Our team
Tessa K. Kritikos, Ph.D.
Director of the MAGNIFY Lab
Dr. K earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Boston University, completed her predoctoral internship in the Child/Adolescent/Pediatric Psychology track at Rush University Medical Center, and her postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. She loves working with and mentoring graduate students, and prioritizes fostering a well-rounded graduate school experience for her students that emphasizes both hard-earned growth and self-care.
Dr. K is passionate about highlighting the strengths of populations that are often only described in terms of their vulnerabilities. She hopes that by harnessing these strengths in our interventions, we can bolster the resilience and coping resources of individuals. Her program of research looks at several elements of the family system, including child-parent and parent-parent relationships, and she has been honored to work with families with a child with a chronic illness and military-serving families. She is particularly committed to employing rigorous methodologies, adopting multi-informant, multi-method approaches, and using longitudinal research designs.
Clinically, Dr. K has experience conducting individual, family, and group therapy using principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), including third-wave CBT interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She specializes in child clinical and pediatric psychology but has experience conducting assessments and delivering evidence-based interventions with clients ranging in age from infancy to older adults.
Her hobbies include chasing her two toddlers and enjoying her husband’s Greek cooking.
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Graduate Students
Haley Briggs, BA
2nd Year Clinical Psychology Student
Haley is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology Master's program at the University of Houston - Clear Lake. She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Texas, majoring in sociology with a forensic science certificate. In her research, Haley wants to investigate the factors that either promote or hinder resilience after trauma. The way in which an individual's childhood experiences impact their trauma response and meaning making is especially interesting to her. More specifically, she hopes to conduct a research project about how an individual's attachment style and locus of control contribute to the presentation of their posttraumatic stress symptoms and their recovery. In her free time, Haley loves anything outdoors and active, such as hiking or going for a bike ride.
Taylor Eggers, BA
2nd Year Clinical Psychology Student
Taylor is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology Master’s program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Sam Houston State University where he majored in Psychology and minored in Criminal Justice. His research interests include the treatment of and working with LGBTQ+ populations and issues. Specifically, he is interested in the perceived identification and quality of systems of support by LGBTQ+ individuals as well as gender identity and presentation exploration. Taylor enjoys playing video games, playing with his dog, watching anime, and anything and everything Star Wars.
Alana Encalade, MA
1st Year Health Service Psychology Student
Alana is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical-School Combined Doctor of Psychology PsyD program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL). She earned a Master of Arts degree in School Psychology from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Alana’s research interests include the efficacy of trauma-informed care implementation in schools and clinical settings as well as the protective factors that contribute to resiliency in at-risk populations. Her hobbies include lifting weights, traveling, watching anime and true-crime documentaries, and playing video games.
Millicent Hendrix, BS
2nd Year Clinical Psychology Student
Millicent graduated from Sam Houston State University with her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology. She is currently a second-year master’s student at UHCL in the Clinical Psychology program. Her research interest includes the effects of trauma in a clinical setting, specifically the ramifications it can have on the development of individuals over one’s lifespan. Additionally, Millicent is interested in exploring resilience factors that mitigate the effects trauma has in relation to overall psychopathology.
Raynie Leard, MS, RBT
2nd Year Health Service Psychology Student
Raynie is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical-School Combined Doctor of Psychology PsyD program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL). She earned her Master’s of Science in Developmental Psychology with a Specialization in Life Course and Aging from Arizona State University. She completed her master’s-level internship as a Child Advocate in a safe shelter for women and children who experienced domestic violence. In addition, Raynie has experience in applied behavior analysis (ABA) conducting behavioral parent training in an early intervention ABA research clinic for youth with autism spectrum disorder. Raynie’s current research seeks to understand and emphasize the benefit-finding and psychological flexibility capabilities of individuals and families who have experienced stressors, particularly among youth and caregivers with chronic health conditions and youth of military-serving families. To boost her own mental health and resilience, Raynie enjoys hobbies such as strength and conditioning training, watercolor painting, hanging out with her six rescue pets, playing video games, exploring nature, and trying to teach herself to play the ukulele.
Frida Mora de Luna, BS
2nd Year Clinical Psychology Student
Frida is a second-year master's student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Houston - Clear Lake. She completed her bachelor's from the University of Houston with a minor in human development and family studies. Frida is interested in researching how parents can best support their children's health, specifically their sexual and reproductive health. Currently working as a graduate research assistant, Frida aims to continue her work in research and assisting parents in having an active and beneficial impact on their children's development. As a native Spanish speaker who immigrated from Mexico, Frida strives to use her bilingualism to connect with underrepresented communities. During her free time, Frida enjoys learning new languages (currently Farsi), appreciating the new art exhibits that are featured at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and taking her cat on walks.
Harleen Sandhu
3rd Year Health Service Psychology Student
Harleen is a third-year PsyD student. Her main clinical interests are working with adults with chronic illnesses, specifically, cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases.
Similar to her clinical interests, Harleen’s research interests also relate to working on the impact of mental health or biopsychosocial factors on clinical outcomes and quality of life after surgery or medical diagnosis.
For fun, Harleen likes to learn and work on improving her flow/fluid art abilities, read (if she has the time :) ), watch movies and shows, and hang out with her friends.