Amanda M. Fanniff, Ph.D.
Dr. Fanniff is an Associate Professor at Palo Alto University. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona, where she specialized in Psychology, Policy, and Law. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and her post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida. Her research interests historically have centered on how typical and atypical development impact juvenile offenders' involvement in the justice system, including two main populations of interest: juveniles who may be incompetent to proceed to adjudication and juveniles who have committed sexually abusive behaviors. Her interests have expanded over time to include research with emerging adults and research focused on culturally competent forensic research and clinical practice.
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Leila N. Wallach, MA, MS
Leila N. Wallach (she/her/ella) is a 5th year doctoral candidate. Her research and clinical interests focus on juvenile justice, alternatives to incarceration, program design and evaluation, risk assessment, and culturally and trauma-informed care, practice, and policy. Leila received her MS in Clinical Psychology from PAU in 2022, her MA in General Psychology at New York University in 2019, and her BA in Psychology (minor Criminology) from Simon Fraser University in 2015. Leila has completed practicum placements at La Clinica Latina at the Gronowski Center, and UCSF Citywide Forensics. She is currently a practicum student at San Quentin State Prison.
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Morgan Hester Howell, MS
Hess is a 5th year doctoral student. Her primary research interests include adultification, maturity development, and disproportionate minority contact. Hess received her M.S. in Clinical Psychology from PAU and her B.S. in psychology and minor in Deaf studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She completed her third-year practicum at Alameda Family Services, providing services for families and youth on probation, and her second-year practicum at Gronowski Center, providing services for clients with a variety of diagnoses. She is currently completing her fourth-year practicum at Adventist Health Vallejo, providing services for patients with serious mental illnesses in an inpatient behavioral health hospital. Her professional goals include intervention and evidence based psychotherapy for at-risk people involved in the legal system and hospital settings.
Kyara N. Mendez Serrano, MS
Kyara is a 5th year doctoral student. Her primary clinical and research interests include minority mental health, culturally informed treatment, and the role of social justice in the therapeutic space. Originally from Puerto Rico, Kyara received her B.A. in Psychology and Community Mental Health from the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey. She is currently completing a practicum at the Gronowski Center, in the Clinica Latina a specialty clinic for Latinx and Spanish-speaking clients. Kyara's professional goals include working towards decreasing mental health stigma in the Latinx community and providing psychotherapy to Spanish-speakers.
kmendezserrano
@paloaltou.edu
Isabel Krein, MS
Isabel (she/her) is a 4th year doctoral student. Her research interests fall within the realm of the Juvenile Justice System (JJS), particularly, the development of externalizing disorders as they relate to contact with the JJS. Clinically, Isabel is interested in working with adolescents as a forensic psychologist. Isabel received her BA in psychology from UCLA in 2017. She completed her 2nd year practicum at the Gronowski Center providing therapy to a variety of clients. She is currently completing her practicum at the County of Monterey Behavioral Health for the Family Assessment and Support Team for a variety of client involved in the child welfare system.
Emily Atsatt, MS
Emily is a 4th year doctoral student. Emily’s primary interest is the intersection between forensic assessment and the juvenile justice system. She is currently interested in researching the interrogation laws of minors charged with serious crimes. Emily has experience working with foster youth after graduating with her BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is currently enjoying her practicum as she works with a variety of clients at the Gronowski Clinic. Emily’s professional goals include working with and advocating for youth in the juvenile justice system.
Reilly Gallin, MS
Reilly (they/she) is a 4th-year doctoral Student. Their research and clinical interests focus on intimate partner violence, people who commit sexually violent offenses, and culturally and trauma-informed care, practice, and policy. Reilly received their BS in Psychology and Economics (minor in management) from Tulane University in 2017. Their first practicum experience was at the Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic in the Gronowski center, and they are currently at the San Francisco VA, providing services to Veterans. Reilly’s professional goals include working with forensically involved gender minority people and using a culturally and trauma-informed approach to policy.
Leah Zachariah, MA
Leah Zachariah (she/her) is a 3rd year doctoral student. Her research and clinical interests focus on how culture influences juvenile justice, risk assessment, forensic assessment, and trauma informed care. Leah received her MA in counseling psychology at University of Arizona with an emphasis in school counseling in 2021, and her BA in psychology from Salisbury University in 2019. She is currently completing her practicum at Gronowski Clinic providing therapy to a variety of clients.
lzachariah@paloaltou.edu
Emma Sower, MA
Emma (she/her) is currently a 3rd year PhD student at PAU. She has previous clinical experience working with individuals who have a committed sexually abusive behaviors as well as previous experience working at a forensic assessment and evaluation agency. She is currently a practicum student at the Gronowski Clinic. Emma's research interests include best practices for treatment of individuals who have committed sexually abusive behaviors, intimate partner violence, human sexuality, sex positivity, and Stand Your Ground and Castle Doctrine Laws. She has several publications, including a piece on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma's professional goals include working with individuals who have committed sexually abusive behaviors to inform her research with the purpose of informing policy change.
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Erin Kim Hazen, BS
Erin Kim Hazen (she/her) is a 3rd year doctoral student. She graduated with a B.S. in Applied Psychology from New York University in 2015. Erin’s primary clinical and research interests are in working with adolescents involved in the criminal justice system and integrating forensics, social justice and intersectionality theory, and internet-based interventions/gaming therapy. She is currently working as a clinic manager at the Gronowski Clinic and completing practicum as a student therapist at the Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic at the Gronowski Center. Erin also serves as the founder and president of Palo Alto University’s Geek Culture Student Group and the secretary of Palo Alto University’s Forensic Mental Health Student Group.
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Annika Wurm, MS
Annika (sher/her) is a 2nd year doctoral student. Her primary research and clinical interests pertain to topics such as hostile masculinity, sexual assault and rape myths, domestic violence and interpersonal violence, serious mental illnesses, gender-affirming healthcare, and cultural responsiveness of forensic psychological assessment tools. Annika received her BS in biology, with minors in chemistry and neuroscience, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018, and her MS in clinical psychology, with a certificate in neuropsychology, from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2022. She is a current practicum student at the Gronowski Clinic, where she provides empirically-based psychotherapy with clients of varying identities and diagnoses. Annika's professional goals include becoming a board-certified forensic psychologist and working towards reducing minority contact with the criminal-legal system.
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Nubiana Mitchell, BS
Nubiana (she/ella) is a 2nd year doctoral student. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from Appalachian State University in 2021. Nubiana’s clinical and research interests focus on trauma and culturally-informed care for incarcerated juveniles, rehabilitation of youth who have committed sexually violent offenses, and the effects of racism and discrimination on Afro-Latine individuals. She is currently completing practicum at the Gronowski Center, in the Clinica Latina where she provides care to Latine and Spanish-speaking individuals. Nubiana's professional goals include providing treatment in correctional facilities for adolescents and advocating for inclusion of Afro-Latine individuals in research and policy.
Sofia Drotts, BA
Sofia (she/ella) is a 2nd year doctoral student. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Gender and Women Studies, Criminal Justice and Chicano/a Latino/a Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022. Sofia's clinical and research interests focus on trauma and culturally informed practice with incarcerated juveniles, exploring protective factors for juvenile offenders, the impact of adultification on young male Latine and Black juvenile offenders and linguistic issues in assessment and treatment. She is currently completing practicum at the Gronowski Center, in the Clinica Latina where she provides care to Latine and Spanish-speaking individuals. Sofia's professional goals include providing treatment in correctional facilities to Spanish speaking populations, adolescents and amplifying the voices of those most impacted by the criminal legal system.
