Our Lab
Colin Mahoney, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Trauma Psychology
Dr. Mahoney joined the UCCS Psychology Department in the Fall of 2021. He is a UCCS alum (M.A. in clinical psychology), and completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology at Idaho State University with specialized training in experimental methodology within the context of behavioral economics (i.e., impulsive choice and risk-taking). Dr. Mahoney completed his predoctoral clinical internship at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA as a Behavioral Medicine Intern. His research focuses on identifying risk, maintenance, and protective factors for the symptoms and diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) among women following exposure to interpersonal violence (i.e., sexual violence, intimate partner violence [IPV], community violence) and among men following exposure to combat trauma through (1) experimental, (2) prospective, and (3) qualitative studies. The intention is to investigate these processes to inform, enhance, and develop evidence-based assessments and treatments for PTSD and comorbid SUDs.
View Dr. Mahoney’s CV here.
Email: [email protected]
Brigitta Beck
Ph.D. Student, Lab Manager, Study Coordinator – Self-Medication Study
Brigitta is a third-year graduate student at UCCS in the Clinical Psychology PhD program with an emphasis in Trauma Psychology. She graduated from Endicott College with a Psychology B.A. focused in Neuroscience. Brigitta conducted research for four years at the Translational Research Center for Traumatic Brain Injuries and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), part of the Boston VA Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School. At TRACTS she worked with combat veterans as well as female survivors of intimate partner violence to better understand the relationship between brain structure and functioning along with overall health outcomes. Under the mentorship of Dr. Colin Mahoney, she aspires to better understand the mechanisms of resiliency and the risk factors surrounding PTSD and substance use disorders. Brigitta’s long term goal is to continue working with survivors of trauma to advance therapeutic interventions for PTSD and comorbid disorders. In her free time, Brigitta enjoys baking, hiking, and competing in triathlons.
Email: [email protected]
Reagan Fitzke
Ph.D. Student
Reagan is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program (Trauma Track) at UCCS. Reagan graduated from Colorado State University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical/Counseling Psychology and a minor in Applied Statistics. She completed her Honors Thesis in partnership with the CSU Tri-Ethnic Center under the supervision of Dr. Mark Prince, which focused on protective factors for cannabis use among Native youth. Following, she was a post-baccalaureate project manager at the USC Keck School of Medicine from 2020-2023 in The Prevention, Early Intervention, and Addictions Recovery Lab (The PEARL) led by Dr. Eric Pedersen, where she was involved in the development of multiple brief online interventions for substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders among veterans and college students. Reagan’s current research interests include alcohol use, cannabis use, PTSD, and protective factors among interpersonal violence survivors and veterans. She is also interested in improving clinical treatment engagement and outcomes for underserved community populations. In her free time, Reagan enjoys painting, cooking, hiking, and going to concerts.
Email: [email protected]
View Reagan’s CV here
Katelyn Bindbeutel
M.A. Student
Katelyn completed her BS in Psychology at Saint Louis University and is currently a third year graduate student at UCCS in the Clinical Psychology MA program with an emphasis in Trauma. She joined Dr. Colin Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery (MPWR) lab in Fall of 2021. Research interests include the broad trajectories of trauma responses and PTSD, including treatment and intervention approaches such as modes of telehealth and digital interventions, psychotherapies, and emerging models. Populations of interest include but are not limited to those who have experienced sexual assault and interpersonal violence as well as military members who have experienced combat or military sexual trauma.
Email: [email protected]
View Katelyn’s CV here
Yasmine Daugherty
M.A. Student
Yasmine Daugherty is a third year Clinical Psychology Master’s student at UCCS. She received her B.A. in Neuroscience and Psychology with an emphasis in Mental Health from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2020. Under the mentorship of Dr. Colin Mahoney, she hopes to learn more about the intersection of disorders and in what contexts such comorbid relationships may develop, progress, and diminish. Yasmine is primarily interested in mental disorder comorbidity, developmental psychopathology, and intergenerational trauma. She is also interested in substance use disorders, neuropsychopharmacology, self-efficacy & locus of control, resilience in the context of trauma, affect modulation and psychopathology in children and adolescents, and the implications of inequities (i.e., socioeconomic hardship, racial/gender/sexuality/disability discrimination, etc.) and public health issues on mental wellbeing and the accessibility of psychological wellness resources.
Email: [email protected]
Shantel Horne
M.A. Student, Study Coordinator – Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma Study
Shantel Horne is a second-year M.A. student and graduated with her B.A. from UCCS in 2023 double majoring in psychology and dance. She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery Lab (MPWR) in Fall 2021 as an undergraduate research assistant and matriculated to the M.A. in clinical psychology program in 2023. Under the direction of Dr. Mahoney, she completed her undergraduate honors thesis on associations between trauma-related shame, PTSD, and health risk behaviors among women interpersonal trauma survivors. Her populations of interest include women and LGBTQ+ individuals who have experienced interpersonal trauma. Through research and clinical practice, she hopes to improve evidence-based practice and interventions for these populations while exploring emerging approaches such as dance and movement therapy. She is also interested in coping mechanisms, co-occurring PTSD and substance use, the impact trauma-related psychopathology may have on interpersonal relationships, trauma-related shame, and dismantling intersectional barriers to service-seeking among trauma-exposed populations.
Email: [email protected]
Christina Lopez Gonzalez
M.A. Student, Study Coordinator – Mt. Carmel Study
Christina is a second-year Clinical Psychology M.A. student at UCCS. She received her B.S. in Psychology at the University of Central Florida in 2023. Under the mentorship of Dr. Erica Fissel, she completed an honors undergraduate thesis on barriers to leaving abusive relationships in the military. Christina is interested in investigating the effectiveness of current PTSD treatments, specifically on victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and military sexual trauma (MST). Additionally, she would like to explore internal and external barriers that victims of IPV and MST encounter when seeking help and how these affect victims’ help-seeking behaviors.
Email: [email protected]
Ellie McLane
M.A. Student
Ellie McLane is a first-year Clinical M.A. student. She graduated with her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from UCCS in 2024. As an undergraduate she worked with Dr. Diana Selmeczy to conduct her honor’s thesis on the role of active help-seeking in supporting memory and Dr. Kristen Rudd to complete an independent project on how intergenerational trauma impacts children’s executive functioning development. Her populations of interest are children and children of individuals who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or sexual assault (SA). Ellie is interested in investigating how direct and indirect exposure to IPV and SA may impact children’s cognitive and emotional development and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, she hopes to explore the unique challenges children of immigrant, deaf, and/or disabled individuals may face during trauma-related service-seeking to support prevention, intervention, and policy efforts. In her free time, Ellie volunteers at a local domestic violence non-profit, reads books, and meanders about with her dog.
Email: [email protected]
Costiana Aragon-Vasquez
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Costiana is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCCS majoring in Psychology with a minor in philosophy. She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery (MPWR) Lab in the Spring of 2024. Although her interests are still developing, she is currently interested in how trauma can lead to substance use disorders and other disorders. Costiana’s goal is to continue her education and earn her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling after she graduates in the spring of 2025.
Email: [email protected]
Ashley Arno
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ashley is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCCS majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery (MPWR) Lab in the Spring of 2024. Throughout her time and experience at UCCS Ashley developed an interest in the complexities within different family dynamics and has focused most of her research and volunteer work on domestic and intimate partner violence. Ashley’s goal is to help give a voice to those who feel unheard, and to help people understand and accept the thoughts and feelings they avoid. Ashley plans to continue her education pursuing a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy after she graduates in the Spring of 2025.
Email: [email protected]
Kyle Hatcher
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kyle is an undergraduate student at UCCS and joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery (MPWR) Lab in the Spring of 2023. Kyle completed his BS in Business Administration at University of Arkansas and worked in the finance industry prior to attending UCCS. After spending 8 years working for small businesses, Kyle decided to pursue his research interests in psychology. Kyle’s primary research interests surround impacts of trauma on cognitive processes, the brain, and overall wellbeing.
Email: [email protected]
Riley Hester
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Riley completed her BA in Psychology at Colorado College. She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery lab in May of 2024. During her undergrad, she conducted her honors thesis on shared laughter as a way to promote constructive conflict resolution in romantic couples. Her research interests include emotion regulation and affect reciprocity in close relationships, especially during conflict. She is also interested in the influence of interpersonal and environmental factors on the presentation and trajectory of mental illness. Riley has previous experience as an undergraduate clinical intern at a DV/IPV non-profit and currently works as a Case Manager at a community-based mental health organization in Denver. She plans to further her education in psychology and one day work with military couples and families.
Madison Kennedy
Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant
Madison completed her BS in Psychology, minoring in Biological Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery (MPWR) Lab in May 2023. She developed an interest in trauma and interpersonal violence as an undergraduate while working at a counseling facility specializing in treatment for perpetrators of domestic violence and their victims. Her research interests in building resilience, post-traumatic growth, physiological consequences of trauma, substance use, and psychopharmacology align well with the research produced in the MPWR Lab. She currently works as a Neuromonitoring Technician (IOM) but plans to continue her education and obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the future.
Email: [email protected]
Alexis Patton
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Alexis is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCCS majoring in Psychology with a minor in Health and Wellness Promotion. She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery (MPWR) Lab in the Spring of 2023. Although her interests are still broad and developing, she developed an interest in trauma psychology and the current psychotherapies available for intervention. Her focused age group is with adolescents and how family relationships can impact development. Alexis’s goal is to continue her education and earn her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling after she graduates in the Spring of 2024. In her free time, Alexis enjoys hiking with her dog, weightlifting, and spending time outdoors.
Email: [email protected]
Angelique Roybal
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Angelique is in her last semester of her undergraduate degree at UCCS, where she is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Women’s and Ethnic Studies. She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery (MPWR) Lab in April of 2024. Angelique has an interest in social work, working with survivors of intimate partner violence and prison reform. Her focused demographic is people of color and women. Angelique would like to continue her education by getting a master’s degree in social work after she graduates in the fall of 2024. In her free time, she likes to crochet, read, bake, and spend time with loved ones.
Email: [email protected]
Not pictured: Makenzie Baca (Undergraduate Research Assistant), Skylar Provenchar (Undergraduate Research Assistant), Valerie Hernandez (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
MPWR Lab Alumni
Kara Mostowski
Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant at the VA Boston National Center of PTSD
Kara completed her BS in Psychology at Florida State University. She joined Dr. Mahoney’s Mixed Methods Promoting Wellness and Recovery Lab in May of 2023. Her research interests encompass a lot of trauma psychology but specifically include research dedicated to resilience, complicated grief, and co-occurring substance use. She is also interested in the appearance and manifestation of trauma in the form of nightmares as well as conscious flashbacks, among other mediums. Following her work in the MPWR lab, Kara accepted a full-time research assistant position at the VA Boston National Center of PTSD. Kara’s ultimate goal is to attend graduate school for her PhD in Clinical Psychology. She hopes to focus on diagnostics and assessment in individuals with trauma.
Email: [email protected]