Janna Henning, Psy.D.
President-Elect

Dr. Janna Henning has been providing mental health services for adults with complex trauma, PTSD, dissociative disorders, chronic/life-threatening illness, and grief/loss-related concerns for over 20 years. She provides education, training, and clinical consultation for professionals who work with survivors of trauma and loss. She is a Professor in the Doctor of Clinical Psychology Program at Adler University in Chicago and the creator and coordinator of its Traumatic Stress Psychology Emphasis, which provides training in effective, research-informed approaches for clients coping with traumatic stress, death and dying, life-threatening illness, bereavement, and loss. She is a Fellow in Thanatology (Death, Dying and Bereavement) through the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and a Faculty Member for the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition. She brings her passionate interest in trauma education and training to her work as the Co-Chair of the Div. 56 Task Force on a Trauma Psychology Specialty, and as the former Co-Chair/Chair of its Education and Training Committee.

Carlos Cuevas, Ph.D.
Past President

Dr. Carlos A. Cuevas is a Professor and Co-Director of the Violence and Justice Research Laboratory at Northeastern University in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Dr. Cuevas’s research interests are in the area of victimization and trauma, sexual violence and sexual offending, family violence, and the overlap between victimization and delinquency. Specifically, his work focuses examining victimization among understudied/underserved groups and how it relates to psychological distress and service utilization, as well as the role cultural factors play on victimization. In addition, he is studying the impact of psychological factors on the revictimization of children and how it helps explain the connection between victimization and delinquency. His most recent research will examine the scope and impact of bias crime against Latinos. Dr. Cuevas also continues to engage in clinical work, providing assessment and treatment to victims of abuse and trauma as well as sex offenders.

Emili Pickenpaugh, Ph.D.
Secretary

Dr. Emili Pickenpaugh is a psychologist at Denver Health and Committed Counseling. She is one of the psychology attendings on the Psychiatry Consult Liaison service at Denver Health providing care to patients medically admitted to the hospital. Additionally, she created and runs the adult proactive psychology liaison (APPL) service providing chart screens for risk of developing PTSD and trauma-informed intervention. Dr. Pickenpaugh specializes in providing trauma-informed care to patients in the medical setting as well as EMDR in private practice. She is an Instructor with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and co-PI for one HRSA BHWET training grant.

Barbara Niles, Ph.D.
Treasurer

Dr. Barbara Niles is a Research Psychologist at the National Center for PTSD Behavioral Science Division at VA Boston Healthcare System and an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine. She has been involved in delivery of clinical services, training, and research in the area of post-trauma functioning and PTSD throughout her professional career. She has been a member of Division 56 since its inception and is pleased to serve the Division in leadership and administration in the position of Treasurer.

Kalyani Gopal, Ph.D.
Representative to APA Council

BIO coming soon

Demara Bennett, Psy.D.
Representative to APA Council

Dr. Demara (Mari) Bennett is a highly experienced Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, specializing in delivering comprehensive clinical evaluation, treatment, forensic assessment, consultation, training, and clinical supervision.

With a focus on trauma psychology, Dr. Bennett is dedicated to the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders. Her expertise extends to providing child and family services, including the assessment and diagnosis of both pediatric and adult psychological, neurodevelopmental, and learning challenges. She has a wealth of experience working with children and families affected by trauma and maltreatment, offering evidence-based interventions to support their recovery.

Dr. Bennett also serves as a forensic psychologist, providing expert consultation and conducting independent evaluations in civil and criminal cases. In addition, she has played a pivotal role in training the next generation of psychologists, providing clinical supervision to master’s, predoctoral, and postdoctoral trainees. She is committed to sharing her knowledge through consultation and training for community partners, contributing to the broader understanding of the psychological impact of trauma within various settings.

Maria Valgoi, Ph.D.
Early Career Psychologist Representative

Dr. Maria Valgoi is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois. She has a clinic on the southside of Chicago and is a member of the faculty at Governors State University in the south suburbs of Chicago. She graduated from University of Illinois Counseling Psychology Program with a graduate concentration in African American Studies. Her predoctoral internship was completed at the Augusta University Medical College/ Charlie Norwood VA Consortium in Augusta Georgia.  She also did a postdocoral fellowship in trauma informed juvenile risk assessment at Cambridge Health Alliance/ Harvard Medical School in the Victims of Violence Clinic/Safety Net Collaborative.

Marta Miranda, Psy.D.
Member at Large

Dr. Marta J. L. Miranda is a licensed and board certified psychologist in private practice working in Washington, DC. Her practice focuses on serving immigrants, helping adults heal from childhood trauma, and empowering clients to find their voices in the dominant culture that surrounds them. Dr. Miranda specializes in the treatment of Complex Trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, addictions, and relationship issues.

Dorothy Chin, Ph.D.
Member at Large

Dr. Chin is an Associate Research Psychologist at the UCLA Center for Culture, Trauma, and Mental Health Disparities at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, and a Professor of Psychology at Santa Monica College. She is currently a Board Member of the Lotus Project: Center for Asian American and Asian Immigrant Child Trauma-Informed Care and Prevention at the Public Health Institute. Chin’s research examines the influences of race, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status on mental health and behavior, as well as how such influences are often misunderstood in psychology as well as in public life

Ayli Carrero Pinedo, Ph.D.
Member at Large

Dr. Carrero Pinedo is a psychologist at the Veteran Affairs Greater Los Angeles (GLA) Healthcare System. Her professional work focuses on providing evidence-based individual and group clinical care to veterans with multiple intersecting identities, including age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, service era, and nationality. In her work, Carrero Pinedo facilitates race-based traumatic stress groups as well as provides innovative care for veterans struggling with mental health disorders and racial trauma. In addition, she has also developed equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, rooted in liberation psychology, that are being adopted by health professions training programs across GLA.

Xenia Barnes, M.A.
Professional Affiliate Representative

Ms. Barnes, also known as Coach Barnes, has dedicated more than 15 years of her professional and personal life to advocating for those whose voices have been muted by various acts of trauma. As a Leadership & Trauma Coach, she has developed self-spaces for survivors of gun violence and domestic abuse to navigate through their thoughts and feelings while providing opportunities for them to regain their power of self-love and set boundaries on their own terms. She continues to help individuals remove the stigma of shame from their experiences with trauma by providing them with tools to help them on their journey to self-discovery. More recently Ms. Barnes has taken a step further by enrolling in a Ph.D. program for Advanced Human Behavior to develop further research on the impact of generational trauma cycles and it's effect on human lifespan when left untreated.

Amanda Acevedo, M.A. EdS
Student Representative

Amanda Acevedo, M.A., Ed.S., is a Psy.D. candidate (2025) in the Northern Arizona’s Clinical Psychology Psy.D program. Mrs. Acevedo was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of South Florida (1998) and her master’s and education specialist’s degree in Educational Psychology from Argosy University (2016, 2019). Mrs. Acevedo is an active member of different psychology organizations both at the state (AzPA, AASP) and national level (APA, AAPdN, NLPA). She serves as a board member of the Arizona Psychological Foundation (AZPF) and as the Graduate Student Representative for APA Division 56. Her clinical interest includes promoting mental health awareness in children, adolescents, and adults who live in rural communities and belong to underserved populations. Other interests include provide psychotherapy services in both Spanish and English to bilingual clients.

Deb Doepp
Executive Director

Division 56 has contracted with IMI Association Executives Inc., an association management company (AMC), to provide staff support to Division 56 and its members. The Division currently has one contracted staff member, Deb Doepp, who serves as the Executive Director. Deb's administration role includes working closely with the Presidential Trio on monthly projects and Division updates, Council meeting preparation, Financial reporting, and committee support.