Director
Sarah Kate Bearman, Ph.D.
Dr. Bearman’s research focuses on the dissemination and implementation of empirically supported practices (ESPs) for underserved youth in community settings. While the evidence base suggests that ESPs are efficacious for youth with a wide range of mental health problems, most of these interventions are not available in the settings where children receive treatment. Dr. Bearman’s research seeks to examine the processes and contexts that promote and support the effective use and sustainability of ESPs. Dr. Bearman also has many years of experience in the development, testing, and dissemination of effective treatments for youth. She is a co-author of a treatment manual for youth depression (Primary and Secondary Control Enhancement Training; Weisz, Gray, Bearman & Stark, 2008) and a trans-diagnostic manual for youth with anxiety, depression and disruptive conduct (Behavioral and Affective Skills in Coping; BASIC, Weisz & Bearman, 2010). She provides both clinical supervision and national trainings for therapists in the use of empirically supported practices (ESPs) for anxiety, depression, disruptive conduct and traumatic stress.
Dr. Bearman also co-authored the book Principle-Guided Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents: The FIRST Program for Behavioral and Emotional Problems (Weisz & Bearman, 2020) which came out February 10th, 2020.
Research Associates
Abby Bailin, Ph.D.
Dr. Bailin is a UT Austin alumna (2020) and former LEAP Lab member. Dr. Bailin returned to the LEAP Lab following completion of her clinical internship in the Child and Adolescent Specialization track at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY and a postdoctoral fellowship in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and related anxiety disorders at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Bailin’s research is focused on increasing the reach and effectiveness of evidence-based mental health interventions for underserved children and families. In particular, she is interested in factors that support and enhance the implementation of evidence-based practices in both traditional and non-traditional behavioral health settings, including training and supervision. She provides both clinical training and supervision to therapists in the use of empirically supported practices for children and adolescents.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Amanda A. Bowling, Ph.D.
Dr. Bowling is an alumna of UT Austin’s Combined School/Clinical Child Psychology program and LEAP Lab. Dr. Bowling returned to the LEAP Lab following the completion of her clinical internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she was on the Integrated Behavioral Health track. Dr. Bowling’s research focuses on increasing access to empirically supported mental health practices (ESPs) for underserved youth, particularly through the dissemination and implementation of ESPs in community and school settings. She provides both clinical training and supervision to therapists in the use of ESPs for children and adolescents. Clinically, Dr. Bowling primarily supports youth and their families with disruptive behavior and anxiety-related concerns. Dr. Bowling specializes in modularized approaches to treatment and is certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).
Lab Staff
Elizabeth Hicks, B.A.
Libby graduated from Skidmore College in 2022 with a B.A. in psychology and minor in statistics. Prior to joining the LEAP Lab, Libby was working as a mental health worker at a psychiatric hospital (Four Winds Hospital in Saratoga Springs, NY) on a pediatric inpatient unit by assisting the nursing and therapeutic staff with the treatment of patients between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. Libby’s research interests include investigating the comorbidity of post-traumatic stress and behavioral/conduct problems in children, as well as the development of effective AND accessible treatments for this population.
Graduate Students
Sydney Pauling, M.A.
Sydney is a doctoral candidate in the School/Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to UT, Sydney received her master’s degree and specialist certificate in School Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Sydney is highly interested in the various overarching systems that promote (or hinder) child and adolescent access to evidence-based practices and programs that optimize mental health and wellbeing. In the future, she hopes to facilitate partnerships between research teams and healthcare systems as she believes this is one critical strategy that can assist in bridging the gap and address issues of underrepresentation.
Lavangi Naithani
