Resident Profiles 2024-2025

Adult Track: Emma Parrish, MS | Autism and Developmental Disabilities Track: Michal Cook, MS | Behavioral Medicine: Tanya Smit, MA | Child Track: Angelina Pei-Tzu Tsai, MS, MA | Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Track: Humza Khan, MS


Emma Parrish, MS

Emma Parrish, MS

Why UW Psychology Internship?

I was interested in the General Adult Track at UW because of the unique clinical training and research opportunities that would allow me to sharpen and hone my skills as a scientist practitioner. My clinical interests lie in working with individuals with serious mental illness, complex comorbidities, suicidal ideation, and acute psychiatric symptoms, and I am eager to further my expertise in working with this population in a variety of treatment settings.

The commitment to strong generalist training in the general adult track, as well as outstanding clinical services for people with serious mental illness, are a great match for my interests. Through my rotation at the Harborview Outpatient Psychiatry/Psychology 5 East Clinic I can develop and strengthen skills in CBT for psychosis, as well as other evidence-based approaches in working with individuals with serious mental illness. Additionally, I deliver inpatient group and brief individual CBT for psychosis at Harborview, allowing me to generalize my skills from an outpatient to an inpatient setting.

My rotation through the UW Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic provides me with outstanding training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), another excellent match for my clinical training goals. UW is also an excellent fit for my research interests. My research interests lie at the intersection of suicide prevention interventions, serious mental illness, and digital mental health, and I have a growing interest in implementation science. The protected research time allows me to develop research collaborations with faculty members in the department who are leaders in the implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis and digital mental health interventions.

Education

  • SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology – Ph.D. Candidate in Clinical Psychology
  • SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical – M.S. in Clinical Psychology
  • Northeastern University – B.S. in Psychology

Clinical Rotations

  • (7/24-6/25) UW Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic – Dialectical Behavior Therapy
  • (7/24-6/25) Harborview Medical Center – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis

Career Goals

My career goal is to pursue a career as a clinician scientist at an academic medical center where I can combine research and clinical work. My research interests lie in utilizing mobile technologies to study the underlying psychological mechanisms of suicide in people with serious mental illness, including developing and delivering new suicide prevention interventions for this population. Clinically, I aim to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis and other evidence-based treatments for people with serious mental illness. I hope to mentor and clinically supervise trainees later in my career as well. Throughout my career, I hope to amplify the voices of individuals who experience psychosis through advocacy for increased access to evidence-based psychological treatments for psychosis.

Follow me for a week!

Sunday

  • Morning – relax with a cup of coffee and a book, go out for breakfast with partner
  • Afternoon – Go for a long bike ride on the Burke-Gilman trail or another biking trail around Seattle
  • Evening – Relax, watch Netflix, and meal prep

Monday (OPC-DBT)

  • Morning – Chart review and preparation, see patients for individual outpatient psychotherapy
  • Afternoon – DBT seminar, DBT Group Supervision, co-lead DBT Skills Group, write notes
  • Evening – DBT team, downtime with partner, cook dinner

Tuesday (OPC + Harborview 5EC)

  • Morning – Chart review and preparation, see patients for individual outpatient psychotherapy (DBT)
  • Afternoon – See patients for individual outpatient psychotherapy (CBT for psychosis), write notes
  • Evening – go to the rock climbing gym, relax, and/or catch up with a friend on the phone

Wednesday (Harborview 5EC)

  • Morning – Chart review and preparation, see patients for individual outpatient psychotherapy (CBT for psychosis)
  • Afternoon – Co-lead inpatient CBT for psychosis group, see patients for individual outpatient and/or inpatient psychotherapy (CBT for psychosis), write notes
  • Evening – go to a yoga class, watch TV, and/or spend time with my partner

Thursday (Harborview 5EC + Didactics)

  • Morning – Chart review and preparation, see patients for individual outpatient psychotherapy (CBT for psychosis)
  • Afternoon – write notes, didactics
  • Evening – cohort happy hour, go to the rock climbing gym, and/or call my family

Friday (Research + Harborview 5EC)

  • Morning – Protected research time
  • Afternoon – lead inpatient CBT for psychosis group, CBT for psychosis individual and group supervision
  • Evening – Go to a new restaurant with friends, relax

Saturday

  • Morning – Getting ready for a hike
  • Afternoon – Hiking or exploring a new part of Seattle
  • Evening – Spend time with friends and partner, relax

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Michal Cook, MS

Michal Cook, MSw, MA

Why UW Psychology Internship?

I was drawn to the UW Psychology Internship for its unique combination of breadth and depth within autism-focused clinical work and research. Here, you can explore multiple assessment clinics (e.g., Child Development Clinic, Cardiac Neurodevelopment Clinic, Gender Clinic) and intervention modalities with caregivers (e.g., RUBI), groups (e.g., Facing Your Fears), kids and adolescents (e.g., Mood and Anxiety Program, Gender Clinic), and toddlers (e.g., Early Intervention) within both outpatient (e.g., IHDD, Seattle Children’s Magnuson) and inpatient settings (e.g., PBMU). For me, this provided the ideal balance of continuing to do what I love while also challenging myself to grow in new areas and skills.

Additionally, the 4 hours per week of protected research time has been essential for my productivity as I wrap up my dissertation and look towards opportunities to work with new research mentors on additional projects. Overall, the balance of clinical and research efforts, the presence of supportive supervisors, and the undeniably beautiful landscape of Seattle (& work-life-balance encouraged to explore it!) made UW a clear standout.

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology-Neuroscience-Philosophy, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Master of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Master of Arts, Clinical Psychology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
  • Doctoral Candidate, Clinical Psychology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Clinical Rotations

  • (07/01 – 12/31) Seattle Children’s Autism Center and Institute on Human Development and Disability (IHDD)
  • (01/01 – 6/30) Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU) and Institute on Human Development and Disability (IHDD)

Career Goals

Moving forward, my goal is to balance both research and clinical work reciprocally in an academic medical center or children’s hospital setting. I hope to continue providing autism diagnostic and therapeutic services, while also developing community-based programs for autistic individuals and their families across the lifespan through community-partnered research efforts.

Follow me for a week!

Sunday

  • Morning: Make breakfast, go to church
  • Afternoon: Prepare for the week, take my dog (Grizz) for a long lake-side walk
  • Evening: Make dinner and relax at home with a movie

Monday (Institute on Human Development and Disability)

  • Morning: 8:30am prep for a diagnostic eval with the Child Development Clinic (chart review, test prep), 9-12pm administer diagnostic testing (usually developmental + ADOS)
  • Afternoon: Supervision, scoring/report writing, LEND seminar, family feedback conferences with the multidisciplinary team for a prior evaluation as scheduled
  • Evening: Take Grizz for a neighborhood walk, read for fun, make dinner

Tuesday (Seattle Children’s Magnuson)

  • Morning: 8:15am Group supervision for RUBI, 9-12pm individual RUBI sessions
  • Afternoon: 12pm Mood and Anxiety Program (MAP) rounds, 1-3pm note writing from RUBI sessions/ prep for Facing Your Fears (FYF) group intervention, 3pm group supervision for FYF, 3:30-5pm FYF group
  • Evening: Grab takeout for a park picnic, catch up with family on the phone

Wednesday (Seattle Children’s Magnuson)

  • Morning: 8:40am Early Intervention (EI) team huddle, 9-12pm data collection and therapy support in the EI classroom
  • Afternoon: 12pm supervision for EI, 2-5pm supervision and individual client sessions for MAP
  • Evening: Take Grizz for a neighborhood walk, make dinner, meet up with friends

Thursday (Remote/UWMC)

  • Morning: Protected research time
  • Afternoon: 12pm rounds for Autism Center, 3-5pm didactics either virtually or at UWMC
  • Evening: Happy hour with the cohort, take Grizz for a walk, make dinner

Friday (Seattle Children’s Magnuson)

  • Morning: 8:30am prep for Gender Clinic diagnostic eval, 9-12pm either administer diagnostic testing or facilitate a new intake
  • Afternoon: 1-5pm scoring/report writing for Gender eval, individual therapy clients from Gender Clinic, catching up on misc. documentation throughout the week
  • Evening: Explore a new dog-friendly restaurant/brewery with friends or family

Saturday

  • Morning: Grab coffee and a pastry from a local bakery, take Grizz for a long walk/hike/swim
  • Afternoon: Tidy, laundry, work on my dissertation
  • Evening: Hang out with friends and family, explore Seattle pop up events (always something!), catch a park sunset

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Tanya Smit, MA

Tanya Smit, MA

Why UW Psychology Internship?

I was drawn to the UW Psychology Internship’s emphasis on diversity, availability of experiences in integrated medical settings, and emphasis on both clinical and research training within the scientist-practitioner model. In terms of clinical opportunities, I was excited to train at Harborview Medical Center (HMC), a Level 1 Trauma Center serving the 5-state WWAMI region with a mission to provide care to underserved populations.

Training at HMC within the BMed track includes focused opportunities to work with individuals with a wide array of rehabilitation diagnoses (e.g., SCI, TBI, stroke, chronic pain), both in acute inpatient settings and the post-acute outpatient setting through the Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Program (CORP).

While internship year is a clinical year, I was also excited by UW’s commitment to supporting residents with their research endeavors by having protected research time, offering a Grant Writing seminar, and connecting residents to a research mentor. The UW faculty have been very supportive in providing research opportunities. Also, on a personal note, Seattle is a fun place to live, with such easy access to the outdoors!

Education

  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology, University of Houston
  • Master of Arts, Psychology, University of Houston
  • Doctoral Candidate, Clinical Psychology, University of Houston

Clinical Rotations

  • (07/01 – 10/31) HMC Inpatient Rehabilitation (IPR) & CORP
  • (11/01 – 02/28) HMC Acute Pain Service & CORP
  • (03/31 – 06/30) HMC Consult/Liaison & CORP

Career Goals

My goal is to continue working towards improving physical and mental health outcomes among rehabilitation populations (e.g., spinal cord injury, brain injury, MS) as a clinical researcher at an academic medical center. Specifically, I aim to extend past research to historically minoritized and underserved groups within an implementation science framework. While research is where my passion lies, I hope to also continue doing clinical work to some capacity as a Rehabilitation Psychologist, as this work has been incredibly rewarding.

Follow me for a week!

Sunday

  • Morning: Go the farmer’s market; grocery shopping; household chores
  • Afternoon: Go for a long walk at Volunteer Park with my dog; prepare for the week
  • Evening: make dinner; catch up on TV shows

 Monday

  • Morning: 30-minute walk to HMC from my apartment in Capitol Hill; Inpatient Rehabilitation (IPR) team huddle (15 mins); chart review; individual supervision with Amy Starosta; notes
  • Afternoon: outpatient sessions at CORP; see Inpatient Rehabilitation (IPR) patients; notes
  • Evening: Walk home; go for a walk with my dog; make dinner and relax

 Tuesday

  • Morning: Walk to HMC; catch up on notes and readings; chart review; see IPR patients
  • Afternoon: IPR team conferences (2 hours); see IPR patients; write notes
  • Evening: Walk home; Take my dog for a walk; make dinner and watch TV/relax

 Wednesday

  • Morning: Walk to HMC; IPR team huddle (15 mins); chart review; individual supervision with Amy
  • Afternoon: Group supervision from 12pm-1pm, then research time!
  • Evening: Walk home; Take my dog for a walk; make dinner and watch TV/relax

 Thursday

  • Morning: Group Neuropsychology Seminar/supervision; CORP
  • Afternoon: See IPR patients; didactics
  • Evening: Post-didactics happy hour with the cohort; walk my dog

 Friday

  • Morning: IPR team huddle (15 mins); see IPR patients; see CORP patients
  • Afternoon: See IPR patients; write notes
  • Evening: Walk home; take my dog for a walk; go to a restaurant, brewery, or karaoke bar; spend time with friends

 Saturday

  • Morning: Go for a hike
  • Afternoon: Work on my dissertation/other research work at a coffee shop; spend time with friends

Evening: try a new recipe and have a night in

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Angelina Pei-Tzu Tsai, MSc, MA

Angelina Pei-Tzu Tsai, MSc, MA

Why UW Psychology Internship?

The UW internship is the ideal fit for me, not just for its clinical and research opportunities but because of the people who make it special. I’m excited about working with trauma-exposed youth across diverse populations and complex presentations, which aligns with my passion for understanding how adversity and culture shape neurodevelopment.

The child track’s focus on family-based interventions, neuropsychological assessments, and interdisciplinary collaboration supports my commitment to holistic care. Training opportunity in comprehensive full-model DBT program is particularly appealing given my focus on complex presentations in trauma-exposed adolescents/young adults.

I’m also eager to provide behavioral health services in other languages. UW/SCH sponsored language validation testing to facilitate this care, which for me reflects UW/SCH’s dedication to cultural inclusion. The program’s research opportunities, including mentorship and dedicated time, also align with my goals for growth as a clinician and a scientist.

The supportive community and visionary leadership at UW/SCH truly set it apart. I’m inspired by how the faculty tailors training to each trainee’s goals – it shows a level of care that makes me feel I’ve found my professional home.

And Seattle! The cultural diversity, food scenes and gorgeous landscapes are additional draw. The UW/SCH internship offers an optimal environment for both professional and personal growth, making it my top choice for this crucial stage in my career.

Education

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Ph.D. Candidate, Clinical Psychology + Concentration in Quantitative Psychology
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – M.A., Clinical Psychology
  • Carnegie Mellon University – M.Sc., CE Engineering
  • National Taiwan University – B.S., Engineering

Clinical Rotations

  • Full Model DBT Program, MAP (Mood and Anxiety Program), BAM (Behavior and Attention Management Program), SNACS (Specialized Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Consultation Service; specialized in complex profile to evaluate ND-PAE)
  • (01/01 – 06/30) Inpatient: Psychiatry Consultation and Liaison Service (C/L) & Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU)

Career Goals

I aim to pursue a career at an academic medical center or academic health setting, where I can integrate clinical care with research, particularly focused on complex emotion dysregulation in underserved populations. My Clinical PhD program provided a strong foundation for treating the impact of trauma on neurodevelopmental trajectories, while my Quantitative sub-specialty enhances this by improving measurement precision to guide tailored interventions. My long-standing commitment to research involves studying the risk mechanisms of adversity underlying transdiagnostic outcomes and refining the precision of trauma measurement, ultimately leading to more tailored and culturally responsive interventions. My passion is to deliver care that halts the progression of trauma from childhood to adulthood, especially within culturally diverse and underserved communities.

Follow me for a week!

Sunday

  • Morning – Facetime with family
  • Afternoon – Go to park, hiking, grocery shopping, hangout with partner
  • Evening – Try new restaurant, workout, meal prep, chart review for tomorrow’s cases

Monday (SNACS + MAP)

  • Morning – 8:30am group supervision for neuropsychological assessment; otherwise, report writing and prep for cases, selective mutism supervision
  • Afternoon – DBT seminar, individual therapy cases of MAP
  • Evening –5:30pm home, relax, take care of plants

Tuesday (MAP + BAM)

  • Morning – 8:30am chart review, see individual therapy cases, notes writing, case management
  • Afternoon – MAP/CAMS consult meeting, see individual therapy cases, group therapy of BAM, group supervision of BAM
  • Evening – 5:30pm home, dinner, downtime with partner

Wednesday (DBT)

  • Morning – 9am individual therapy supervision, DBT Team
  • Afternoon – DBT evaluation, teaching preparation for DBT Skills Group, notes/report writing or support activities for neuropsychological assessment
  • Evening – DBT Multifamily Skills Group, group note, hangout with friends

Thursday (Research + Didactics)

  • Morning – 8:30am DBT leaders meeting, protected research time (i.e., manuscript or grant writing)
  • Afternoon – 12pm grantsmanship seminar, 3-5pm didactics
  • Evening – 5:30pm home, workout

Friday (SNACS)

  • Morning – 8am assessment meeting of SNACS, individual supervision for SNACS, support activities for assessment
  • Afternoon – Supervision meeting with supervisee (practicum student), conduct neuropsychological assessment or consult visit, notes writing
  • Evening – 5:30 home, dinner, relax

 Saturday

  • Morning – Facetime with family, laundry
  • Afternoon – Read and relax at coffee shops, complete 1-2 research tasks if needed
  • Evening – play piano, watch movie, bake

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Humza Khan, MS

Humza Khan, MS

Why UW Psychology Internship?

I chose the UW Psychology Internship due to the availability of world-renown rehabilitation services; the opportunity receive training across two clinical sites in academic medicine (i.e., University of Washington Medical Center-Montlake campus and Harborview Medical Center) and the opportunity to deliver neuropsychological care across inpatient and outpatient settings. Furthermore, the internship’s strong commitment to research, career development and helping individuals grow as people through genuine investment solidified my decision to pursue my internship here.

Education

  • University of Illinois at Chicago – BS
  • Illinois Institute of Technology – MS
  • Illinois Institute of Technology – PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology

Clinical Rotations

  • (07/01 – 09/30) UWMC – Inpatient Rehabilitation, Inpatient/Outpatient Neuropsychology
  • (10/01 – 12/31) HMC – Consults, Outpatient Neuropsychology
  • (01/01 – 06/30) HMC – Burns, Pediatric, Amputee Care

Career Goals

My career plans are to ultimately pursue dual board certification in rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology within a traditional healthcare delivery model (e.g., rehabilitation center, academic hospital). I aim to split my clinical and research time (70/30) and hope to pursue projects examining cross-cultural neuropsychological outcomes within demyelinating disorders (e.g., Multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome), performance validity testing and language mapping in non-English Epilepsy populations. In addition, I aim to pursue international opportunities to help provide neuropsychological care in countries such as Pakistan, as a way to help fight mental health stigma and provide much needed care.

Follow me for a week!

Sunday

  • Morning – Finish up any documentation for the previous week and begin pre-charting for next week’s cases
  • Afternoon – Go on a hike, explore restaurants or go grocery shopping
  • Evening – Cook dinner and relax by catching up on my favorite TV shows or calling my family.

Monday

  • Morning – Come in to review inpatient charts, paying close attention for any acute changes in psychological status over the weekend for our inpatient unit. I also see two patients supervised by Dr. Tracy Herring with our outpatient rehabilitation psychology department to support adjustment and coping following disability
  • Afternoon – Rounding with my supervisors for inpatient rehabilitation, Drs. Ivan Molton and Jed McGiffin; participate in a weekly review (termed “huddles”) of all patients on our unit to coordinate care and address concerns
  • Evening – Dinner at home, watch TV and hang out with my cohort mates.

Tuesday

  • Morning – Participate in an outpatient referral with one of my neuropsychological supervisors: Drs. Moe Goldberg, Nick Dasher and David Sheppard. These cases include a thorough chart review, preparing and conducting a neuropsychological intake, test selection with psychometrists, and case conceptualization for likely differentials with my supervisors
  • Afternoon – Individual supervision for inpatient cases with Dr. Molton and outpatient cases with Dr. Herring. Gold Team Rounds; visiting with the care team under the supervision of Dr. Molton and having individual meetings with patients and family to support their care, discuss discharge plans, and barriers to treatments.
  • Evening – Dinner at home, watch TV and play pickleball.

Wednesday

  • Morning – Review charts, write reports, and do notes
  • Afternoon – Journal club with the rest of the Behavioral Medicine residents; this occurs monthly and is an opportunity for individuals to bring and discuss relevant research to the group in the hopes of implementing its conclusions into daily care. Group supervision with the post-doctoral fellow and two supervisors: Drs. David Sheppard and Sai Narotam; we have recently implemented an updated format of rapid delivery of case conceptualization that allows me both the opportunity to role-play supervisor and supervisee that is very unique. A meta-supervision of sorts. Then I see two more outpatient rehabilitation psychology patients.
  • Evening – – Dinner at home, watch TV and call my fiancé

Thursday

  • Morning – Neuropsychology Seminar with Behavioral Medicine residents followed by individual research time to work on my dissertation or other research projects
  • Afternoon – One hour seminar on grant writing; this is an optional course to learn about various grant mechanisms and practice writing grants for current or future funding opportunities. The last hours of the afternoon are spent in required didactics where various experts in the field of psychology visit the program to promote learning, exploration and discussion
  • Evening – Dinner at home, play board/card games with friends and watch TV

Friday

  • Morning – Review results of Neuropsychological examination, individual supervision one of my neuropsychological supervisors and begin writing report
  • Afternoon – Gold Team Plan of Care; this is a care team meeting that involves having individual meetings with patients and family and discussing the progress that they have made throughout the week to support their care, discuss discharge plans, and barriers to treatments. This is followed by trying to visit with a new admission to inpatient rehabilitation before the weekend comes and wrapping up paperwork
  • Evening – Dinner at a restaurant, grab some ice cream, explore Seattle neighborhoods and watch TV

Saturday

  • Morning – Get up at a reasonable hour and grab breakfast or pastry at one of Seattle’s many coffee shops
  • Afternoon – Play pickleball, hang out with friends, visit a national park
  • Evening – Dinner at home, explore Seattle neighborhoods and watch TV
Last Modified: September 3, 2024