Philip T. Yanos, Professor
Philip T. Yanos, Ph.D. is a professor in the Psychology Department at John Jay College. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from St. John’s University in 1999 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Mental Health Services Research at Rutgers University in 2001. He has been a faculty member at John Jay since 2006 and was previously a faculty member at in the Department of Psychiatry of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Professor Yanos first learned about mental health recovery in 1993, and since then, his over-riding professional goal has been to help facilitate recovery through research, direct clinical services, teaching, and mentoring/clinical supervision of professionals in training. Currently, a major research interest is the effect of stigma on the identity of people with severe mental illness (including self- or internalized stigma) and ways to address it through professional and peer-led means. He is the co-developer, with David Roe and Paul Lysaker of “Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy,” a group-based treatment which aims to address the effects of internalized stigma among people with severe mental illness. He is the author of over 100 articles and book chapters, and is the principal investigator on 2 federally-funded projects: “Randomized Controlled Trial of Treatment for Internalized Stigma in Schizophrenia,” funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, and “Examining Determinants of Community Participation among Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities,” funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
Daniel Samost, Doctoral Student
Dan is a second year clinical psychology PhD student at John Jay College, working in the Mental Health Recovery Research lab under Dr. Philip Yanos. Dan earned his BA in English and Theater from Dartmouth College in 2014, and earned his MA in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2017. Dan’s First Doc thesis focused on the influence of perceived parental Right Wing Authoritarian beliefs (RWA) on the endorsement of stigmatized beliefs. In conjunction with his graduate research and studies, Dan has spent several working in various clinical roles with justice-involved populations at different non-profits throughout the Bronx. His clinical research interests include forensic psychotherapy, community mental health, substance abuse disorders, police interaction with SMI individuals, and the stigmatization of mental health and substance abuse.
Brandon Dial, Bachelor’s Student
Brandon is a current first year student in the Forensic Psychology MA Program. He graduated from the Macaulay Honors College at John Jay with a BA in Forensic Psychology in 2020. As a member of the Ronald E. McNair Program and Honors Program, he had the opportunity to conduct his own independent research project as an undergraduate focusing on mental health stigma and student-athletes. He is continuing to research mental health stigma in athletics departments for his master’s thesis — focusing specifically on coaches as perpetrators of mental health stigma. Brandon hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology in the future.
Virakti Shah, Master’s Student
Virakti is a first year Forensic Psychology Student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She pursued her Bachelor’s from St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India and later earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Psychology. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Psychologist registered under the Rehabilitation Council of India and has experience working with children with intellectual, behavioral, social, educational, psychological, and emotional problems. She worked with B.M. Institute of Mental Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India on creating mental health awareness and next she plans to devise effective methods of educating parents and families on developing a stigma-free, accepting environment. After completing her Master’s program, she plans to apply to PhD programs in Developmental Psychology.
Stephanie Mignogna, Master’s Student
Stephanie Mignogna is a first year Master’s student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She earned her BA in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2019. Stephanie’s current research interests include sex offenders, violent offenders, domestic terrorism and competency evaluations and treatment of those who have serious mental illnesses (SMIs). Stephanie joined Dr. Yanos’ lab Fall 2020 to expand her knowledge on treatment and stigma related to SMIs. She is currently working on her master’s thesis with Dr. Jeglic looking at grooming behaviors in female child sex offenders. Stephanie plans to apply for PhD programs for Clinical Psychology in Fall 2021.
Christina Yocca, Master’s Student
Christina Yocca is a graduate student pursuing a masters in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice at James Madison University. She is currently a thesis prospect student in Dr. Yanos’ Lab to conduct research on stigmatization of offenders diagnosed with mental illness.
Emma Nolasco, Bachelor’s Student
Emma is a rising Junior in the Honors Program at John Jay College, majoring in Forensic Psychology. She aspires to join the BA/MA program available at John Jay in the field of Forensic Psychology in the fall. She is a member of the Active Minds national non-profit organization, that focuses on mental health awareness amongst college students. This participation allows her to continue her interest in researching mental health stigma among youths, which she hopes to continue in graduate school.
Alexandra Droual, Master’s Student
Alex Droual is a first year master’s student in the Forensic Psychology program at John Jay. She received her B.S. in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She is interested in stigma and mental health in the reentry population in particular. Her interests are focused in provision of services and accurate treatment for successful community reentry.
Shay Feuer, Master’s Student
Shay is in her second year in the Forensic Psychology BA/MA program at John Jay College. She is interested in anticipated and experienced stigma perpetrated by healthcare workers, how stigma in healthcare workers affects patients, the impact of stigma and self-stigma on those with mental illnesses, and the role of compassion in treating mental illness. She is currently working on her thesis on experiences of mental health stigma among people with mental illness when interacting with healthcare workers under Dr. Yanos.
Rachel Terrill, Master’s Student
Rachel Terrill is a second year master’s student in the Forensic Psychology Master’s Program at John Jay College and participates in Dr. Marina Sorochinski’s Wrongful Convictions Within Serial Rape Cases Lab and the Mental Health Recovery Lab with Dr. Philip Yanos. She graduated from Samford University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She spent a year working in the Americorps program with Impact America, an organization that brings mobile eye exams to head start programs and provides free tax preparation to low-income families in North and South Carolina. She is currently working on her master’s thesis focusing on the relationship between parole officers and parolees with mental illness and the potential for stigma. She is planning on pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology after finishing her master’s at John Jay.
Lindsey Ryan-Jones, Master’s Student
Lindsey Ryan-Jones is a graduate student pursuing a master’s in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She received her B.A in Criminology & Criminal Justice and Psychology from the University of Maryland in 2020. Her research interests include offender reentry and rehabilitation programs, offender stigma and mental health stigma. Lindsey is currently working on her thesis with Dr. Yanos focusing on stigmatization of the offender population after release. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology in the future.
Melissa Martinez, Master’s Student
Melissa Martinez is a first year master’s student in the Forensic Psychology Master’s Program at John Jay College. She graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelors in Psychology and Political Science and a Masters in Public Policy. She currently works with Disability Rights New York as an Analyst. Her role deals with speaking to individuals, most of whom have an SMI, about their experiences with their representative payees. Her interests lie in psychoanalysis, evaluations, SMI’s, and policy. She is currently working on her thesis under Dr. Yanos, which will be focused on the role of identity and it’s relationship to self and internalized stigma in the Latino(a) community.
Cassidy Lynch, Master’s Student
Cassidy Lynch is in her second year of pursuing her master’s in forensic psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She graduated in 2019 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Neuroscience. She plans to attain a doctorate degree, and her main research interests involve neuroscience and working with children. Cassidy joined Dr. Yanos’ lab in order to expand on the research surrounding mental health stigma and how to mitigate it.
Breanna Nichols, Master’s Student
Breanna is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She graduated from Michigan State University in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology, and a minor in Youth and Society. She also had the opportunity to be a youth advocate in the Adolescent Diversion Program through Michigan State. Breanna is currently working on a master’s thesis under Dr. Yanos, which will explore themes related to childhood adversity and legal system involvement among youth who have experienced early psychosis. She hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in the future.
Kellie Courtney, Master’s Student
Kellie Courtney is a second year master’s student in the Forensic Psychology Master’s Program at John Jay College. She is a member of Dr. Veronica Johnson’s Equity Lab and the Mental Health Recovery Lab with Dr. Philip Yanos. She is interested in studying the effects of racism on mental health and how stigma relates to the underutilization of mental health services by individuals of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Kellie is currently working on her thesis focused on how racial discrimination affects the mental health and academic performances of college athletes of color. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology in the future.
