immigrant populations, Arab Americans, trauma, oppression, resiliency, community participatory research, and culturally specific interventions. Nuha uses a social justice and multicultural lens in her approach to research and practice. In the future, Nuha hopes to focus on the intersection of psychological research and public policy. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to new countries, running, yoga, and spending time with family and friends.
Alexis Duckett Faison is a Counseling Psychology doctoral student at Arizona State University (ASU) working under the advisement of Dr. Cristalis Capielo Rosario. Alexis also received her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at ASU. She is a proud North Carolina Native. Her clinical interests include working with transition-aged youth and adult populations with a variety of presenting concerns in both community and university college settings. Her research focuses on ethnic/racial identity development and minority mental health, with emphasis on African Americans. Alexis uses social justice and multicultural approaches in her research and clinical practice. In the future, Alexis aspires to a career in academia that will allow her an opportunity to focus on research, teaching, and mentoring. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her partner, Antonio, and toddler, Amani.
Anyoliny “Angie” Sanchez is a first-year Master’s student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Kentucky (UK). She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Florida Spring 2019 where she received a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Family, Youth & Community Sciences. As an undergraduate, she engaged in behavioral science research related to goal achievement, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction. Currently, she is a member of the RISE^2 (Relationships, Intimacy, and Sexual Enrichment | Race, Intersectionality, and Social justice Engagement) Research Team, under the mentorship and advisement of Dr. Candice Hargons. Anyoliny is an aspiring psychologist who is primarily interested in examining the ethnic identity development and mental health of adolescents from racially and ethnically marginalized Latinx communities. Her scientist-practitioner goal for graduate studies is to study how different systems of oppression keep marginalized communities from reaching their full potential (i.e., having a more robust sense of happiness and life satisfaction). In her spare time, Anyoliny enjoys spending time with family/friends, traveling, sorority involvement, and dancing. Anyoliny is also a recipient of the UK Ronald E. McNair graduate fellowship.
Alejandra Gonzalez is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at The University of Akron in Ohio. She completed her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology at The University of Akron and Bachelor of Science with dual majors in Psychology and Mathematics at Newman University. Her research and clinical interests are in addressing violence against women (e.g., intimate partner violence, sexual violence) with particular interests in resilience and violence against women in marginalized populations, including Latinas. She is also interested in addressing challenges related to higher education aspirations in Latinx populations through understanding strengths and supports. Broadly, she is interested in conducting research and implementing prevention and intervention approaches that address mental health and educational disparities, and that are based on the strengths and needs of Latinx populations. More specifically, she is interested in studying violence against women with the goals of helping to develop prevention strategies and mitigating negative mental health outcomes resulting from violence. In the area of education, she is interested in helping develop strategies that utilize culturally relevant strengths that support students’ educational and vocational development. Outside of work, she enjoys going hiking, watching Netflix, and spending time with family and friends.
Terrill O. Taylor is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of North Dakota. He received his B.S. from the University of Houston and is a Texas-native. His primary research interests focus on issues of social justice, diversity, and multiculturalism with specific emphasis on individuals’ intersections of racial identity and sexual orientation. Within counseling psychology, he aims to be a pioneer in the area of research and theory related to restorative justice, emphasizing the need for inclusion, hope, and healing for justice-involved individuals, survivors, and communities impacted by harm. As an advocate, he is passionate about raising awareness and enacting policy change on systemic issues that impact marginalized and underrepresented groups. Clinically, he uses relational cultural and interpersonal perspectives that emphasize empowerment to assist clients in meaningful change. He is actively engaged with the American Psychological Association. He serves on the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity, he is co-chair for the Division 45 Campus Representative Program, and is a graduate student steering committee member for Division 2. He is proud to be embraced by the psychology community and looks forward to being a leader in the field.
Dr. Yuhong He received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from University of Missouri, Columbia. She completed her doctoral internship at University of Maryland, College Park Counseling Center, and her post-doctoral fellowship at University of Pennsylvania Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). She is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and currently works at Upenn CAPS as an International Specialist. She leads outreach and prevention programs for international students and coordinates career services at CAPS. She also provides multilingual services (Mandarin, Cantonese) in career counseling, individual therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, outreach, and consultation for the campus community. In addition, she participates in supervision and training activities for postdoctoral fellows, doctoral interns, and externs. Yuhong is specialized in mental health concerns of international and Asian American students in higher education. She is passionate about working with individuals and groups with marginalized identities and social justice advocacy. Her research areas include coping, career development, and international students’ and immigrants’ mental health.
Dr. Klaus Cavalhieri received his doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale in 2019. He completed his doctoral internship at the Counseling and Psychological Services at the same institution. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of North Dakota. Broadly, his research interests relate to multicultural psychology and minority stress. Specifically, he investigates social class and classism, race and racism, and violence against women. He is particularly interested on how social class and racial marginalization impact mental and physical health, and on how sex buyers justify and perpetrate violence against women. Clinically, he is interested in working with body image and disordered eating, grief, mood and anxiety disorders, and humanistic therapies. Originally from Brazil, Klaus is passionate about socially meaningful research, and he enjoys reading, spending time with his partner, and eating pizza.
Dr. Kirsten A. Gonzalez received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2016. She completed her pre-doctoral training at Towson University’s Counseling Center, and her post-doctoral fellowship at Loyola University Maryland’s Counseling Center. She is an assistant professor in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a licensed psychologist in the state of Tennessee. Her research broadly explores the psychological well-being of LGBTQ+ People of Color, the intersection of Latinx and LGBTQ+ identities, ally development, social justice advocacy and interventions, minority, race-related, and acculturative stress, and sociopolitical experiences of marginalization across race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation. When she is not working, Kirsten enjoys traveling, spending time with loved ones and her cats, going to the gym, and trying new food.
Dr. Bola Afolayan is a licensed Staff Psychologist at the Psychological and Counseling Services of the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. She received her Psy.D. and M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University New England, Keene, NH. She earned a BA (with Honors) in History at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife, Nigeria. Bola is bilingual, fluent in Yoruba and English. Her pre-doctoral internship was at Suffolk University, Boston MA, and her post-doctoral fellowship was at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. Bola Afolayan is an APA member and calls Society of Counseling Psychology, Division 17, home within APA. In addition, she connects with the missions of Division 52 (International Psychology).
Prior to beginning her psychological training, Bola worked as an advocate for women fleeing domestic and sexual violence, and human trafficking, for 8 years. A passion for advocating for the voiceless in our society continues to inform her work as a licensed psychologist in the state of New Hampshire. She uses social justice, equity, and multicultural orientation lenses, especially cultural humility, in assessment, intervention, advocacy, and research. Bola is passionate about raising awareness and engaging her colleagues and her university community on important issues such as supporting the acculturation journey of international students, using equity and multicultural orientation lenses, and supporting students who are visibly racial and ethnic minorities.
Bola’s primary research interest is in cultural adaptation. Her dissertation research resilience and vulnerability in Haitian children, emerged from providing psychological services (with her peers from Antioch University New England) to people of Blanchard, Haiti in 2012, two years after the earthquake. In the future, Bola hopes to be a bridge in building effective mental health system in Nigeria. Bola Afolayan is grateful to have a solid support of her husband and other family members.
When she is not at work, she gardens or travels. Her traveling passion includes the love of interacting with different cultures. She uses dancing, especially Zumba, and functional /ball exercises for self-care. She loves to take mindfulness walks in nature most days of the week.