Graduate Students

Guadalupe Gabriel San Miguel

Guadalupe Gabriel San Miguel is a seventh-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Program. In 2017, he received his bachelor's in psychology from the University of Houston. Prior to attending USU, he worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, specifically in the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction. His primary interest are in insomnia, ACT, and anxiety disorders. In addition, he works in an audiology lab exploring internal barriers to hearing aid uptake and adherence.

Korena Klimczak

Korena Klimczak is a seventh-year graduate student in the Combined Clinical and Counseling Psychology PhD program at Utah State University, and a member of the Utah ACT Research Group with Dr. Michael Levin as her mentor. She received her BA in Psychology from Old Dominion University in 2019 and an MS in Psychology from USU in 2022. Her research interests include clinical applications of technology, with a specific focus on technology-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), engagement with web-based self-help, and implementations of online programs. She enjoys digital-intervention development and optimization, having co-developed the ACT Guide Lite single-session intervention and taking a lead role in developing the ACT Guide Peer-support Coaching program. 

Leila Capel

Leila Capel is a sixth-year doctoral student in the combined clinical/counseling program at Utah State University. She received her B.A. in psychology and government from Smith College in 2016. Before coming to USU, she worked as a research assistant at the Massachusetts General Hospital Neuropsychology clinic and as a Clinical Residence Counselor at the McLean Hospital Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute. Her research focuses broadly on acceptance-based treatment of obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders.

Marissa Donahue

Marissa Donahue is a sixth-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Program at Utah State University. She received her M.A. in Forensic Psychology from Roger Williams University in 2017. Her primary research interests include the examination of web-based acceptance and commitment therapy programs as a transdiagnostic approach in the promotion of wellbeing and adherence among adults living with chronic health conditions. She is currently on internship in a Clinical Health Psychology program at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System until July 2026.

Emily Bowers

Emily Bowers is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Program at Utah State University. She received her B.S. in biopsychology from Tufts University in 2019. Prior to attending USU, Emily worked as a counselor and clinical research coordinator for the Behavioral Health Partial Program at McLean Hospital. Her clinical and research interests focus broadly on acceptance-based treatment interventions for obsessive and anxiety-related disorders, with a focus on misophonia, perfectionism, and body-focused repetitive behaviors.

Mercedes Woolley

Mercedes Woolley is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Program at Utah State University. She received her BA in Psychology from Smith College in 2020. Prior to USU, Mercedes worked as a research assistant in the Women’s Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD at VA Boston. She is interested in acceptance and commitment therapy and process-based approaches to treatment for a range of clinical presentations. She is particularly excited about treatment process and outcome research and mindfulness-based interventions targeting transdiagnostic processes. 

Francesca Knudsen

Francesca is a third-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology Program at Utah State University. Her research focuses on using acceptance and commitment therapy-based interventions to promote sustainable health behavior change, with a particular emphasis on stress management and eating behaviors, including intuitive eating, disordered eating, and everyday dietary patterns. She is interested in applying these approaches to improve long-term health outcomes in at-risk populations. Francesca received her BA in Psychology and Health, Medicine, & Society from Lehigh University in 2021 and previously worked as a research coordinator at the WELL Center at Drexel University, where she gained experience in eating disorder prevention and behavioral weight loss interventions. Outside of her research, she enjoys reading, hiking in the beautiful Utah mountains, and exploring national parks.

Keaton Soileau

Keaton Soileau is a second year doctoral student in the combined clinical/counseling program at Utah State University. He received his B.S. in Psychology at Texas A&M University in 2021 and his M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Houston Christian University in 2023. Prior to attending USU, he worked as a research coordinator at Baylor College of Medicine in the OCD and Anxiety Program, and as a therapist at Houston OCD and Anxiety specializing in treatment for children, teens, and young adults. His current research interest focus on the dissemination of ACT interventions for marginalized populations and minority groups with OCD and anxiety disorders. 

Juliana Avery

Juliana Avery is a first-year doctoral student in the combined clinical/counseling program at Utah State University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Alabama in 2022. Prior to attending USU, she worked as a research coordinator at Baylor College of Medicine in the OCD and Anxiety Program. Her current research interests are centered on utilizing ACT interventions for diverse populations with OCD and anxiety disorders. 

Grace Yun

Grace is a first-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology Program at Utah State University. She received her B.A. in Psychology at Trinity University in 2021. Prior to attending USU, Grace worked as a clinical research assistant at the Adult Partial hospital Program at Rhode Island Hospital. Her research focuses on developing and scaling ACT-based digital interventions to improve access to care and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. 

Stephanie Nettleton

Stephanie Nettleton is a first-year doctoral student in the combined clinical/counseling program at Utah State University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Human Relations at the University of Iowa in 2022. Prior to attending USU, she worked as a research assistant at the THRIVE Lab at the University of Iowa. Her research interests are focused broadly on utilizing acceptance and commitment therapy for coping with chronic health conditions.  

Madison Fitzpatrick

Madison Fitzpatrick is a first-year doctoral student in the combined clinical/counseling program at Utah State University. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Hofstra University in 2020. Prior to attending USU, she worked as research assistant at the Bio-Behavioral Institute and at the Yale OCD Research Clinic studying OCD and related disorders. Broadly, her research interests center on developing efficacious treatments for OCRDs. She is currently focused on developing an ACT protocol for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.