Previous Doctoral Lab Members
Brian Yu, Ph.D. (2017); staff psychologist at the Maryland Centers for Psychiatry
Suzanne Chu Chian Chong, Ph.D. (2017); staff psychologist at Ursinus College
Andrew Shelton, Ph.D. (2018); associate professor at Azusa Pacific University
Gabriel Zamudio, Ph.D. (2018); clinical assistant professor at U. of Calgary, Canada
Monica Gerber, Ph.D. (2018); staff psychologist & clinical coordinator at Asian Pacific Development Center
Wenzhen Zhu, Ph.D. (2019); associate professor at Central China Normal U.
Arubah Khan, Ph.D. (2019); licensed psychologist in private practice in the Washington D.C. area
Ling Jin, Ph.D. (2020); assistant professor of the Counselling Psychology doctoral program at U of Calgary, Canada
Kendra Oosterhouse, Ph.D. (2021); staff psychologist at VA Ann Arbor Medical Center
Ivan Carbajal, Ph.D. (2021), assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Oregon State University
Danna Bismar, Ph.D. (2022), postdoc fellow, Boston Child Study Center, Los Angeles Office, California
Wan-Ju Chao, Ph.D. (2023), postdoc fellow, University of California-Santa Cruz, Counseling & Psychological Services
Gabby Weierbach, Ph.D. (2023), postdoc fellow, Great Life Counseling Center, Plano TX
Current Doctoral Lab Members
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faraha Hasan (6th year in Counseling Psychology, currently completing pre-doctoral internship at University of Washington)
Faraha Hasan is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program. She grew up in Dallas, Texas in a Pakistani Muslim family. After completing her bachelor's degree in psychology and child learning and development at the University of Texas at Dallas, she joined the Cross-Cultural Attachment Research Lab to pursue her interests in ethnic-racial identity development. Outside of school, Faraha enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and pet cockatiels, Aloo and Neebu.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Gu (6th year in Counseling Psychology, currently completing pre-doctoral internship at University of Houston )
Peter Gu is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. Peter was born and raised in Houston, Texas and attended Baylor University for his undergraduate program and worked on a Masters at Sam Houston State University. His research interests are broadly focused on adjustment and acculturation. For fun, Peter enjoys playing music, traveling, cooking, reading sci-fi/fantasy novels, and hanging out with his family and friends.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Melissa Briones (5th year in Counseling Psychology)
Melissa Briones is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. Melissa grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, a bicultural region sat across the Mexican border. She acquired her bachelor degree in psychology locally at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and her master degree in clinical psychology at Sam Houston State University. Her research interests broadly involve acculturation, immigration, and Latinx cultural values. Outside of school, she enjoys watching true crime documentaries, traveling, and spending time with her dog, partner, and family.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evan Lawson (5th year in Counseling Psychology)
Evan Lawson is a doctoral student in the Counseling Program at UNT. He was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed his Bachelors in Psychology at Purdue University and his Masters at Sam Houston State University. His research interests include microaggressions and their effect on the psychological well-being of minority college students. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing video games, and watching and playing soccer. He is an avid AC Milan supporter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shiho Toyama (4th year in Counseling Psychology)
Shiho is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. She was born and raised in Torrance, California. She completed her Bachelors in Psychology at California State University, Long Beach. Her research interests broadly include examining mental health issues experienced in diverse international populations and understanding mental health stigmas that interfere with the utilization of mental health services. Her hobbies include weightlifting, eating, napping, and watching dog videos.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hannah Hwang (4th year in Counseling Psychology)
Hannah is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas though she also feels at home in Seoul, South Korea. She gained her bachelor's degree from Baylor University in English and Interdisciplinary Studies, and her master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Counselor Education. Her research interests involve multicultural identity integration, community-based mutual aid, healing and outreach initiatives, and acculturative stress correlates on parental attachment. In her free time, she enjoys cooking for her friends and running a supper club.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashley Koh (3rd year in Counseling Psychology)
Ashley is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program. She grew up in San Jose, California, and was raised by Korean immigrant parents. Ashley earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wheaton College (IL). After graduating, she served as an AmeriCorps member in her community. Her research interests broadly include acculturation, cross-cultural attachment, and culturally relevant mental health interventions. In her free time, she enjoys brewing coffee, playing guitar, eating pho, scrolling through TikTok, and spending time with friends.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cachet Lue (3rd year in Counseling Psychology)
Cachet is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. Cachet was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. She moved to the United States as an international student-athlete to attend Texas Christian University for her undergraduate program and worked on a Masters at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests are broadly focused on identity, sports relationships, and mental health experiences of international students and student-athletes. For fun, Cachet enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, watching sports, sleeping, and being out in the sun.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tiffany Tran (2nd year in Counseling Psychology)
Tiffany is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. She was born and raised in Houston, TX where she also earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of Houston. After graduation, she worked as a research assistant at The Menninger Clinic, working with adults and adolescents in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Her research interests broadly include attachment, parent-child relationships, and family dynamics and relationships especially within racial/ethnic minority families. In her free time, she likes to go to museums and parks or attend concerts, musicals, or ballet performances.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayurda Pathak (1st year in Counseling Psychology)
Ayurda Pathak is a first-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program. She grew up in Aurora, Colorado, and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for her B.A. in Psychology. She then went on to obtain an M.S. in Clinical Research at Fordham University, where she specialized in studying health behaviors and stress management in minoritized populations. In her free time, Ayurda likes to try out new recipes, watch sitcoms, and go out with her friends.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christie Tsao
Christie is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. She was born and raised in Hong Kong. She moved to Houston, Texas and completed a dual bachelor's degree in Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies at the University of Houston. After graduating, she worked as a Research Assistant at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, engaging in mental health clinical research that focuses on the Veteran population. Her research interests currently include multiculturalism, assessments and diagnoses, and psychotherapy outcomes among diverse population. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her dog and loved ones, playing music, catching up on shows, and exploring new restaurants.
