Lab Members
Tara Agneshwar
Èšara Agneshwar is a fifth-year student in the Adult Clinical Psy.D program. Her dissertation focuses on the use of religion and spirituality as a coping factor following bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tara has held clinical positions at the Yale New Haven Hospital Department of Neurology, New York Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, and the National Institute for the Psychotherapies. Prior to attending Ferkauf, Tara received her Masters from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she worked as a research assistant in the Resilience Center for Veterans & Families helping post-911 OEF/OIF/OND Veterans transition to civilian life. Currently, Tara is completing her internship at the Syracuse VA Medical Center where she is providing trauma-focused, general outpatient, and group therapy to individuals, couples, and Veterans with SMI. Tara’s research interests are the effects of religion and spirituality on trauma and bereavement, the manifestation of PTSD, and the grieving process.
Kevin Hardiman
Kevin is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program. His dissertation
explores how meaning and purpose in life relates to post-traumatic growth in veterans with a
history of mild traumatic brain injury. Kevin’s clinical training includes dialectical behavioral
therapy adapted for justice-involved veterans at the Bronx VA Medical Center, cognitive,
personality, and suicide risk assessment for Correctional Health Services at Riker’s Island, and
neuropsychological assessment at Yale University’s Department of Neurology. Prior to
beginning his doctoral studies, Kevin worked as a researcher and consultant for the Gallup
organization, where he specialized in survey research design and implementation. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where he worked as a research assistant in the Management and Organizations Lab, studying decision-making and group dynamics. His honors thesis explored cognitive bias in the appraisal of personal privacy.
Julia Kirsch
Julia Kirsch is a fifth-year student in the Adult Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program. Her dissertation focuses on grief rumination among people who have experienced a suicide loss. Julia has held clinical positions at Hunter College Counseling and Wellness Center, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, the Parnes Clinic, and Therapists of New York. In addition, she worked as a study interventionist at Memorial Sloan Kettering where she delivered Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy to bereaved parents. Currently, Julia is completing her internship at the James J Peters VA Medical Center where she works with individuals, couples, and groups, many of which have experienced combat and/or noncombat-related trauma. Julia’s research interests include bereavement, trauma, suicide, and how we find meaning in the midst of hardship. Before attending Ferkauf, Julia worked as a research assistant at Wesleyan University’s Reasoning and Decision Making Lab, where she wrote her thesis on indecisiveness and decision considerations.
Rob Johnson
Rob T. Johnson is a fifth-year candidate in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D program. Rob received their B.A. from Stanford University, where they majored in Human Biology with a concentration in Public Health and Systemic Poverty. During this time, Rob assisted with research into a novel public health intervention for Type 2 Diabetes, which emphasized autonomy and family relationships. Rob later completed the Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, assisting and designing social psychology research into the effects of emotions and inequality on social cognition. Rob has held clinical positions at Brooklyn College Personal Counseling, Manhattan Psychiatric Center, Zucker Hillside Hospital, and the Parnes Clinic. Rob is currently working as a full-time psychology intern at California State University, Monterey Bay, Personal Growth and Counseling Center. Rob’s research interests focus on how people change and grow, including corrective emotional experiences within psychotherapy and LGBTQ+ identity formation.
Elly Deutsch
Elly Deutsch is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program. He received his B.A. from Yeshiva University, where he majored in psychology. After completing his undergraduate studies, Elly studied at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) from which he has received Rabbinical ordination. As part of his studies at RIETS, Elly was awarded a certificate of completion of a joint-program between RIETS and the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, which trains aspiring Rabbis in areas of mental health including pastoral psychology and crisis, bereavement and marriage counseling. Elly has held clinical positions at Brooklyn College Personal Counseling, Pathways CBT Foundation and the Parnes Clinic and currently serves as an extern at Nassau University Medical Center. Elly’s research has focused on the psychological value of the Orthodox Jewish bereavement rituals and practices, bridging the gap between the world of religion and the world of psychology.
Emma Ritter
Emma Ritter (she/her) is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Ferkauf Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University. While at Wesleyan she worked as a research assistant in the Critical Health + Social Ecology (CH+SE) Lab, studying the intersection of social ecology, trauma, and health. Her honors thesis examined the influence of catastrophic climate events on mental health. Before beginning at Ferkauf, Emma worked as a case manager at STEPS to End Family Violence, serving as an advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence. She also participated in Avodah, a jewish social justice fellowship that fosters a commitment to activism. Emma has held clinical positions at the Pace University Counseling Center, Manhattan Psychiatric Center, and the Parnes Clinic. Emma is currently engaged in clinical work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), providing cancer patients and caregiving families with individual, couples, and family psychotherapy throughout the course of illness, including end-of-life and bereavement. She also participates in clinical research at MSKCC as a study interventionist for therapeutic trials of a cognitive-behavioral approach for transplant survivors with PTSD and of a meaning-centered approach for bereaved parents who have lost children. Emma’s research interests include expanding the view of family in end-of-life and bereavement settings, which she explores through a social justice lens.
Lilly Scherban
Lilly Scherban is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Adult Clinical Psy.D. program. Prior to graduate school, Lilly received her B.A. from Harvard University, where she worked as a research assistant in the Nock Lab, studying suicidality in the veteran population. She also served as co-director of Harvard Response peer counseling. Over the course of her graduate training, Lilly has held clinical positions at Brooklyn College Counseling Center, Sagamore Psychiatric Center, and the Parnes Clinic. Currently, Lilly is working at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy where she provides long-term therapy. She also serves as a study interventionist at Memorial Sloan Kettering where she delivers Supportive Therapy to bereaved parents. Lilly’s research interests focus on understanding how bereavement, particularly perinatal loss, can affect workplace experiences.
Jiaqi Li
Jiaqi Li is a third-year doctoral student in the Adult Clinical Psy.D program. She received her B.S. in Psychology from The Ohio State University in 2017, and MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work in 2019. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Jiaqi worked as a clinical social worker at Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, where she provided therapy for primarily Chinese immigrants. For her first externship, Jiaqi was at CUNY Graduate Center providing therapy for international and queer students. Jiaqi is currently an extern at Metropolitan Center for Mental Health, where she provides individual therapy and conducts neuropsychological assessment. Jiaqi’s research interests include meaning-making and the grieving process for therapists who lost their patients to suicide.
Fortune Manopla
Fortune Manopla is a third-year doctoral student in the Ferkauf Clinical Psychology PsyD Program. She received her B.A. from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, where she studied psychological reactance in response to COVID-19 related messages in order to complete her thesis. She has externed at the College of Staten Island Counseling Center, where she conducted group and individual psychotherapy with college students. She is currently at externship at New York Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, where she works with patients on an inpatient addiction recovery unit. Her research interests include the strengths and limitations of grief interventions and the importance of obtaining patient feedback following treatment.
Julia Norman
Julia Norman is a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology PsyD program. She received her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis where she majored in psychology and studied the effects of depression on decision making. She is currently an extern at Mount Sinai's Psychosis Risk Program, providing psychotherapy and assessment for individuals who have a higher risk of developing psychosis and psychotic-like symptoms. Julia's research has focused on reproductive mental health, specifically perinatal loss and the ways in which perinatal grief becomes disenfranchised and silenced.
Micaela Raviv
Micaela Raviv is a third-year doctoral student in the Ferkauf Clinical Psychology PsyD program. She received her B.A. from Brown University, where she double majored in both Psychology and Judaic Studies. Prior to beginning at Ferkauf, Micaela served as a clinical research coordinator for the Center for Child Trauma and Resilience at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. In her first externship, Micaela worked at New York Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, where she provided individual and group therapy on an inpatient unit. Currently, she is externing at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Counseling Center where she provides individual therapy to cancer patients and their family members. Her research interests include resilience after loss, young adult bereavement, psycho-oncology, and meaning-making.
Sam Bernstein
Sam Bernstein (she/her) is a second-year student in the Ferkauf Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program. She received her B.A. at Haverford College, where she majored in Anthropology and minored in Psychology and Health Studies. For Sam’s senior thesis, she studied the ways in which organized religion (specifically Reform Judaism) can provide psychological relief at the end of life and during grief, even for individuals who have not necessarily identified as religious throughout their lives. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Sam led a virtual support and activity group for individuals with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, interned at Family Services of Westchester’s Elder Abuse Prevention Program, and supported children and parents as they navigated the child welfare system at the Westchester Institute for Human Development. Currently, Sam is externing at Brooklyn College Personal Counseling. Sam’s primary research interests include the psychological impacts of medical ableism, the role of non-familial care networks in coping with serious illness and loss, and end-of-life decision-making.
Fallon Smalberg
Fallon Smalberg (she/her) is a second-year doctoral student in the Ferkauf Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program. She received her B.A. from New York University, her MSW from Fordham University, and earned her LMSW in 2022. While at Fordham University, Fallon earned her hours towards licensure working with diverse populations including homeless individuals and New York City employees. She currently works at multiple private practices specializing in acute trauma dissociative disorders and completed her EMDR certification in 2023. Fallon also co-authored an article in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology while working as a research assistant at the UCLA Childhood OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorder Program. Fallon’s current areas of interest are grief in relationships and attachment styles.
Shibani Datta
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Shibani is a first-year student in the Adult Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program. She received her B.S. in psychology from the University of Washington in Seattle. Shibani previously worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she served as a clinical research coordinator for several mixed-methods psycho-oncology studies. She is currently interested in grief and meaning making related to couples, young adults, and multicultural care broadly.
Libby Dvir
Libby Dvir is a first-year doctoral student in the Ferkauf Clinical Psychology PsyD program. She received her B.A. from Williams College with a major in Psychology and concentration in Justice and Law. Upon graduation, Libby worked as a live-in residential advisor at a group home for adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. From there, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, through which she taught English at a public university in Argentina. Prior to beginning at Ferkauf, Libby worked at an alternative-to-incarceration program as its supervising intake specialist and case manager, supporting adults who pleaded guilty to committing misdemeanor crimes in Manhattan. Her research interests include resilience to trauma and the interaction of grief with feelings of accountability.