Dr. Dougherty received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University. Dr. Dougherty is the Director of Clinical Training and the Director of the Big Emotions Across Development Lab at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research is in the field of developmental psychopathology and broadly examines the phenomenology, etiology and course of depression from a developmental, lifespan perspective. She has three primary lines of research: (1) the phenomenology, etiology, pathophysiology, course, and measurement of youth irritability and mood dysregulation; (2) the role of early life stress and the body’s stress physiology in child neurodevelopment and risk for psychopathology, and (3) preschool mental health. Her research employs prospective longitudinal designs and a diverse range of methods to assess multiple levels of analysis to understand child psychopathology and functioning, including developmental neuroimaging, physiological markers of the body’s stress response system, behavioral observations, and cognitive assessments. Moreover, across these primary research domains, her research strives to understand children’s mental health within the context of the environment, including the parent-child relationship, family stress, and socioeconomic adversity.

Dr. Dougherty is not recruiting a doctoral clinical student for the 2025-2026 academic year (application deadline Fall 2024).

Personal Website
https://www.bead-lab.org/

Areas of Interest

  • Developmental psychopathology
  • Depression
  • Early experience and brain development
  • Preschool Mental Health
  • Assessment
  • Mood dysregulation and risk for psychopathology
  • Developmental psychoneuroendocrinology

Doctoral Programs

  • Clinical

Degrees

  • PhD
    PhD in Clinical Psychology, Stony Brook University

Current Students

Former Students

  • Student Name
    Marissa (Tolep) Kushner, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice
  • Student Name
    Victoria Chialy Smith, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice Owner
  • Student Name
    Sarah Blankenship, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Child Care Program Specialist at Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
  • Student Name
    Stephanie Merwin, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Children's National Medical Center
  • Student Name
    Katherine Leppert Volker, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Clinical Psychologist, Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital
  • Student Name
    Chelsey Barrios Foster, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice
  • Student Name
    Kelsey Woods, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice
  • Student Name
    Samantha Hubachek, Ph.D.
    Current Position
    Post-Doctoral Fellow, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Related Students (Listed by Student on Student's Profile)

  • Brooke Kohn
  • Annika Quam
Lea Rose Dougherty
3123D Biology Psychology Building (BPS)
Department of Psychology
Email
ldougher [at] umd.edu
Office Hours
By Appointment