People

Professor, Department of Psychiatry
B.S., Neurobiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of Iowa
Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institutes of Health

Curriculum Vitae

Aaron has facilitated peer support groups for formerly incarcerated people for the past ten years. He also provides counseling and support to individuals and families affected by violence through Focused Interruption. Aaron has lived experience of incarceration and for the past four years he has worked closely with the lab on a variety of grant-funded projects to promote the mental health and well-being of currently and formerly incarcerated people, including as a co-facilitator of our Community Advisory Board and co-developer and co-leader of a re-entry peer support group (Build Up).

Deb is a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) and CPS trainer. She has lived experience of incarceration and following her release from prison worked as a Chaplain in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for 17 years. She regularly facilitates Restorative Justice and CPS Support groups at multiple state prisons. For the past four years, Deb has worked closely with the lab on a variety of grant-funded projects to promote the mental health and well-being of currently and formerly incarcerated people, including as a peer co-facilitator for Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD. 

B.A., Psychology, University of Puget Sound

Mickela (they/she) is currently a PhD student in the UW Integrated Graduate Major (IGM) program. Their work focuses on prioritizing and incorporating the experiences/perspectives of individuals with lived experience of incarceration when conducting research aimed at improving mental health and reentry resources for people currently or formerly incarcerated. Based on input from those with lived experience of incarceration, they are also interested in the role that language and labels (e.g., non-person-centered language) play in perpetuating the stigma associated with incarceration, especially within published scholarly work. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her cat, Winston, and play Ultimate Frisbee.

B.A., Psychology, Vanderbilt University

Tatiana (she/her) is a graduate student in the UW Clinical Psychology Program. Tatiana’s research focuses on studying the need for and provision of treatment for individuals impacted by incarceration. She hopes to work closely with individuals currently and/or formerly incarcerated to best understand avenues of need and how to provide feasible, accessible, and effective support methods. She hopes to use her work to improve well-being and outcomes overall, as well as to inform and advocate for policies based on evidence and lived experience.

B.S., Psychology and Neurobiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

As a research specialist, Karen (she/her) coordinates and collects data for community-based projects that aim to establish feasible, accessible, and effective mental health and re-entry services for people who are formerly incarcerated. She primarily works on a project evaluating a group PTSD therapy (CPT) for formerly incarcerated individuals, when co-facilitated by a trained peer with lived experience of incarceration and a trained clinician. Regarding her research interests, Karen hopes to continue working in Community-Engaged Research to develop, adapt, and implement mental health offerings and support methods for communities impacted by incarceration, trauma, substance use, and sexual violence.

B.S., Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

As a Research Specialist in the lab, Madi assists with coordination and data collection for a prison-based project. This project examines the efficacy of group PTSD therapies for incarcerated individuals. Madi’s research interests are broad, as they include the mental health of incarcerated individuals, and incorporating evidence-based treatments into correctional facilities. She is also interested in the access to mental health treatments for this population. In her free time, she enjoys biking, taking long walks, and getting ice cream.

B.A., Psychology & Social Behavior and Criminology, Law & Society, UC Irvine

Valerie (She/Her) is leading a prison education project with the Incarceration and Mental Health Lab, a community advisory board of system-impacted individuals, Odyssey Beyond Bars, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. This project seeks to understand students’ educational experiences, mental health, and well-being before, during, and after incarceration. Her personal research interests are interventions that help to alleviate public and self-stigma surrounding mental health, incarceration, and homelessness.