Warriors Research Institute

Sakina Ali

Sakina Ali is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Texas A&M University. She has worked at multiple community clinics and the Austin VA as a supervised therapist. Sakina values a biopsychosocial approach when working with clients and works collaboratively with her clients to ensure their goals are met.

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Emily Beattie

Emily joined the WRI team in June of 2021. She graduated in the Spring of 2021 from Emory University in Atlanta, GA with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Quantitative Sciences. While at Emory, Emily received the highest honors for her senior thesis studying memory at the Bauer Memory Lab. Emily plans to continue to develop her interests in PTSD and its treatment during her time at the WRI.

Emily grew up in New Jersey, but is excited to call Texas home. When she is not working, she loves to spend time with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Wilson and watch New England Patriots games. She also enjoys swimming and exploring Texas!

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DeAngela Bynum

DeAngela joined Warriors Research Institute (WRI) in September 2018 after graduating with honors from Tarleton State University. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree in May of 2018 and is currently in the Tarleton State University Masters of Social Work program. Prior to working with WRI, she volunteered at the Waco Police Department in the Victim Services Unit. She is also a part of the peer support team for Behind The Badge, promoting the emotional and psychological health of the officers who work for Waco PD and their families.

DeAngela is a native Texan, but as a child of a military family she grew up in multiple states. She returned to Texas in her early 20s and has lived in Waco for the past 6 years. In her personal time, DeAngela enjoys reading, camping outdoors with her family, and woodworking.

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Claire Cammarata, PhD

Dr. Cammarata worked for the New York City Fire Department’s Counseling Services Unit from 1995-2016. In 2001, following September 11, Dr. Cammarata was promoted to Clinical Director of CSU. She now works as Deputy Director of the New York City, Office of Labor Relations Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Dr. Cammarata received her M.S.W. from Fordham University in 1994. She acquired her Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from New York University (NYU) in 2008. Her dissertation is titled: “September 11th, 2001 and The Fire Department City of New York (FDNY): A Search for Growth.” Based on her work, Dr. Cammarata was named a Fahs-Beck Scholar in 2006 and received the NYU Greenstein Award in 2007.

In addition to her position at CSU, Dr. Cammarata has a private practice that serves adults and adolescents. She is also an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Graduate School for Social Work teaching courses on human behavior and psychopathology. Dr. Cammarata also serves as a consultant for the New York City Suicide Prevention Task Force. Dr. Cammarata has provided professional presentations focused on mental health treatment for the emergency service population for the American Group Psychotherapy Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the International Association of Fire Fighters.

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Grace Carpenter

Grace Stephanie J. Carpenter worked at the Warriors Research Institute for almost two years as a research assistant before moving to Portland, Oregon to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Portland State University.

Grace has specific interests in studying and treating depression, especially in women during and surrounding pregnancy. During her time at the WRI she contributed to a variety of research projects including Project RECRUIT and Project REACH OUT.

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Thomas P. Carpenter, PhD

Dr. Tom Carpenter is a psychologist, researcher, and quantitative consultant. Dr. Carpenter currently works as a faculty member at Seattle Pacific University, where his research focuses on two primary lines: implicit cognition and preference, and the psychology of moral transgression, reparation, and wellbeing. His primary teaching areas include introductory and advanced quantitative classes and research methods coursework.

Dr. Carpenter received his doctoral training at Baylor University in social / personality psychology and has a strong quantitative background. In addition to his academic work, he serves as a quantitative consultant for a number of academic and private institutions.

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Mona Clifton

Mona joined the WRI team in June of 2021. She received her B.A. in Psychology with a double minor in Anthropology and Health and Human Services from Wake Forest University in 2017 and her M.A. in Psychology from Wake Forest University in 2019. She is currently a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Baylor University. Prior to joining WRI, Mona has provided counseling for adults with depression and anxiety in different settings such as community mental health and university counseling. She enjoys hiking, watching The Great British Baking Show, and playing with her dog in her spare time.

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Jacqueline Cummings

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Rudney Danquah

Rudney joined the WRI team as a practicum student in 2020-2021. Sakina obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University.

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Tessa Denman

Tessa Denman worked at the Warriors Research Institute for two years before pursuing a Juris Doctor (JD) degree at the University of Texas at Austin. During her time at the WRI, Tessa contributed to a number of projects including: Building Peer Support and Telehealth for Central Texas Veterans (Vet PaTHs), Expanding Evidence-Based Treatment via Telehealth to Fire Service (ACCESS), Evaluating Efficacy of Peer Support Training and Supervision for Texas Firefighters, Stamp Out Stigma (SOS), and Project RECRUIT.

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Fatima Dobani

Fatima Dobani worked at the Warriors Research Institute for two years before pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Syracuse University under the mentorship of Dr. Aesoon Park. During her time at the WRI, Fatima contributed to a number of projects including: Building Peer Support and Telehealth for Central Texas Veterans (Vet PaTHs), Expanding Evidence-Based Treatment via Telehealth to Fire Service (ACCESS), Evaluating Efficacy of Peer Support Training and Supervision for Texas Firefighters, and Project RECRUIT.

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Sara Dolan, PhD

Dr. Dolan currently serves as an Associate Professor and Graduate Clinical Program Director in the Psychology and Neuroscience Department at Baylor University. Prior to her time at Baylor, Dr. Dolan worked as a National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism-funded Postdoctoral Fellow and subsequently a National Cancer Institute-funded faculty member at the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. While at Brown, she also served as a Research Scientist at the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center, as well as the Assessment Coordinator at Psychological Associates, in Warwick, RI.

Dr. Dolan earned her B.S. degree in psychology from Indiana University, followed by both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa. She then completed her clinical internship at Yale University, in the Division of Substance Abuse.

In her spare time, she can be found at a Baylor football or basketball game, traveling or volunteering in the community.

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Jessica Dupree

Jessica worked as a research assistant at WRI from 2018-2020. She graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology, International Studies, and Spanish in May 2018. During her time as an undergraduate, she participated in the Butler Summer Institute where she conducted research on religious acceptance in the Indianapolis community.

Jessica is currently working toward a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Purdue. Her experience in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, which focused on trauma in veterans, sparked her passion for clinical psychology and helping populations that are exposed to trauma.

The Texas Telehealth Internship Consortium (TTIC) is a 2000-hour doctoral internship in health service psychology that is a collaboration between the Texas A&M University Telehealth Institute and the Baylor Scott & White Warriors Research Institute. This internship seeks intern who have completed formal academic coursework at a degree-granting program in professional psychology (clinical, counseling, school). While graduate students who complete the internship will be equipped to work in many contexts, this training experience will emphasize the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to work in rural and underserved areas where there is a high need for health service psychologists. Interns will also be uniquely equipped to provide services to first responders. Additionally, this training program is focused on equipping graduate students to work across the lifespan, on maximizing the strengths of telehealth and technology to increase access to care, and on providing evidence-based treatments. Trainees will have the opportunity to provide treatment to individuals presenting with a wide variety of presenting concerns including trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and relationship concerns.

The Texas A&M University Telehealth Institute will serve as the anchor site for the Texas Telehealth Internship Consortium. Interns are expected to reside in Bryan/College Station, Texas during their time as interns and be physically present in the Telehealth Institute during regular office hours. Interns will travel to Warriors Research Institute in Waco, Texas 1-2 days per month.

Vision

The Texas A&M University Telehealth Institute and the Baylor Scott & White Warriors Research Institute are forerunners in providing innovative, low-cost ways for Texans to access mental health care with telehealth initiatives that pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic. While the two organizations have treated distinct client populations, they share similar values and training objectives. Given this shared longstanding experience, a partnership was established to increase the breadth and scope of professional development opportunities and to increase community impact. Additionally, the staff at the Telehealth Institute and Warriors Research Institute have diverse areas of expertise in first line treatments and a partnership allows trainees to gain access to clinical supervisors with a wider range of experiences and expertise.

Leadership

• Internship Training Director (Telehealth Institute): Jason Hindman, Ph.D. ABPP
• Internship Training Director (Warriors Research Institute): Elizabeth Coe, Psy.D.
• Telehealth Institute Executive Director: Carly McCord, Ph.D.
• Warriors Research Institute Director: Suzy Bird Gulliver, Ph.D.

Training activities

Client contact: Interns will have the opportunity to provide up to 26 hours/week of virtually-delivered care to clients across the life span, including individuals, couples, families. Interns may also have the opportunity to provide group therapy. Interns at the Texas Telehealth Internship Consortium will provide clinical service within both the Telehealth Institute (providing community mental health care via telehealth to rural communities) and Warriors Research Institute (providing treatment via telehealth to first responders and military veterans). Interns will have the opportunity to learn and apply several evidence-based approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution focused therapy (SFT), motivational interviewing (MI), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), the Unified Protocol (UP), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), trauma focused-cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), narrative therapy, and Prolonged Exposure (PE). Interns will also be trained on how to manage intake appointments, how to coordinate care across disciplines, how to appropriately document/chart clinical work, and how to manage crisis/safety situations. 

Provision of supervision: During the fall semester of the internship, interns will provide clinical supervision to a practicum counselor at Warriors Research Institute. During the spring semester of the internship, interns will provide clinical supervision to a practicum counselor at the Telehealth Institute. Each week, this role will be supported with 1 hour of supervision preparation time and 1 hour of group “supervision of supervision.”

Supplemental activities: Intern Orientation, Weekly didactic seminars, Case Presentations, Community partner outreach, Operation Boarder Health Preparedness, 1-2 day intensive trainings on evidence based therapies, Staff meetings, Military simulation training at Fort Cavazos.

Supervision received: Interns receive four hours of clinical supervision each week: two hours of individual primary supervision from a licensed psychologist, one hour of intern support, and one hour of supervision of supervision. In addition to these designated supervision times, an “open door policy” is highly valued at the Texas Telehealth Internship Consortium. Interns are encouraged to consult with any professional staff member regardless of supervision assignment.

Requirements

• Junior or senior undergraduate student at Baylor University
• Psychology or neuroscience major preferred
• Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Completed the following courses:
  • Statistics (PSY 2402)
  • Research Methods (PSY 2405)
• Able & willing to commit 7-10 hours per week for at least 2 semesters

Send a completed application and resume to Michelle.Pennington@BSWHealth.org.

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