BIRCH Lab Team
In August 2023, the BIRCH Lab Group relocated to the State University of New York at Buffalo. We now have members working at both institutions and beyond, all working to improve interpersonal and community health through clinical science.
From 2014-2023, the UMaine Peer Lab at the University of Maine at Orono worked with the community and researchers to improve mental health in teens, college students, nurses, and members of the community.
Meet the Lab Director
Rebecca (Becca) Schwartz-Mette, Ph.D. || she/her
Associate Professor of Psychology, SUNY at Buffalo
My primary line of research applies a developmental psychopathology lens to understanding the social context of adolescent internalizing distress and self-destructive behaviors. This work takes a multimethod approach, incorporating observational, physiological, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and self- and friend-report measures. I am particularly interested in understanding the interpersonal and behavioral mechanisms that help to explain why: (a) some distressed adolescents experience an erosion of social support over time (e.g., reduced friendship quality, rejection) and (b) some friends of distressed adolescents become increasingly distressed themselves (e.g., peer influence, socialization / contagion effects). This work largely focuses on adolescents’ maladaptive interpersonal behaviors and emotion regulation strategies as exhibited during interactions with friends.
A second line of research focuses on ethics and professional issues in training the next generation of psychologists. This work is grounded in a communitarian, multicultural, and social justice framework and emphasizes psychologists’ ethical responsibilities regarding self- and colleague-care. I am especially interested in understanding how trainees acquire ethical knowledge, awareness, and skills, and how training programs can best support trainees who are struggling with competence problems.
An emerging area of work brings what we are learning in the lab into our community as we implement and evaluate: (a) evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) curricula in schools, and (b) mindfulness-based prevention programming to reduce burnout and increase resilience and competence in health care trainees and professionals.
You can reach Dr. Schwartz-Mette at rmette@buffalo.edu!
Meet the Current Ph.D. Students
Abigail Luce | she/her
Ph.D. Student | Year 2 | UB
Abigail is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Abigail is a first-year student in the clinical psychology doctoral program at the University at Buffalo. She is broadly interested in adolescent emotion dynamics and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Specifically, she hopes to explore how adolescents deploy intra and interpersonal emotion regulation skills, and to better understand when difficulties with emotion regulation may confer risk. Outside of the lab, Abigail enjoys watching/reading all things sci-fi, playing her violin, working on her cross-stitch projects, and spending time with her cat, Poptart.
You can reach Abigail at aluce@buffalo.edu!
Emily Hong | she/her
Ph.D. Student | Year 3 | UB
Emily is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Buffalo. Her research interests are centered on understanding the impact of different socializers on the development of emotion regulation skills across childhood and adolescence. She is interested in exploring the interactions between interpersonal dynamics, individual processes, and unique contexts that contribute to risk and protective factors for emotion dysregulation, particularly in relation to externalizing behaviors. In her most recent work, she examined the role of supportive parent and peer relationships on emotion regulation longitudinally in preschoolers and kindergarteners. During her free time, Emily enjoys reading, gardening, horseback riding, and spending time with her cats, Pippin and Sybil.
You can reach Emily at ehong4@buffalo.edu!
Devan Walter | they/he
Ph.D. Student | Year 4 | UB
Devan is a fourth(ish)-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Their research interests lie in understanding the influence of social motivations (e.g., the need to belong) and social perceptions (e.g., felt belongingness) on relationship functioning (e.g., friendship formation) and mental health (depression, SITBs). In recent work, they have used longitudinal models to examine reciprocal associations in (1) cognitive-affective risk for SITBs and (2) cognitive-affective processes during friendship formation. During their free time, they enjoy musical theatre, video games, reading (fantasy and classic literature), and spending time with their cats: Carole King, Barbra Streisand, and Gamora!
You can reach Devan at devanwal@buffalo.edu!
Maile Sapp, Ed.M., CMPC | she/her
Ph.D. Student | Year 5 | UMaine
Maile is a current fifth-year in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Maine. She is part of the WellNurse team in collaboration with the UMaine School of Nursing, Clinical Psychology, and School of Nutrition that is seeking to address burnout, stress, and resilience in nursing students. Her research interests center around performance optimization and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) interventions in nursing and athlete populations. Clinically, she is interested in increasing accessibility to mental health services in athlete populations and rural areas. She is an avid Nordic skier and loves spending time with her active black lab, Spruce, exploring the trails and waterways by ski, foot, and paddle.
During the 2026-2027 academic year, Maile will participate in a pre-doctoral internship placement at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System.
Trevor Long, M.A. | he/him
Ph.D. Student | Year 7 | UMaine
Trevor is a seventh-year student in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Maine. His research interests include examining adolescent peer relationships to understand how socialization effects relate to suicidal and self-harming thoughts and behaviors using multimethod approaches (e.g., self-report, observational, and psychophysiology). Clinically, Trevor utilizes evidence-based interventions, grounded in a systems-based theoretical approach, to address a number of presenting concerns (e.g., mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, substance use, and life-threatening behaviors) in patients across the lifespan. His personal interests include spending time with his family (i.e., partner, 1-year-old, and puppies), discovering new food recipes, and spending time outdoors.
During the 2026-2027 academic year, Trevor will participate in a pre-doctoral internship placement at the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine, where he will gain clinical experience working in both primary care and inpatient settings.
Meet the Graduate Alums
Cassandra Rowan, M.A. | she/her
Postdoctoral Clinician | Lavender House Psychology
Cassandra graduated from the University of Maine clinical psychology program (child track) in 2026. She completed her predoctoral internship at Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, CO and has accepted a position at Lavender House Psychology, a private practice in Denver started by former Denver Health psychology residents. Clinically, she enjoys working with LGBTQIA+ adolescents and young adults with a particular focus on transgender and gender diverse individuals. Additional areas of focus include individuals exploring aspects of identity such as alternative sexualities and sexual practices as well as non-traditional relationship structures. Cassandra has previously worked with high risk patients, serious and persistent mental illness, and consultative work within medical settings, and she hopes to incorporate these aspects into her clinical practice. Her research and academic interests involve ethical questions in the delivery of clinical care, particularly complex questions of informed consent and confidentiality with adolescent clients, equitability and accessibility of care, and the role of psychologists in medical settings. She highly values opportunities for teaching, mentorship, supervision, and consultation. Her personal interests include discovering new restaurants and bars, learning new recipes, traveling, hiking and skiing, live music, and soccer. She has no pets, but she insists that everyone she knows make their pets available to her at all times.
Raegan Harrington, M.A. | she/her
Postdoctoral Intern | Psychology Specialists of Maine
Raegan graduated from the University of Maine, becoming a clinical psychologist in August 2026. Her primary research interests include examining how adaptive and maladaptive forms of empathy relate to a range of outcomes such as psychopathology (e.g., symptoms of anxiety and depression), friendship quality, and facial expression mimicry. Clinically, she is interested in working with adults with various clinical presentations, but has a special interest in working with people managing symptoms of trauma, suicide, and OCD. Raegan successfully completed her pre-doctoral internship placement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Counseling and Psychological Health during 2025-2026. She is currently completing her post-doctoral internship placement at Psychology Specialists of Maine, a private practice.
During Raegan’s personal time, she enjoys reading, being by the lake, and spending time with friends and family.
Lily Brown, M.A. | she/her
Postdoctoral Fellow | Psychology Partners Group
Lily graduated from the University of Maine clinical psychology program in 2026. She completed her predoctoral internship at the VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System in Montrose, NY, where she worked with veterans experiencing PTSD and co-occurring mental health concerns in both residential and outpatient settings. She will complete a postdoctoral fellowship (2026-2027) at Psychology Partners Group, a private practice located in Westchester County, NY. Clinically, she enjoys working with individuals across the lifespan using an integrative approach grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and incorporating elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based interventions. Her research interests are grounded in interpersonal theories of depression and examine the associations between self-disclosure processes and emotional adjustment in dyadic relationships. Her dissertation specifically focused on the measurement and function of depression-related conversational behavior in adolescent friendships. Outside of work, Lily enjoys reading, baking, listening to music, and spending time with her cat, Kimchi!
Jessica Shankman, Ph.D. | she/her
Faculty | Children's Hospital Colorado
Jessica graduated from the University of Maine Clinical Psychology program (child-track) in 2022. She completed her predoctoral internship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University/ Children’s Health Council. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School/ Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she worked in a gender clinic and pediatric primary care clinics. In January of 2024, she transitioned into a faculty position in the Young Mothers and Families Clinic and Obstetric/Gynecology clinics working with pregnant and postpartum patients. Research interests include adolescent romantic relationships and friendships, gender/sexuality, and depressive symptom development. More recent research extends this work into integrated primary care and obstetric care settings. Clinical interests include working with adolescent and young adult populations to address a range of (and often overlapping) concerns including relationship stressors, disordered eating, mood disorders, and pregnancy/postpartum experiences. Jessica enjoys reading, exploring coffee and book shops, watching the full range of TV shows and romantic comedies, and hiking with her partner near any body of water we can find in Colorado (a challenge!).
Eliot Fearey, Ph.D. | she/her
Group Psychotherapy Coordinator | MIT Medical
Eliot is a Staff Psychologist at McLean 3 East and specialize in the care of adolescents and emerging adults who are struggling with emotion regulation, suicidality and self-injury, and relationship challenges. Previously, she was the Group Psychotherapy Coordinator at MIT Medical. Her research interests center around mood disorders, interpersonal emotion regulation, integrating mental health treatment into educational settings, and finding ways to scale services to meet the increasing demand for treatment. Outside of work, Eliot enjoys skiing and open-water swimming, reading, and taking studio art classes.
Hannah Lawrence, Ph.D. | she/her
Clinical Specialist | Google
Dr. Lawrence graduated with a PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2020. She completed her internship training at Alpert Medical School of Brown University and postdoctoral training at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is currently a Clinical Specialist at Google. Her research focuses on designing and testing innovative, scalable interventions with and for youth with mental health concerns. Clinically, she enjoys working with adolescents with mood disorders and is interested in developing scalable interventions for youth that are informed by the perspectives of youth with lived experience. Outside of psychology, she spends her time woodworking, hiking to waterfalls, and searching for the best latte in Oregon.