Dr. Lauren Quetsch

Dr. Lauren Quetsch is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas in the Department of Psychological Sciences. She now also serves in an Associate Professor role at the University of Arkansas for Medical sciences where she delivers evidence-based interventions for autistic youth and families. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in children and families from West Virginia University in Morgantown. Her research and clinical interests focus on providing treatments for autistic youth and families. In particular, Dr. Quetsch is passionate about helping families gain effective tools for strengthening the parent-child relationship and reducing child aggression and disruptive behavior. Furthermore, her recent work has focused on exploring the intersectionality of neurodiversity and historically marginalized identities and how these impact the rate and timeliness of autism diagnoses, family experiences with racism and prejudice in autism-based treatments, and the presence of autism stigma in minoritized populations and cultures. Dr. Quetsch has expertise in a family-focused treatment called Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and has been a PCIT certified within-agency trainer since 2018. Dr. Quetsch’s training experiences include training groups of mental health therapists, community behavioral health providers, medical professionals, and clinical psychology doctoral graduate students.

Dr. Quetsch has combined her interests through adapting evidence-based treatments for autistic youth in her research and clinical practice, and has even co-edited a book entitled, “Handbook of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Children on the Autism Spectrum.” Additionally, she co-wrote a parenting book, “Good Enough Parenting: A Six-Point Plan for a Stronger Relationship with Your Child;” and a practitioner’s therapeutic guide, “Working with Parents of Aggressive Children: A Practitioner’s Guide.” She recently was awarded the Arkansas Psychological Association’s Academician/Researcher of the Year Award (2021), the Robert and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellowship (2022), the Early Career Award from the Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapy’s (ABCT) Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders Special Interest Group (2022), and the Anne Marie Albano Early Career Award for the Integration of Science and Practice (2023). She has received grants for expanding autism support services, exploring family utilization of emergency services for their autistic youth, investigating racism in diagnostic and treatment services for Black families of autistic children, studying aggression in autistic youth across development, and training dental providers in evidence-based skills to increase child comfort and compliance during dental visits.

Our Team

OUR FURRY FRIENDS 🙂

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Rebecca Bradley, MA

Graduate Student

Becca is a fifth-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program. She is interested in individual, family systems, and community factors that impact outcomes for autistic children and their families. Her main line of study includes exploring clinical characteristics (e.g., child disruptive behaviors, emotion regulation), psychosocial risk (e.g., parenting stress, barriers and access to services), and health service utilization to inform intervention and prevention efforts. Her second line of research explores intervention effectiveness for autistic youth with a focus on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). These two research areas intersect to understand barriers to, advocacy in, and advancements for effective clinical care. Becca is currently working on her dissertation which will examine the effectiveness of a novel PCIT adaptation for toddlers with and without neurodevelopmental conditions.

Learn more about Becca HERE

Julia Kiefer, M.A

Graduate Student

Julia Kiefer is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She is working as a graduate student clinician at Cherokee Nation Health Systems in the Outpatient clinic, as well as the University of Arkansas Psychological Clinic. Clinically, Julia is passionate about working with children and adolescents with anxiety and other mood disorders. Julia is also interested in working with families and youth experiencing traumatic stress. Much of Julia’s research includes examining ways to adapt evidence-based therapies to increase accessibility for under-reached populations. She is currently completing her dissertation, which is examining the efficacy of tele-health adaptations to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).

Learn More about Julia HERE

Emily-Anne Del Rosario, MA

Graduate Student

Emily is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She is interested in the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions for underserved families and children with disruptive behavior disorders.

Learn more about Emily HERE

Emily Shah, M.A

Graduate Student

Emily is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Program. Both Emily’s research and clinical interests are related to treatment for autism spectrum and related disorders amongst children and adolescents. Specifically, she is interested in interventions that aim to reduce distressing symptoms for autistic youth and their families and exploring best practices for reducing barriers to treatment. Emily is particularly interested in examining intervention strategies and outcomes that are related to the reduction of co-occurring mental health problems that may impact individuals with autism (e.g., anxiety and depressive symptoms).

Learn more about Emily HERE.

Paula Moreno Parada (she/her/ella)

Graduate Student

Paula is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She grew up in a Colombian family in south Florida, where she developed her interest in helping underserved communities. She is interested in understanding how to address needs for underserved families of autistic children, as well as researching health help-seeking behaviors in Latine communities.

Abigail Houck, M.A. (she/they)

Graduate Student

Abby (she/they) is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. They are interested in working with autistic individuals who have overlapping marginalized identities, especially LGBTQ+ people. Abby is also focused on incorporating the lived experiences of autistic adults into research aims. As a late-identified autistic and ADHD individual, they are particularly interested in how passing as non-autistic (either via camouflaging or observer bias) impacts well-being and life outcomes, and how to better identify those who have historically been overlooked.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Leah Gelfand (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

Leah is an undergraduate honors student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish and Jewish Studies. She is particularly interested in improving access to mental healthcare in underserved communities. After earning her BA, Leah plans to attend graduate school in order to continue her education and prepare her for a career that involves providing mental health care to all members of her community.

Swathi Menon (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

Swathi is a senior undergraduate honors student who is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biology and Medical Humanities. Her research interests include working with children with disabilities as well as understanding barriers to getting treatment. She works at Camp Aldersgate where she is able to gain experience taking care of children with disabilities and a variety of medical conditions. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school for physical therapy and pursue a job as a pediatric physical therapist.

Paige Diamond (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

Paige is a third-year Biology and Spanish major with a minor in Psychology. She is interested in learning about chronic illnesses or behavioral and learning disorders in children, and how to help them adapt in their day-to-day lives. After receiving her undergraduate degrees, she hopes to attend medical school and work in either pediatric psychiatry or cardiology.

Emily Frey (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

Emily Frey is a second-year honors student majoring in psychology. She is interested in working with neurodivergent children and is currently navigating what field of psychology to go into after graduation. Currently, she plans on continuing her education at graduate school or applying to medical school in the psychiatry or psychology field.

Michelle Calderon (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

Michelle Calderon is a first-year honors path scholar majoring in public health. Her interest includes healthcare and serving underrepresented communities. “I hope to one day give back to my community and work with healthcare policy.”

Serenity Richardson (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

My name is Serenity Richardson. I am a sophomore majoring in psychology. I am interested in learning about the conditions and illnesses pertaining to underrepresented children and learning the ways or techniques to help them adapt, and ultimately improve their quality of life. After undergrad, I plan to become an oral health advocate and continue my academic career in dental school to work as a dentist or an orthodontist.

Madeleine Schlegel (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

Madeleine is a second-year honors student majoring in psychology. She is interested in learning about children and adolescents who struggle with anxiety and mood disorders. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school for clinical psychology and pursue a career in psychotherapy.

Reese Norbie (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student

Reese Norbie is from Chanhassen, MN. She is a psychology major with a biology minor on the premed track and hopes to attend medical school. She plans to study orthopedic surgery during her residency! She love dogs, coffee, working out, and hanging out with friends.

Mercy Irungu (Pronouns: she/her/hers)

Post Bach Volunteer

Mercy is deeply interested in the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions for children with disruptive behavior disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with a particular focus on underserved communities in Kenya and beyond. Recognizing the unique challenges that vulnerable populations face, Mercy is committed to developing and delivering tailored interventions that address the specific needs and circumstances of these children and their families. Mercy is dedicated to reaching out to communities, including those in remote or underserved areas, to ensure that her expertise and services are accessible to all who need them. She is a passionate advocate for raising awareness about disruptive behavior disorders and ASD, promoting understanding, and reducing stigma surrounding these conditions.

LAB ALUMNI

Harlee Onovbiona, M.A

Harlee is currently a pre-doctoral psychology intern at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with a focus on autism spectrum disorder.

Katie Parisi, Ph.D

Katie graduated in 2023, and is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Brown University with a focus on Early Childhood Consultation. We are proud of you Katie!