Faculty
Clinicians at the Psychology Services Center are supervised by UofSC psychology faculty members, many of whom also conduct research related to many of
the issues facing our clients. Some of our research areas include autism identification/assessment,
physical health, ADHD, emotional and behavioral health concerns, pediatric neuropsychology,
increasing psychological flexibility and clinical best practice for engagement and
intervention.
Clinical Faculty
Stephen Taylor - PSC Director; Adult Therapy
Stephen Taylor is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at
the University of South Carolina. Taylor received his doctorate in Clinical-Community Psychology from UofSC and completed his clinical internship at the Charles George Veterans Affairs Medical
Center in Asheville, North Carolina. He has clinical expertise in third-wave cognitive behavioral interventions and strengths-based
approaches that utilize a functional-contextual framework. His research has complemented
these clinical approaches by focusing on investigating the intersection of physical
and mental health and the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions to reduce stress
and burnout.
Kimberly Hills - PSC Associate Director; Child & Adolescent Assessment; Child, Adolescent
& Family Therapy
Kimberly Hills received her doctorate from the University of South Carolina and worked
in public schools in the Columbia area until joining the UofSC faculty in 2008. As
a clinical assistant professor, her work focuses on providing intensive, practice-oriented
instruction and clinical supervision to graduate students in the Psychology Department
and teaching undergraduate courses in the areas of exceptional children, prevention/intervention
for at-risk students, and developmental psychology. Her primary supervision responsibilities
include field-based school psychology practicum and the child, adolescent and college
student evaluation clinic at the Psychological Services Center. Her current research
interests focus on prevention and intervention for at-risk youth, middle to high school
transition, positive psychology and teacher wellness. She currently serves on the
board of state and community organizations.
Supervising Faculty
Kimberly Becker - Child, Adolescent & Family Therapy
Kimberly Becker's work focused on extending the reach of effective psychosocial interventions
for children and adolescents. She has received funding from the National Institute of
Drug Abuse and currently is funding by the William T. Grant Foundation. Her work involves
testing new ways to organize existing research knowledge into practical resources
that will be useful to mental health supervisors and providers who are working with
youth and families who demonstration risk for low treatment engagement. She partners
with community stakeholders to collaboratively explore ways to enhance children's
mental health services.
Her research to date reflects four interrelated pursuits:
- Enhancing provider training, using strategies such as coaching and tailored training
opportunities
- Expanding the mental health workforce to include care extenders (e.g., teachers, school
nurses, paraprofessionals) to meet the growing demand for effective interventions
- Exploring the unique considerations as psychosocial interventions move into new contexts
such as primary care, child welfare, and education settings
- Improving treatment engagement to help youth and families connect with and stay in
treatment
Jessica Bradshaw - Child, Adolescent & Family Therapy
Jessica Bradshaw is an assistant professor in the Psychology Department. She received
her doctorate in clinical counseling and school psychology from the University of
California, Santa Barbara, after which time she completed her postdoctoral work at
the Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine. She has been involved
in autism research since her undergraduate work in cognitive science at the University
of California, San Diego, and her post-baccalaureate work at the Yale Child Study
Center.
Her research focuses on early identification and intervention of autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) in the first years of life. Specifically, she is interested in:
- Quantifying the emeergence of, and interrelation between, social behavior, visual
attention and motor skills in neonates, infants and toddlers
- Identifying aberrant neurodevelopmental pathways that lead to the emergence of ASD
- Translating these basic findings to early detection and intervention strategies for
ASD
Kate Flory - Child, Adolescent & Family Therapy
Kate Flory received her B.A. in psychology from Duke University and her M.A. and doctorate
in clinical psychology from the University of Kentucky. She completed a clinical internship
and postdoctoral fellowship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh,
PA. She is currently funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES).
Her primary research focuses on understanding:
- The mechanisms that may explain why children with ADHD are at greater risk than peers
for cigarette smoking and use/abuse of other substances
- Social and academic impairment of children with ADHD
- Other negative health outcomes associated with ADHD, including risky sexual behavior
and unintentional injuries
- The epidemiology of child and adolescent emotional and behavioral health concerns.
Emily Neger - Child & Family Therapy
Emily Neger earned her undergraduate degree in Child Development from Tufts University
in Medford, Mass., and her Masters and Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from
the University of South Carolina. She completed her predoctoral internship at the
Virginia Treatment Center for Children in Richmond, Va., working with children and
adolescents in inpatient services and at an outpatient clinic. In addition to supervising
students at the Psychology Services Center, she teaches undergraduate courses and
has a private practice where she sees children and young adults, ages 4 to 30 years.
She has specific interests in parent management training and treating anxiety and
depression through an evidence-based, eclectic approach.
Jeffrey Schatz - Adult Assessment
Jeffrey Schatz earned his B.S. at the University of Iowa and his doctorate from the Clinical Psychology Training Program at Washington University in Missouri, and was a postdoctoral fellow in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of California,
San Francisco. His major area of work is in understanding how chronic pediatric health
conditions affect cognitive abilities, school adjustment, and quality of life.
Guillermo Wippold - Adult Therapy
Guillermo Wippold is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. He received
his doctorate from the University of Florida and completed his predoctoral internship
at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He is passionate about working with underserved
populations. His research interests include community-based participatory research,
cultural sensitivity and cultural competence, mental and physical health promotion
among underserved populations, culturally tailored health promotion interventions,
health-related quality of life and stress resilience. He has worked closely with YMCAs,
the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and various medical clinics. He has provided
mental health services in outpatient and inpatient settings and is particularly proud
of his work providing mental health services to individuals seeking care at underserved
clinics in Gainesville, Florida and Kansas City, Kansas. In his clinical work, he
draws heavily on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.