Our Team

Rebecca Schneider, PhD, is an assistant professor and licensed psychologist at the Emory University School of Medicine and Director of the Child OCD Program at Emory (COPE). Schneider received her BA in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to joining the faculty at Emory, she completed her doctoral psychology internship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford/Children’s Health Council and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Child and Adolescent OCD Institute (OCDI Jr.) at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Schneider received her BA in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to joining the faculty at Emory, she completed her doctoral psychology internship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford/Children’s Health Council and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Child and Adolescent OCD Institute (OCDI Jr.) at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Schneider specializes in providing evidence-based treatment for OCD, anxiety disorders and misophonia in youth, including exposure and response prevention (ERP) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). She is a board member of OCD Georgia, and co-founder of both the OCD Special Interest Group of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and the ACT Special Interest Group of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). Her research focuses on mindfulness- and acceptance-based treatments for OCD and anxiety disorders, and how to improve the effectiveness and acceptability of exposure therapy.

Cara Waiswilos, MS, is a Clinical Assessment Specialist with the Emory Child and Adolescent Mood Program. She completed her Bachelor of Business Administration from Harding University and worked in healthcare administration for ten years before obtaining a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. Waiswilos is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She also volunteers as a Court Appointment Special Advocate with the foster care system in Fulton County.

Linying Li is a fifth-year student in the Psychology PhD program at Emory University. Her current research explores the application of AI and language technology in clinical contexts, with the aim of better understanding how the same mental health condition like depression or anxiety can show up very differently in each person. Li hopes to facilitate the move away from “one-size-fits-all” approaches and toward more personalized care. In her clinical work, she provides evidence-based intervention that integrates cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based approaches. She is particularly interested in exploring the role of human relationships – how they influence daily functioning, self-identity and the lens through which people view the world and their surroundings. During leisure time, she enjoys cooking, playing music and being outdoors. 

Daylin Delgado is a third-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at the University of Georgia. She received her BA in psychology at Amherst College in Amherst, MA. Delgado currently conducts research on the mental health and well-being of Latinx youth and families at the FUERTE Lab at UGA under the supervision of Thania Galvan, PhD. Her clinical and research interests converge on the goals of delivering evidence-based and person-centered assessment and treatment across a range of modalities for youth of all backgrounds. 

Fayo Abadula is a fourth-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at Mercer University. She earned her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, where she studied Medicine, Health and Society and Child Development. Following graduation, Abadula served as a research coordinator on a team that used positive psychology to support families of adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes in managing distress and promoting effective diabetes management. Her research interests center on understanding how positive parenting interventions can be culturally adapted for immigrant families to improve parenting confidence and reduce child mood and behavioral dysregulation. Abadula’s clinical work focuses on distress tolerance among children and young adults, with particular experience treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and health anxiety. 

Daisy Gallegos is a fourth-year clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of Georgia. She earned her BS in psychology with a minor in human development and family science and her MS in clinical psychology from UGA. Her research interests focus on Latinx family well-being, protective factors such as cultural parenting and cultural stressors such as racism and discrimination. Gallegos' clinical interests focus on delivering evidence-based therapy to children and families with an integrative approach and considering a client's cultural context to inform treatment. 

Brianna Weissel is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Georgia State University. She received her BS in psychology at Union College in New York. Before graduate school, Weissel worked as a research assistant at McLean Hospital and InStride Health, an IOP for anxiety and OCD in Massachusetts. Her current research is focused on anxiety in children and adolescents and how familial relationships may impact symptoms and treatment.