About Us

Martha C. Tompson, Ph.D.

mtompson@bu.edu

Martha C Tompson, PhD. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University, Director of Clinical Training for the BU PhD Program, and Director of the Family Development and Treatment Lab. She completed her PhD and postdoctoral training in clinical psychology at University of California, Los Angeles. Her work has focused on the impact of family environmental risk factors on adults and children suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression. Her early work on childhood-onset schizophrenia underscored its continuity with adult-onset forms of schizophrenia, and work on youth depression underscored the importance of family relationships for both risk and outcome. She contributed to the development and testing of interventions to alter family risk factors. This work contributed to the evidence base for Family Focused Treatment for Bipolar disorder (now designated an “established treatment” according APA Division 12 criteria). Recent work focused on developing and examining the efficacy of a family-based treatment approach to prevent and treat childhood depression. She has published and presented widely, was Associate Editor for Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, and is currently Associate Editor of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Her book, “Family-Focused Treatment for Childhood Depression”, is currently in press with Hogrefe Publishers and due out in 2024.

Click here to view a list of selected publications

Collaborators:

David Langer, Ph.D., ABPP

dalanger@bu.edu

David Langer, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Suffolk University, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. Dr. Langer’s research explores the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial treatments for youth psychopathology, the processes through which psychosocial treatments work, and the applicability of the research literature to non-research clinical settings. He is currently working on developing novel approaches to personalize psychosocial treatments for youth by supporting active collaboration between clinicians and families throughout the treatment planning process (i.e., shared decision-making). Dr. Langer’s research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and his work has been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international research conferences.

Doctoral Students: 

Phoebe Brosnan, M.A.

pbrosnan@bu.edu

Phoebe is a sixth-year doctoral student in the Family Development and Treatment Lab. She graduated from Barnard College in 2012 with a B.A. in English and creative writing. Upon graduating she received a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English in Berlin, Germany. She worked as the research coordinator of an RCT at Virginia Commonwealth University, through the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, from 2015-2018. Phoebe’s research interests are in family-based interventions targeting children’s internalizing disorders, particularly mindfulness-based and yoga interventions.

Caroline Swetlitz, Ph.D.

cswetlit@bu.edu

Dr. Caroline Swetlitz completed her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology as a member of BU’s Family Development & Treatment Lab (2018-2024). Her graduate research focused on the neurocognitive factors that influence parenting and the influence of parenting on child development. Her dissertation work examined the association between maternal reward sensitivity and parenting behaviors in middle childhood.

Dr. Swetlitz completed her predoctoral internship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Emory University School of Medicine, where she provided assessment and intervention services for autistic youth. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta, where she provided evidence-based interventions to children, adolescents, and families. Dr. Swetlitz currently practices as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Boston Child Study Center in Portland, Maine, where she specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and disruptive behaviors in children, adolescents, and young adults using evidence-based approaches.

Laura Adams, Ph.D.

Laura Adams, Ph.D., is a Staff Psychologist at the School of American Ballet (SAB) at Lincoln Center and maintains a private practice in Brooklyn, New York. Passionate about working with emerging adults, she completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Miami Counseling Center and her post-doctoral fellowship at RICBT, where she developed an ACT-based protocol for writers and creatives. Practicing at the intersection of clinical and performance psychology, Dr. Adams tailors evidence-based treatments to help dancers, athletes, and performers manage anxiety and mood disorders across a variety of settings.

Dissertation: Positive Maternal Adjustment: A Mixed Methods Study of the Nature, Process, and Measurement of Perceived Social Support in the Postpartum Period. Published doctoral dissertation
Internship: University of Miami Counseling Center

Mathena Abramson, M.A.

mathena@bu.edu

Mathena is a doctoral student in the Family Development and Treatment Lab. Mathena graduated cum laude from Smith College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Statistical and Data Sciences. As the focus of her undergraduate thesis, Mathena studied the impact of first-generation status and social support on homesickness and autobiographical memory in undergraduate students. Post-bachelors, Mathena worked as a clinical research coordinator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital studying the effect of menopausal sleep fragmentation on women’s mental and physical health. Broadly, Mathena’s current research interests relate to understanding the influence of social support on mental and neuropsychological health and investigating methods to strengthen relationships effectively particularly in marginalized and underserved communities.

Jairo Martinez-Yepes, M.A.

jem2273@bu.edu

Jairo is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Boston University. His primary research interest is to elucidate risk factors for developing neurodegenerative diseases within underrepresented communities.  Jairo developed a particular interest in examining the relation between chronic stress and cognition in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. Jairo is co-mentored by Dr. Yakeel Quiroz of the Massachusetts General Hospital Multicultural Alzheimer’s Prevention Program and Dr. Alice Cronin-Golomb of the Vision and Cognition Lab at Boston University. He has been able to contribute to multiple culturally informed research projects including the Boston Latino Aging Study (BLAST), the Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS), and the Colombia-Boston Biomarker Study (COLBOS). He is currently working with Dr. Tompson to understand the relation between interpersonal stress, family support, and cognition in older Latinos and Non-Latinos. 

Natalie Marr, M.A.

nmarr@bu.edu

Natalie is a doctoral student in the Family Development and Treatment Lab. She graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology (Neuroscience Option) and minors in biology and sociology. After graduating she worked as a human research technologist in the Mood Disorders Lab at the Penn State College of Medicine. Natalie’s research interests broadly center on the relationship between family systems and processes and mental health outcomes of adolescents and young adults in the LGBTQ+ community, specifically focusing on anxiety and depression.

Masters Students:

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

Stephanie Donahoe

Stephanie Donahoe is a senior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and minoring in African American and Black Diaspora Studies. Her research interests focus on children and adolescents with severe mental illnesses, with a particular passion for developing innovative treatments and exploring mental health stigma from a cross-cultural perspective, especially in communities of color. She plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology after graduation. Before joining CARD, she has conducted cross-cultural research on mental health stigma and treatment in the Arab region. She also worked at the Vertes Lab at Florida Atlantic University, where she studied learning, memory, and behavior using rats. Outside of the lab, she serves as President of the Mixed Student Union and works at a local dog daycare and boarding facility during the summer. She is excited to explore ways to combine her love for animals with her future work in psychology.

Gabriella Goldberg 

Gabriella Goldberg is a senior pursing a B.A. in Psychology and English. She is very interested in de-stigmatizing mental health and counseling young adults in the future. Following graduation, Gabriella hopes to pursue graduate school for clinical psychology. Outside of the lab, she is a Research Assistant Intern for the APEX Study within the Division of Addiction Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, the Secretary of the Undergraduate English Literature Association, a member of the Undergraduate Psychology Association and Psi Chi, a dancer for Dance Theatre Group, and a certified yoga teacher. Gabriella is currently conducting a senior honors thesis with Dr. Tompson and Natalie Marr, where she is investigating college aged mental health through The Healthy Minds Study. In her free time, Gabriella loves to read, travel, explore Boston, and spend time with her friends and family.

Elizabeth Amata

Elizabeth is a senior undergraduate student earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Boston University. She currently runs a non-profit that works to offer mental health support and therapy resources to immigrant and refugee populations within the state of Michigan. She is interested in addressing mental health disparities within marginalized populations, with a focus on understanding and resolving the systemic barriers that contribute to inequalities in mental health accessibility for minority and immigrant communities.

Anna Simms

Anna Simms is a current junior at Boston University pursuing a B.A in psychology on the pre-health track with a minor in biology. She is most interested in the treatment of mental/psychiatric disorders in children and young adults. Following her undergraduate education, she wants to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist, specializing in adolescents. Outside of the lab, Anna is involved in the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, is in the Mental Health Committee in BU’s Student Government, and a volunteer in the inpatient psychiatric unit at Beth Israel. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the city of Boston, yoga, cooking, traveling, and volunteering!

Zhitong (Selina) Zhou

Selina is a dual-degree student at Boston University pursuing a BA in Psychology with a Statistics minor and an MPH in both Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Program Management. She currently volunteers with the Division of Digital Psychiatry at BIDMC and with the Center for Mindfulness & Compassion at MGH. Previously, she participated in youth depression and childhood trauma research at Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center and completed a fellowship at the Center for Military Health examining how subthreshold alcohol use impacts PTSD treatment outcomes. She hopes to advance mental health research and practice by integrating data analysis, behavioral evaluation, and clinical informatics into evidence-based solutions. In her free time, Selina enjoys grocery shopping, working out, and simply spending time exploring new places.

Rafaela Datel

Rafaela Datel is a sophomore pursuing a BA in Psychology with a minor in English. She is particularly interested in early intervention strategies to improve mental health outcomes in youth. Following her undergraduate education, she hopes to pursue graduate school for clinical psychology, with the long-term goal of working in both research and clinical practice. Outside of the lab, Rafaela is the co-president of the Arts and Literary club, and enjoys writing, reading, and spending time with friends and family.