Current Interns

Alexis Aberman is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Cornell University and her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Ferkauf. Her research focuses on suicide prevention, particularly the role of self-compassion in recovery from suicidality. Alexis is passionate about using evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), to flexibly meet the unique needs and goals of her patients. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults, as well as with families and couples, across inpatient and outpatient hospital programs and community mental health clinics. Her clinical experience includes working with anxiety and depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related concerns, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating and weight disorders, and personality disorders. Alexis is excited to continue her clinical work at Montefiore and to serve the vibrant Bronx community.

Gwyneth DeLap (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Rochester. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with cumulative honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on psycholinguistic and emotion processes in internalizing disorders. Clinically, Gwyneth has experience working with individuals across the lifespan in a variety of settings including inpatient medicine, community mental health clinics, and private practice. She is trained in comprehensive dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and exposure and response prevention (ERP).

Gabrielle (Gabs) Ilagan (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Fordham University. Committed to personalizing her approach to her patients’ unique needs, strengths, and values, Gabs has worked with individuals across the lifespan in community clinic, inpatient hospital, academic medical center, and private practice settings. She has received extensive training in various treatment modalities – including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) – and she approaches her work with warmth, collaboration, and cultural humility. Gabs’ research focuses on how identity and social contexts shape personality pathology, emotion regulation, and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, with particular attention to how minority stress influences mental health outcomes in minoritized populations. She is also passionate about increasing access to evidence-based treatments, and continuing to serve the communities around her.

Milena Tutiven Alarcón (she/they) is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at St. John’s University. She is dedicated to providing culturally informed, evidence-based care to underserved and historically marginalized communities. Milena provides psychotherapy and psychological assessment in  English and Spanish, working with youth and adults experiencing trauma, anxiety, mood disorders, severe psychopathology, and co-occurring substance use. Her research examines the relationship between historical trauma and the physical and mental health of American Indians and Alaska Natives, helping to clarify the health disparities experienced by these communities. She is passionate about continuing trauma-focused work, offering care in Spanish, gaining further experience working with individuals with substance use disorders, and supporting underserved populations through clinical work and research.

Talita Ahmed (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Montclair State University. Her clinical interests include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and integrative approaches incorporating acceptance-based, mindfulness, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) techniques for youth with anxiety, depressive, and trauma-related disorders. Her research focuses on the development, cultural adaptation, and dissemination of school-based interventions for social anxiety and related internalizing symptoms among minoritized adolescents, as well as the role of social support and peer-mediated processes in shaping these outcomes. Talita has received training across multidisciplinary settings and is committed to delivering culturally responsive, evidence-based care that supports the diverse needs of youth. In her free time, she enjoys trying new foods and learning Korean.

Tatyana Bidopia, M.A., is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at Fordham University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duke University and her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Fordham University. Clinically, Tatyana has experience providing individual and group therapy in English and Spanish across inpatient, outpatient, community mental health, and private practice settings. She has a particular interest in working with youth experiencing eating disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and complex trauma. Her research focuses on understanding sociocultural risk and protective factors for eating disorders and body image concerns in underserved and minoritized populations, including the Latine community and individuals facing food insecurity. Tatyana is committed to reducing barriers to mental health care and delivering culturally responsive, evidence-based, and systems-oriented services. Outside of her professional work, she loves reading, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with loved ones and her cat, Guava.

Anokhi Bafna is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Adelphi University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Neural Science and Art from New York University and her master’s degree in Psychology from Adelphi University. Anokhi’s research interests include disorganised attachment and parenting, relational stress and trauma, and suicide risk assessment. Her dissertation focuses on disrupted maternal caregiving behaviours (e.g., helplessness, emotional role reversal) and their links with child adjustment in middle childhood. Clinically, Anokhi is passionate about applying developmentally-informed, culturally responsive, and integrative approaches to care while working with individuals and families from diverse communities. Anokhi enjoys practicing yoga and going on long walks by the water in her free time, and is thrilled to be a part of the psychology team at Montefiore this year.

Lillian Foote is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the Catholic University of America. Lillian’s clinical interests center on providing caregiver and family-based interventions to support individuals across the lifespan with mood, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and eating-related disorders. Research-wise, Lillian studies the application of interpersonal mindfulness to family relationships, with the goal of developing interventions that enhance family connectedness and individual mental health. Across research and clinical work, Lillian is passionate about partnering with individuals and families to enhance the accessibility and responsiveness of evidence-based psychological assessments and interventions.

Nicole Milani is a Ph.D. candidate in Clinical Psychology at St. John’s University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Boston University and her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, with a dual concentration in Neuropsychology and Research Methods, from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests include medical and environmental factors that influence cognitive development, mediators and moderators of evidence-based trauma interventions, and dissemination and implementation of trauma-informed assessment and intervention. Clinically, she has experience conducting comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations with patients across the lifespan and providing evidence-based interventions, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to children, adolescents, and families. Across her research and clinical work, Nicole is focused on promoting early detection of psychiatric and neurologic conditions and increasing access to evidence-based, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed care.