Department of Counselor Education, School Psychology, and Human Services

• Mental Health Counseling
  • John Nixon, Ed.D
    Dr. John Nixon serves as the Clinical Director of Youth and Community Counseling for Communities In Schools of Nevada.
• School Psychology
  • Dr. Michelle Zochowski-Tullio
    Dr. Michelle Zochowski-Tullio completed her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in School Psychology and an Emphasis in Counseling & Psychotherapy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She also has a Master of Science in Educational Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminal Justice.
  • Katherine Lee, Ph.D.
    Dr. Lee having previously served as School Psychologist, joins the EPHE faculty where she is excited to educate and inspire future colleagues in the field of education, particularly School Psychology. Dr. Lee feels it is imperative that all students in the College who pursue this profession be equipped with the factual knowledge, training experiences, communication skills, and self-awareness needed to be effective in their work.
  • Patrice Leverett, Ph.D.
    Dr. Leverett is committed to the wellbeing of the whole student and reflects those beliefs in her work as a mentor and an educator. Her current research interests include the design and evaluation of culturally responsive interventions, student advocacy, the impacts of intersectionality on educational outcomes, and ultimately increasing diversity and retention in higher education.

Department of Psychology

• Clinical Psychology Program
  • Dr. Kara Christensen
    Dr. Christensen received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in quantitative psychology from the Ohio State University in 2019. She completed her doctoral internship at the Medical University of South Carolina (2018-2019). Dr. Christensen joined the faculty at UNLV in 2022, after completing a three-year postdoctoral clinical research fellowship in eating disorders at the University of Kansas.
  • Dr. Nicole Short
    Dr. Nicole Short is a clinical psychologist whose translational research program focuses on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of trauma and anxiety-related disorders. She is particularly interested in the development and testing of cognitive behavioral digital health interventions delivered in the early aftermath of trauma (e.g., sexual assault) to mitigate the development of comorbid posttraumatic stress symptoms and substance use. Her work focuses on transdiagnostic risk factors, such as anxiety sensitivity and sleep disturbance, and utilizes a variety of research methods and designs, including mechanistic clinical trials, ecological momentary assessment and intervention (EMA/EMI), and elicitation and assessment of the human stress response.
  • Christopher Kearney, Ph.D.
    Dr. Kearney is a clinical child psychologist who specializes in school refusal behavior, selective mutism, post-traumatic stress disorder in maltreated youth, perfectionism, and other anxiety-related conditions in children and adolescents as well as issues of quality of life in persons with severe handicaps.
  • Shane W. Kraus, Ph.D.
    Shane Kraus is interested in the study of psychopathology, sexual trauma, substance use disorders, gambling disorder, and compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) (aka, sexual addiction, hypersexual disorder).
  • Tara Raines, Ph.D.
    Tara C. Raines, Ph.D., is a Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor in the Psychology department at UNLV. She is a former Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the School Psychology program and affiliate faculty member of the Center for Multicultural Excellence at University of Denver. In addition to her passion for research, Dr. Raines is also dedicated to the improvement of cultural competence and increase of bilingual practitioners in the fields of mental health and education.
  • Brenna Renn, Ph.D.
    Dr. Renn is a clinical geropsychologist who specializes in behavioral interventions for older adults, particularly in the context of depression, chronic disease, health promotion, and in integrated primary care behavioral health. She is also broadly interested in training the next generation of geropsychologists and other mental health care providers, particularly in interdisciplinary team and integrated care settings.
  • Marta Meana, Ph.D.Dr. Meana is a licensed clinical psychologist and top researcher in her field. Meana’s groundbreaking research has reshaped clinical approaches to women’s health and human sexuality.