PSC Director
Lynda Gibson, PhD
lgibson1@illinois.edu
Dr. Lynda Gibson is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Psychological Services Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Northeastern Illinois University, and she received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Dr. Gibson completed her doctoral internship with the Dallas Independent School District’s Department of Psychological and Social Services, and her postdoctoral residency was completed at the University of Chicago Medicine and Comer Children’s Hospital—with a specialization in child trauma.
Dr. Gibson is the principal investigator for the Safe First Steps Training and Consultation Program, which is an early intervention research program designed to support providers in addressing the wide-ranging impact of childhood exposure to trauma and community violence. Dr. Gibson is also the director for the Safe First Steps School, Parent, and Community Engagement (SPACE) Clinic, which specializes in trauma-focused interventions, early identification, comprehensive evaluation, and evidence-based treatment in diverse children and families from age 3 through 17.
Dr. Gibson continues her partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Urban Youth Trauma Center as a research collaborator on their state and federal grants that are designed to increase awareness about the needs of children and families and disseminate trauma-informed intervention models for schools and community-based organizations.
PSC Associate Director
Amy Cohen, PhD
amycohen@illinois.edu
Dr. Amy Cohen received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminology from the University of Miami. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University, where her research and clinical work focused on applied behavior analytic (ABA) strategies for learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Cohen completed her doctoral internship at Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, specializing in delivering evidence-based psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and families. She received advanced training during her postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina in the division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, where Dr. Cohen specialized in the assessment of developmental disabilities, with a focus on the early identification and diagnosis of ASD. Additionally, Dr. Cohen completed a secondary, interdisciplinary fellowship through the South Carolina Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND).
Dr. Cohen returned back to her home state to join the University of Illinois faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor in 2015, serving as the Director of the Psychological Services Center since 2017. In her role at the PSC, Dr. Cohen also directs the University of Illinois Autism Clinic, where she trains doctoral level clinicians in the assessment and diagnosis of ASD across the lifespan. Dr. Cohen’s research interests include the symptomatology of ASD in women and girls, and supporting the transition to motherhood in caregivers with ASD. In addition to her work in the PSC, Dr. Cohen is a co-investigator on a federally funded grant investigating the association between child and maternal gesture use and dyadic language in order to inform intervention for early language development in Fragile X syndrome.
PSC Office Manager:
Sara Dubson, B.S.
dubson@illinois.edu
I graduated from Illinois State University in 1993 with my B.S in Criminal Justice and Sociology. I’ve worked at the University of Illinois since 1996 and I’ve been at the PSC since 2010. In my time away from the office I enjoy spending time with my family and rescuing and fostering dogs.
PSC Assistants:
Kam MacNear, M.S.
Kam is a doctoral student in the Clinical-Community psychology program. Originally from Detroit, MI, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. His research investigates the complex relationships between race-related stress, Black racial identity, and mental health outcomes. Currently, he is working on his dissertation exploring the impact of racism and stress on developmental milestones for Black emerging adults. In his free time, Kam enjoys reading speculative fiction at the park, playing video games on his PlayStation, and cooking new recipes.
Alysia Berglund, B.A.
Alysia is a doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology program. She is originally from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research interests involve examining differences in emotional and cognitive processes in people on the schizophrenia-spectrum, identifying risk and resilience factors for individuals at risk for psychosis, and destigmatizing serious mental health problems. In her free time, she enjoys painting and baking sweets.
Catherine Conway, B.S.
Catherine Conway is a doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology program. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Western Michigan University, and is originally from Nashville, TN. Her research interests include the underlying mechanisms of cognition-emotion interactions in depression and anxiety-related disorders, and how alterations in these pathways may predict maintenance of these conditions or likelihood of remission. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, reading, or laying on the couch with her pug.
Sana Aladin, B.S.
Sana Aladin is a doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology program. She earned her B.S. in Clinical Psychology and M.A. in Child Study & Human Development from Tufts University and is originally from California. Her research focuses on language and communication in multidimensional schizotypy, with an emphasis on disorganized schizotypy. She is also interested in the development of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, reading, and trying new recipes.
Yunlai Gui, B.A.
Yunlai is a doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology program. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Journalism from New York University, with a minor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Her research interests include social cognition and interpersonal functioning in multidimensional schizotypy and psychosis proneness. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling around the world.