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Meet The Team
Dr. Chris Dabbs
he/him
Lab Director
Dr. Chris Dabbs (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Valparaiso University. Dr. Chris is predominantly interested in understanding the ways in which our identities and community connections impact our mental wellness. Most recently, he's been interested in exploring non-believer religious identities and autistic identity. In the realm of clinical training, Dr. Chris is interested in exploring the ways in which religious, spiritual, and secular identity issues are discussed and taught in mental health professional training programs.
Lily Swartz
she/her
Research Contributor
Lily is a first-year psychology major with a social work minor and is interested in exploring the field of psychology along with learning more about mental health in specific areas. She believes mental health is extremely important and hopes to finish her years at VU and attend graduate school and work her way into becoming a mental health counselor. Her other areas of involvement include Student Senate, Junior Panhellenic, and she is in Gamma Phi Beta sorority where she holds two leadership roles.
Gabrielle Eicher
she/her
Research Contributor
Gabrielle is a second-year psychology undergraduate student at Valparaiso University. She is interested in exploring more in the field of psychology, as well as the impact mental health has on the wellbeing of students. She hopes to help people in any way she can to make a difference in our world. After her time at VU, she plans to go to graduate school to earn her Ph.D. in Psychology. In her spare time, she is heavily involved in her sorority—Gamma Phi Beta—and several student-led organizations on campus.
Brooke Spitler-Nigh
she/her
Research Contributor
Brooke Spitler-Nigh is a second year graduate student in Master of Arts Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Valparaiso University, a CACREP accredited program. She is an advocate for excellence in counseling and is dedicated to enhancing student experience through her role as co-president of her university’s Chi Sigma Iota student chapter, Zeta Sigma Chi. Her research interests include late diagnosis ADHD, particularly in women, and integrated health care models. She believes in a holistic approach in counseling and has a particular interest in wellness models. Outside of school, she dedicates part of her time to community building activities. In the future, she hopes to open an agency to address the complexity of living with ADHD as an adult.
Anjelina Haro
she/her
Research Contributor
Anjelina (she/her) is a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A program at Valparaiso University. Anjelina is the Cohort Representative for her cohort and has recently taken on the role of President for Counselor’s for Social Justice at VU. She is interested in understanding how anxiety affects Latino/as, as well as doing research on hope and death. She also has an interest in research involving college students regarding motivation and stress.
Ellen Linder
she/they
Research Contributor
Ellen Linder is a sophomore Psychology major and Music minor at Valparaiso University. She plans on pursuing a career in clinical psychology and working with individuals with autism and ADHD. Their goal is to help create better accommodations and more culturally sensitive assessments for neurodivergent individuals in the future.
Contributing Lab Members
Beck Baird\
he/him
Research Contributor
Beck Baird (he/him) is a '23 graduate of Knox College where he majored in psychology and minored in education. He focuses his research on the identity, particularly non-binary genders. He hopes to go to graduate school next year to continue his research on the queer community. In the end, he hopes to be a social psychology researcher/professor at a mid-sized university. In his spare time he likes to play ultimate frisbee or video games, or binge TV with his husband and dog!
Camryn Hutchins
she/her
Research Contributor
Camryn is a '23 graduate of Knox College where she majored in Psychology and minored in Neuroscience. She is currently a Research Assistant in Dr. Karissa Milller’s HeART Lab at California State University, Long Beach. Her research interests include examining social factors that influence the effectiveness of therapeutic techniques, as well as the assessment and measurement of psychopathology. She hopes to pursue higher education in psychology, particularly clinical psychology.
Seth Kosanovich
he/him
Research Contributor
Seth (he/him) is in his senior year at Knox College, currently pursuing a double major in Psychology and Business Management. He has experience working within the Knox Psychology Department, previously holding positions as a Teacher’s Assistant for Cognitive Psychology under Patricia Xi and as a Research Assistant for Jonathan Doriscar’s Enclothed Morality senior research. He currently holds a research position under Heather Hoffmann for her Sexual Arousal lab. His intended focus is Athletic Psychology and Sports Management, as he hopes to take his skills from Knox and work within the professional and collegiate athletic community as an Athletic Psychologist.
Team Alumni
Kyle Horn
he/him
Research Contributor
Kyle is a second-year undergraduate student from Sycamore, Illinois, majoring in Secondary Education and History. He has an interest in the psychology of learning as well as the impact of mental health on students’ well-being. Kyle hopes to teach social studies at a high school level and potentially later on earn a PhD in either psychology or education.
Claire Kallestad
Research Contributor
Claire is a third-year psychology undergraduate student at Knox College. Broadly, her research interests include social and relationship psychology. Claire hopes to continue on with psychology research and eventually counseling psychology.
Alexa Custer
she/her
Research Contributor
Alexa is a second-year student double majoring in psychology and philosophy from Galesburg, IL. She is a George Washington Gale Scholar, an active member of the TRIO Achievement program and serves as a TA and TRIO Team Leader. Ever since completing her general psychology course in high school, Alexa has been excited to explore the other branches and topics of psychology and gain first-hand lab experience.
Alexis Peterson
she/her
Research Contributor
Alexis is a first year undergraduate at Valparaiso University and a first-generation college student. She is planning to major in psychology, with a criminology minor. For her research she wants to include sexual identity awareness, neurodivergent research and prison psychology. Her goal is to create a safer space for underprivileged persons.