PATCH Staff

Emily M. Becker-Haimes, Ph.D.

Emily M. Becker-Haimes, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall Mercer (PATCH) program. She is an implementation scientist and clinical psychologist dedicated to improving mental healthcare for youth. Clinically, Dr. Becker-Haimes is an expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders, with expertise in the application of exposure therapy for anxious youth with complex comorbidities. She has trained hundreds of clinicians in the application of exposure therapy and continues to advance the reach of exposure therapy through her extensive research and clinical work. Dr. Becker-Haimes conducts the initial diagnostic evaluations for youth receiving services through PATCH and provides treatment services and clinical supervision to PATCH clinicians.

Dr. Becker-Haimes’ research focuses on treatment optimization for pediatric anxiety disorder. She is the author of the Resource for Exposures for Anxiety Disordered Youth (READY) Toolkit (www.bravepracticeforkids.com) and coauthor of the RESPECT Toolkit for Youth Anxiety and OCD (www.respecttoolkit.com). She has developed and led research concerning the implementation and utilization of exposure therapy in diverse clinical settings. Dr. Becker-Haimes has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications and her work has been funded by organizations such as the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the International OCD Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. In recognition of her clinical and research accomplishments, she was recognized as the Pennsylvania Psychological Association’s 2022 Early Career Psychologist of the Year. She has received several national awards for her work, including the Future Directions Launch Award from the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology,  the Donald F Klien Early Career Investigator Award from the Anxiety & Depression Association of American, and the Anne Marie Albano Early Career Award for the Integration of Science and Practice from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

Dr. Becker-Haimes received her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and her Ph. D in child clinical psychology from the University of Miami. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Claire Picard, MA, LPC, ATR-BC

Claire Picard is a licensed professional counselor and board-certified art therapist currently serving as the Associate Clinical Director at the PATCH program at Hall Mercer. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and her Master’s degree in Art Therapy and Counseling from Drexel University.

Claire has extensive experience working with both children and adults diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as anxiety and related conditions. Prior to joining the Outpatient team, she was a clinician with the PHIIPATCH Family-Based Services at Hall Mercer, where she provided evidence-based exposure therapy to children across home, school, and community settings.

In addition to her work at Hall Mercer, Claire owns and operates a private practice where she specializes in treating adults with anxiety and OCD.

Julie Worley, Ph.D., BCBA

Dr. Worley is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and the Director of Philly AIMS (Autism Instructional Methods and Support) at the Penn Center for Mental Health. She is a clinical psychologist and a behavior analyst dedicated to increasing community access to evidence based interventions and assessments for individuals with developmental disabilities. Further, she is interested in facilitating community partnerships to help increase the quality of care for children receiving mental and behavioral health services.

Dr. Worley received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and her fellowship at the Center for Autism Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has extensive training on the assessment and treatment of autism and often co-occurring disorders including anxiety. 

Dr. Worley conducts autism diagnostic evaluations and provides clinical supervision to PATCH clinicians.

Jesslyn Jamison, Ph.D.

Jesslyn Jamison is an Assistant Professor at the Penn Center for Mental Health and a licensed psychologist at the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall Mercer (PATCH) program. She received her PhD at the University of Texas at Austin in their School/Clinical Child Psychology Program, completed her predoctoral internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and her postdoctoral training at the Penn Center for Mental Health and at PATCH. Her research focuses on determining how to best transport evidence-based practices (EBPs) in mental health into community settings. Dr. Jamison has experience working with children and families with a range of presenting concerns across a variety of clinical settings including schools, hospitals, and primary care settings. Her clinical expertise is in working with children with anxiety and OCD and their families. She is also certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).

Sara Rothschild, Psy.D.

Sara Rothschild, PsyD is a licensed psychologist and supervisor at PATCH. Additionally, Dr. Rothschild is an instructor at the Penn Collaborative for CBT and Implementation Science. Dr. Rothschild completed her undergraduate training at New York University before earning her doctoral degree from Yeshiva University in 2018. While at Yeshiva she gained experience across New York City working with children, adolescents, and adults struggling with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and trauma across a multitude of settings. After completing her APA internship at Northwell Health, Dr. Rothschild moved back to her hometown of Philadelphia where she completed her Postdoctoral training in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at the CARES Institute. Dr. Rothschild is passionate about training others in and providing CBT to children, adolescents, and families in need.

Brittany Libby, MSW, LSW

Brittany Libby is a Licensed Social Worker passionate about the accessibility of mental health services among children experiencing anxiety and grief, and for families from traditionally underserved communities. Her clinical approach is informed by a professional background in research, outreach, and clinical practice. Before joining PATCH, Brittany worked as a Research Specialist at Princeton University’s Center for Research on Child and Family Wellbeing, where she handled research on the impacts of welfare policy and systemic inequities on children’s health across the lifespan. She has additionally provided evidence-based therapy through A Haven and Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health and has led community-based behavioral health programming at Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Aquinas Center.

Julia Stilwell, LAPC

Julia Stilwell is a full-time clinician in Hall Mercer’s PATCH program.  Julia earned her Bachelor’s degree from Temple University, studying psychology and cognitive neuroscience.  She completed her Master’s degree in School and Mental Health Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to PATCH, Julia has worked in various community mental health settings as well as elementary level public schools where she specialized in behavior shaping and emotional regulation. 

Marguerite Willis

Marguerite Willis is PATCH’s Family Peer Specialist. She is a parent who has raised a child with significant behavioral challenges and anxiety and who has specialized training to support other parents or caregivers who are concerned about their child’s anxiety and emotional well-being. She brings over 10 years of experience supporting other families as a Family Peer. As a Family Peer, Marguerite’s number one goal is to be what she needed when raising her child. Marguerite Willis has worked with over 200 families (and counting)! She is also the co-founder of Philadelphia Family Voices, Philadelphia’s first family led organization assisting families with navigating behavioral health systems

Kennedy Chatman

Kennedy Chatman is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Penn Center for Mental Health (CMH) contributing to projects focusing on the implementation of evidence-based treatment in community mental health settings as well as projects aimed at improving services within the PATCH Program. She provides administrative support to the PATCH Program as Intake Coordinator. Kennedy graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a B.S. in psychology where she conducted independent research on factors associated with sexual revictimization.

Megan Brady

Megan Brady is a Project Manager at the Penn Center for Mental Health (CMH) where she provides operational and administrative research support across projects which focus on mental health quality improvement and implementation research, including projects aimed at improving services within the PATCH program. Megan graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in psychology. Prior to working at CMH, Megan worked as a research assistant at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA, focusing on underlying mechanisms of mood disorders. She is currently working on obtaining a Master’s in Public Health degree at the University of Pennsylvania.

Danielle Cook

Daneille Cook is a doctoral student extern at PATCH, where she provides cognitive-behavioral therapy to children and adolescents with anxiety-related disorders. Danielle received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Scranton in 2021 and is currently a fourth year student in the School Psychology Psy.D Program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Danielle’s research and clinical interests center around implementation science, as she believes it is important to provide families and other professionals with tools to help implement and sustain interventions and treatments for children and adolescents that are supported by research. As a clinician, Danielle is committed to working collaboratively with clients, families, and other professionals to help children and adolescents achieve their goals and promote self-confidence.

MaryKate Frisch, MS

MaryKate Frisch is a clinical psychology pre-doctoral intern at Penn Medicine. She is completing her graduate training at the University of Connecticut and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on the early detection and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in young children and evaluating the experience of those children’s families in receiving a diagnosis and accessing subsequent intervention services. Clinically, MaryKate focuses on diagnostic assessments for individuals with suspected autism across the lifespan and providing therapy to children and families with a range of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Through her role at PATCH, MaryKate provides cognitive-behavioral therapy to children and adolescents with anxiety-related disorders.

Alexis Broussard, MA

Alexis Broussard is a third-year clinical psychology PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology. Before becoming a PhD student at UPenn, Alexis spent three years as a clinical research coordinator for the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) clinical trial. There, she conducted independent research exploring the neurobiological correlates of co-occurring aggression in youth with anxiety. Alexis’ current research focuses on studying early childhood risk factors of aggression, violence, and legal system involvement in youth. She aims to leverage this knowledge to inform preventative interventions for children and families. At PATCH, Alexis provides cognitive behavior therapy to youth with anxiety-related disorders.

George Lin, MA

George Lin is a graduate-student extern at PATCH, where he provides cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and related conditions. George is also a third-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania where he studies interventions targeting social determinants of health (SDOH) to improve youth mental health, working under Dr. Sara Jaffee as part of the Risk and Resilience Lab. Previously, George received his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley. As a clinician, George strives to create a collaborative and supportive therapeutic environment that empowers youth and their families to build skills and make meaningful, and lasting progress.

Kristin Murtha

Kristin Murtha is a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania. Kristin graduated with high honors from the University of Virginia in 2018 with a major in psychology and a minor in bioethics. After graduation, she joined the Penn Lifespan Informatics and Neuroimaging Lab, working under Dr. Ted Satterthwaite. Here, she completed independent research examining relationships between neighborhood and family level socioeconomic status and development of the brain’s executive system. Currently, she works with Dr. Rebecca Waller in the Emotion, Development, Environment and Neurogenetics Lab, where she is broadly interested in studying neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie the development of childhood disruptive behavior disorders and co-morbid symptoms of anxiety. Through her role at PATCH, Kristin provides cognitive-behavioral therapy to children and adolescents with anxiety-related disorders.

Maya McNealis, MA