Doctoral Students
Dorothy (Dori) Balser
- B.A., Psychology: Washington University
- Research Interests: Assessment and treatment of anxiety in youth, optimizing treatment mechanisms across child and adolescent development, increasing access to evidence-based treatments for internalizing disorders in youth
- Selected Publications:
Balser, D.H., Padron, M., & Pettit, J.W. (2025). Treatment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents. Advances in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, 5, 217-224.
Padron, M., Balser, D.H., & Pettit, J.W. (2026). Assessment and treatment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in youth In R.D. Friedberg & M.A. Thordarson (Eds.), C ognitive behavioral therapy with youth: Tradition and innovation, 2nd ed. (pp. 75-89). Springer Protocols.
Marissa Falcone
- B.A., Psychology & Anthropology/Sociology: Lafayette College
- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University
Research interests: cognitive, interpersonal, and environmental factors influencing the development and treatment of youth anxiety disorders
- Selected Publications:
Falcone, M.M., Bar-Haim, Y., Lebowitz, E.R., Silverman, W.K., & Pettit, J.W. (2024). Attention training for child anxiety and its disorders: Moving from research to clinical implementation. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 27, 550-560.
Falcone, M.M., Rey, Y., Chong, L.J., Marin, C.E., Lebowitz, E.R., Silverman, W.K., & Pettit, J.W. (2025). Parent psychological control and youth social anxiety: examining attention control and its components as mediators. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 49, 376-384.
Falcone, M.M., Chong, L.J., Buzzell, G.A., Crowley, M.J., Yang, Y., Rey, Y., Magnotti, A., Lebowitz, E.R., Lazarov, A., Bar-Haim, Y., Pine, D.S., Silverman, W.K., & Pettit, J.W. (2026). Attention focusing moderates the association between parent anxiety and attention bias to threat in youth with social anxiety disorder. Child Psychiatry & Human Development.
Sydney Goldstein
- B.S., Psychology & Learning/Organizational Change: Northwestern University
- Research interests: Investigating how interpersonal factors influence risk, resiliency, and treatment outcomes for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents.
Maggie Modico
- B.S., Psychology: University of Maryland
- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University
- Research Interests: Investigating neural, physiological, behavioral, and environmental precursors to anxiety, treatment of internalizing symptoms that impact functioning in early childhood
- Selected Publications:
Modico, M., Cabrera, V.M., Rey, Y., Buzzell, G.A., Silverman, W.K., & Pettit, J.W. (2026). Attention shifting moderates the association between threat interpretation bias and anxiety in youth. Cognitive Therapy and Research.
Modico, M., Pineiro, K., Rey, Y., Buitron, V., & Pettit, J.W. (2026). The role of perceived burdensomeness in the link between functional impairment and suicidal ideation in clinically-referred youth. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 56, e70072.
Quigley, K. M., Petty, C. R., SidamonâEristoff, A. E., Modico, M., Nelson III, C. A., & Bosquet Enlow, M. (2023). Risk for internalizing symptom development in young children: Roles of child parasympathetic reactivity and maternal depression and anxiety exposure in early life. Psychophysiology, e14326
Melissa Padron
- B.A., Psychology: Florida International University
- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University
Research interests: parental accommodation of anxious youth; symptom profiles of anxiety and related disorders
- Selected Publications:
Liu, L., Padron, M., Sun, D., & Pettit, J.W. (2025). Temporal trends in suicide ideation and attempt among youth in juvenile detention, 2016 to 2021. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.
Padron, M., Balser, D.H., & Pettit, J.W. (2026). Assessment and treatment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in youth In R.D. Friedberg & M.A. Thordarson (Eds.), Cognitive behavioral therapy with youth: Tradition and innovation, 2nd ed. (pp. 75-89). Springer Protocols.
Balser, D.H., Padron, M., & Pettit, J.W. (2025). Treatment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents. Advances in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, 5, 217-224.
Padron, M., Liu, L., & Pettit, J.W. (2025). Suicide attempt in the absence of suicide ideation: Prevalence and correlates among youth detained in the juvenile legal system. Journal of Affective Disorders, 119927.
Guadalupe Patriarca
- B.A., Psychology: Florida International University
- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University
- Research Interests: Improving treatment outcomes for youth with anxiety and related disorders; sociocultural factors such as acculturative stress, discrimination, and acculturation processes in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in Hispanic/Latino families
- Selected Publications:
Patriarca, G.C., Rey, Y., Yeguez, C.E., Marin, C.E., Pettit, J.W., & Silverman, W.K. (2022). Parent involvement enhances CBTs for anxiety disorders in Hispanic/Latino youth: Acculturation as a moderator. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90, 827-836.
Patriarca, G.C., Pettit, J.W., & Silverman, W.K. (2022). Implementing cognitive behavior therapy in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Clinical Psychology and Special Education,11(2), 108-122.
Patriarca, G., Rey, Y., Yeguez, C.E., Buitron, V., McMakin, D.L., & Pettit, J.W. (2025). Attentional control accounts for the association between anxiety sensitivity and sleep efficiency in clinic-referred youth. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 56, 1137-1146.
