The team members at Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy Lab are made up of experienced and dedicated researchers from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds. What unites them is an undying passion for learning and discovery. Meet them below.
Tina Glusac
Tina is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology Program at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. She received her BA in psychology from Wesleyan University in 2018. She then went on to work with students at a residential high school and taught precalculus and wilderness studies. She also served as a research assistant at the Yale Child Study Center in their Anxiety and Mood Disorders program and worked with anxious children and their parents. Tina’s research interests lie in PTSD, anxiety disorders, and emerging adulthood. Her hobbies include running, cooking, taking care of her pet goats, cycling, and taking long walks with friends.
Akiva Gornish
Akiva is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology PsyD Program at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. He earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Thomas Edison State University and a B.A. in Psychology from Kean University where he published a study examining differences in the student populations of condensed and full term courses. Prior to his graduate studies at Ferkauf, Akiva worked as a supervisor at a special education service and volunteered as a crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line. He is interested in a broad range of psychological distress and disorders and in tailoring treatment to the individual by drawing from evidence based treatments and theories. Akiva is currently an extern at the College of Staten Island Counseling Center where he provides personal, group, and academic counseling.
Caroline Ball
Caroline is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology PsyD Program. She received her BA in psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2019. For two years she was employed as a mental health worker on an inpatient unit at a psychiatric hospital, and prior to that she worked with women transitioning from inpatient and residential substance abuse treatment facilities back into the community at a sober living program. Caroline’s clinical and research interests include complex trauma, self-injury, and working with children, adolescents, and adults. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her fluffy orange cat named Rosie, creating artwork, and baking.
Liorah Rubinstein
Liorah is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology PsyD Program at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. She received her BA in psychology from Yeshiva University, where she completed her senior thesis on sexual attitudes, behaviors, and self-esteem among a religious young adult population, the results of which were presented at the 2019 Eastern Psychological Association’s Annual Meeting. Upon graduating, Liorah joined Mount Sinai Hospital’s Neurosurgery Department as a Clinical Research Coordinator, where she coordinated clinical research studies relating to the treatment of cerebral aneurysms and strokes. She also worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Housing Department of her former college, where she supervised Resident Advisors and assessed and responded to psychiatric emergencies on campus. Liorah is currently an extern therapist at the Pace University Counseling Center where she provides individual and group counseling. Her research interests include couples and family dynamics and reproductive psychology. Her hobbies include playing ukulele, bonding with her guinea pig, and running outdoors.
Lea Epstein
Lea Epstein is a second year student in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. She received her B.A. in psychology from McGill University. At McGill, Lea was involved in a lab that researched the genetics of pain. After graduating, Lea worked in a lab at the University of Toronto that researched the psychology of emerging adulthood and specifically examined the relationship between ADHD and cannabis use. Lea’s research interests include forensic assessment, personality disorders, and psychopathy.