Ph.D.
I am currently an associate professor in the PCSAS Accredited Clinical Science Ph.D. program in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico. I am also an investigator in the Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico. I direct the Behavioral Addictions And Associated Disorders Research Lab (BAAAD Lab). I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Case Western Reserve University in 2016.
The largest portion of my current research program is concerned with addiction. I am particularly interested in topics related to behavioral addictions or compulsive behavior patterns. My specific interests in these domains are related to the social construction of addiction and understanding why people think they have addictions, what society has to
say about addiction, and how we can help people with addictions by understanding the social contexts of their struggles. I’m also interested in the social and structural factors that shape self-perceptions of potentially addictive behaviors.
Ultimately, I want to understand how self-reported beliefs about addiction influence presentation of symptoms, which, in turn, influence diagnosis, classification, and treatment of addictive behaviors. I have past and ongoing projects related to pornography use, sports
gambling, compulsive sexual behavior more broadly, and excessive gambling behaviors.