Doctoral Candidate · Clinical Psychology

Helena
Costantini

A clinician and researcher at the intersection of behavioral medicine, anxiety disorders, and chronic illness — translating evidence into care for the people who need it most.

Program Ferkauf, Yeshiva University
Cohort Ph.D. expected May 2029
Based New York, NY
§ 01 — Profile

About Helena

Note

Helena is a doctoral student in clinical psychology with a health emphasis, training across the NYU Child Study Center and the Parnes Family Clinic. Her clinical caseload spans anxiety, mood disorders, OCD, tics and Trichotillomania, and the psychological dimensions of chronic illness in both children and adults.

Her research, conducted under Elizabeth Seng, Ph.D. at the Headache and Adherence Lab, examines the lived experience of chronic migraine — including fear and avoidance, sleep, and mindfulness-based intervention. Earlier work at Weill Cornell and Mass General Hospital / Harvard Medical School shaped a foundation in qualitative methodology, dementia care, and resilience after traumatic brain injury.

She earned her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Tufts University, with a major in clinical psychology and a minor in Spanish.

§ 02 — Education
2024 / 29
Doctor of Philosophy
Clinical Psychology
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
Yeshiva University, Bronx NY
Health Emphasis · APA Accredited
Director of Clinical Training: Bari Hillman
Merit Scholarship
2018 / 22
Bachelor of Science
Clinical Psychology
Tufts University, Medford MA
Minor in Spanish · University of Cádiz, '19
Dean's List, every semester · Psi Chi Society
Magna Cum Laude
§ 03 — Supervised Clinical Training
Jul 2025 — Present
Manhattan, NY

Extern

NYU Child Study Center · Mood & Anxiety Service · Tics, Trichotillomania & Tourette's Service
  • Carries a caseload of eight weekly individual psychotherapy cases
  • Treats anxiety, depression, OCD, tics, Trichotillomania, BFRBs, autism, ODD, separation anxiety, and anxiety co-occurring with neurofibromatosis and diabetes
  • CBT training across anxiety, mood, OCD, tics and Trichotillomania
  • Conducts psychodiagnostic evaluations with children and parents
  • Collaborates with NYU psychiatrists, school psychologists and social workers on case management
  • Presents at Case Conference each semester; engages weekly didactics
Primary Supervisor — Mark Knepley, Ph.D.
Sep 2025 — Present
Bronx, NY

Behavioral Medicine Student Therapist

The Max & Celia Parnes Family Psychological & Psychoeducational Services Clinic · Ferkauf, Yeshiva University
  • Carries a caseload of three weekly individual psychotherapy cases
  • Treats anxiety, depression, PTSD, social anxiety, coping with chronic illness, and binge eating disorder
  • Responsible for all case documentation; receives weekly individual supervision
Primary Supervisor — Amy Jacobson, Ph.D.
§ 04 — Research
Sep 2024 — Present
Bronx, NY

Research Assistant

Headache & Adherence Lab · Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
  • Project development, data collection and qualitative analysis for a peer's pre-doctoral project on Motivational Interviewing for Neurologists
  • Qualitative study assessing fear and avoidance measures in migraine patients
  • Conducts intake calls evaluating migraine and mental health diagnoses for a group mindfulness intervention trial
  • Supervises mindfulness interventions evaluating effects on migraine disability
  • Analyzing migraine diary data for predoctoral project on the association between migraine symptoms and sleep quality
Principal Investigator — Elizabeth Seng, Ph.D.
Jul 2022 — Jul 2024
New York, NY

Research Assistant

Center on Aging & Behavioral Research · Weill Cornell Medicine, Division of Geriatrics & Palliative Care
  • Coordinated participant recruitment, screening, consent, and conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews for a communication-based intervention to improve knowledge of Advanced Care Directives among caregivers of patients with early-stage Alzheimer's and related dementias
  • Conducted semi-structured patient interviews on everyday functioning in mild cognitive impairment, post-stroke cognitive impairment, and TBI
  • Coordinated a wellness-program study helping older adults access educational, cultural, and physical activities through technology
  • Conducted quantitative analysis, qualitative coding, and thematic analysis
  • Produced literature review and presentation on interventions for family caregivers of older adults experiencing neglect
Principal Investigator — Sara J. Czaja, Ph.D.
Jul 2021 — Jul 2022
Boston, MA

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Integrated Brain Health Clinical & Research Program · Mass General Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry
  • Conducted interviews evaluating a resilience intervention's effect on quality of life — including anxiety, depression, and pain — for adolescent neurofibromatosis patients and their parents
  • Conducted a literature review on resiliency factors after traumatic brain injury
Principal Investigator — Ana-Maria Vranceanu, Ph.D.
Jun 2020 — May 2021
Medford, MA

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Human Interaction Lab · Tufts University, Department of Psychology
  • Analyzed conversational data using Clan, flagging perceived miscommunication
  • Contributed to design of a linguistics study on connotation and miscommunication
  • Conducted in-person and remote data collection sessions
Principal Investigator — JP de Ruiter, Ph.D.
§ 05 — Honors, Grants & Awards
§ 06 — Assessment & Instrumentation

Clinical Assessment Experience

  • Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS) — Parent & Child
  • Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5)
  • Yale Global Tics Severity Scale (Y-GTSS)

Research Assessment Experience

  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
  • Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
  • Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
  • Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)

Assessment Training

  • MMPI-2
  • MMPI-2-RF
  • WISC-IV
  • WAIS
  • RBANS
  • Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR)

Professional Memberships

  • American Psychological Association — Graduate Student Member
  • APA Division 38 — Society for Health Psychology
§ 07 — Papers & Publications
01 / 2024
Park, S., Costantini, H., Shaw, A., Elman, A., Rosen, T., & Czaja, S. (2024). Updated systematic review to identify interventions to combat elder neglect targeting caregivers. Innovation in Aging, 8(Suppl 1), 628. ↳ doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igae098.2056
02 / 2024
Rosen, T., Shaw, A., Elman, A., Baek, D., Gottesman, E., Park, S., Costantini, H., Hincapie, M. C., Chang, E. S., Hancock, D., Jaret, A. D., Haggerty, K. L., Burnes, D., Lachs, M. S., Pillemer, K., & Czaja, S. J. (2024). Focusing on caregiver neglect: A novel strategy for mistreatment of older adults screening and intervention. The Gerontologist. ↳ doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnae185
03 / 2024
Rosen, T., Shaw, A., Elman, A., Baek, D., Gottesman, E., Park, S., Costantini, H., … Czaja, S. (2024). Primary care screening and intervention for elder neglect in patients with dementia: Protocol for tool and strategy development in preparation for a randomized controlled trial.
04 / 2022
Bannon, S. M., Fishbein, N. S., Lovette, B. C., Wang, K., Waterhouse, C., Rajala, C. E., Costantini, H., Lichstein, K. H., Giacino, J. T., Vranceanu, A. M., & Greenberg, J. (2022). A meta-synthesis of individual, interpersonal, and systemic factors impacting resilience after traumatic brain injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 67(4), 535–545. ↳ doi.org/10.1037/rep0000462

Poster Presentations

P1
Park, S., Costantini, H., Shaw, A., Elman, A., Rosen, T., & Czaja, S. Updated systematic review to identify interventions to combat elder neglect targeting caregivers. Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, WA.
P2
Garces Torres, A. S., Park, S., Costantini, H., McConnell, K., Czaja, S., & Shen, M. KNOW: Development and usability testing of a virtually delivered advance care planning intervention for people with memory challenges and their care partners. Weill Cornell Medicine Virtual Healthcare in the MainStream Symposium.
P3
Park, S., Costantini, H., Shaw, A., Elman, A., Rosen, T., & Czaja, S. Updated systematic review to identify interventions to combat elder neglect targeting caregivers. 2nd Annual Weill Cornell Medicine Emergency Medicine Research Symposium, NY.
§ 08 — Service & Other Experience
Jul 2025 — Present
Bronx, NY

Program Teaching Assistant

Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University
  • Supports administrative tasks including APA program updates
  • Provides feedback on first-year students' CVs and externship application materials
  • Maintains program website content
Aug 2021 — May 2022
Medford, MA

Student Counselor

Ears for Peers · Tufts University
  • Confidential student mental health hotline — phone & text
  • Worked up to 12-hour shifts overnight and during the day
  • Monthly trainings with licensed mental health professionals
Aug 2019 — Aug 2020
Medford, MA

Volunteer Tutor

Leonard Carmichael Society · Tufts University
  • Weekly math & reading tutoring with a first-grade student
May 2019 — Jul 2019
Cleveland, OH

Volunteer

MetroHealth Medical Center · Department of Dermatology
  • Comforted patients during procedures
  • Distributed educational materials and supported clinic logistics for families
§ 09 — Fin

Thank you
for reading.

© Helena Costantini · MMXXV · New York