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.

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.

Julia Stilwell, LAPC

Julia Stilwell is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor and 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 joining the PATCH team, Julia has experience working with children in a variety of mental health settings specializing in behavior shaping and emotional regulation.  

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.

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 fourth-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.

Xinyu Chang

Xinyu Chang, M.Phil.Ed., is a full-time clinician in Hall Mercer’s Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center (PATCH) program. She is fluent in both English and Mandarin and provides bilingual services to children and families. Xinyu earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Boston University and her Master of Philosophy in Education in Professional Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining PATCH, Xinyu gained supervised clinical experience in both the United States and China, working with children, adolescents, college students, and adults across outpatient and higher levels of care. Her clinical interests include working with children and adolescents with anxiety and related concerns using evidence-based, culturally responsive approaches, including exposure-based cognitive behavioral interventions.

Dana Shafer

Dana Shafer is an LPC-eligible clinician and board-certified art therapist who currently works part-time with the PATCH program at Hall Mercer. She received her bachelor’s degree from Temple University and her master’s degree in Art Therapy and Counseling from Drexel University.

Dana has worked with children and families throughout Philadelphia in a variety of clinical and community-based settings since 2013. Prior to joining the PATCH team, she worked at Hall Mercer within PHIICAPS (Philadelphia In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services), an intensive family-based program serving children at risk for out of home placement and their families. She also has experience providing therapy to children and adolescents in a partial hospitalization setting.

In addition to her work at Hall Mercer, Dana partners with audiology practices throughout Pennsylvania to provide counseling services to children and adults experiencing misophonia, tinnitus, hyperacusis, and other hearing-related conditions. Her diverse clinical experience informs a compassionate, collaborative approach to supporting individuals and families across a range of needs and settings.

Ainsley Buck

Ainsley Buck is a graduate student extern at PATCH. At PATCH, Ainsley provides cognitive-behavioral therapy to children and adolescents with anxiety and OCD. She is also a third-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania. Ainsley works with Dr. David Mandell to study autism service delivery and implementation for young autistic children and their families, with the goal of improving services both on-the-ground and through policy change. Ainsley earned her B.S. and a certificate in Child Policy Research from Duke University. 

Anna Thompson

Anna Thompson is a doctoral student extern at PATCH, where she provides cognitive-behavioral therapy for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and related conditions. Anna received her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in 2023 and is currently a fourth- year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PsyD program at PCOM. Anna’s clinical and research interests include identifying factors that improve the implementation and effectiveness of exposure-based therapies. She has previous experience working with children, teens, adults, and their families with anxiety, OCD, and eating disorders. As a clinician, Anna aims to work collaboratively with youth and their families to provide compassionate, evidence-based care tailored to each individual's values, goals, and strengths, while helping them build skills and create lasting positive change.

Dani Martino

Dani Martino is a clinical psychology predoctoral intern at Penn Medicine and is completing her graduate training at Virginia Tech. Her clinical work has focused on the assessment and treatment of neurodivergent youth, with an emphasis on supporting youth on the autism spectrum and their families. Dani’s research focuses on improving access to evidence-based mental health care by building community capacity to support autistic individuals. She is particularly interested in addressing gaps in autism knowledge among educators and community providers and translating neuroaffirming, evidence-based practices into school and community settings.

Indira Joell Miller

Indira Joell Miller, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS, is a graduate student extern who provides cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and related conditions. She is a fifth-year doctoral student in School Psychology at Lehigh University, where her research focuses on teacher well-being and factors related to teachers’ effectiveness in supporting autistic students and students with behavioral challenges.

Indira earned her bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College and, following graduation, served as a Teach For America (TFA) corps member in Delaware. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Specialist (LBS), with experience providing behavioral services to autistic children and their families across home, school, and clinical settings.

As a clinician, Indira strives to create a compassionate and supportive environment where children and families feel heard and validated in their experiences with anxiety. She is committed to collaborating with clients and families to develop practical, evidence-based strategies that support meaningful progress and well-being.

Maayan Ziv

Maayan Ziv is a graduate student extern at PATCH. At PATCH, she provides evidenced-based treatments to children and adolescents with anxiety-related disorders. As a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania, Maayan works with Dr. Allyson Mackey to study children's early brain development. Maayan's research focuses on how the developing brain supports children's attention and learning, with the goal of understanding how we can create environments that help each child thrive. Maayan earned her B.A. from Barnard College and has a Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rosie Gertzman

Rosie Gertzman is a graduate-student extern at PATCH who provides cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and related conditions. Rosie is a 4^th year Clinical Psychology Doctoral student at West Chester University. Her research focuses on improving equitable, evidence-based care for youth with restrictive eating disorders across the continuum of prevention, treatment, and consultation. Previously, Rosie received her bachelor's degree from Emory University. Rosie strives to collaborate with each family with warmth and compassion, empowering them to work towards individualized goals.

Yolanda Williams

Yolanda is PATCH’s newest Family Peer Specialist. Her experience parenting a daughter with anxiety, seeking therapeutic treatment for her needs, and serving as a caregiver to other youth receiving behavioral health services, is what drives her desire to support parents who are navigating this journey. Yolanda received specialized training in the parent peer support care model. With her training and lived experience, she seeks to bring hope and encouragement to families seeking PATCH services. She is a proud parent of one daughter and one niece, both of whom will be completing undergraduate degrees this academic year. Yolanda also enjoys serving families in the Philadelphia area as a certified perinatal doula.

Sarah Elmer

Sarah Elmer is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Penn Center for Mental Health and the Intake Coordinator for the PATCH program. As Intake Coordinator, Sarah provides administrative support and assists with PATCH’s program evaluation and improvement efforts. Sarah graduated from Rutgers University—New Brunswick with a B.A. in Psychology. She is interested in promoting social-emotional wellness for youth and families through community-partnered implementation science.