Meet Our Team
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR & LAB DIRECTOR
Taymy Josefa Caso, PhD
Dr. Caso (they/she) is an Assistant Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta and a lecturer at New York University and the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Caso is the director of IREACH Lab.
Dr. Caso’s University of Alberta Faculty Profile can be accessed here.
DOCTORAL STUDENT
Madison Dabbs-Petty, MEd
Madison Dabbs-Petty (MEd; she/her) is a first year PhD student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta, supervised by Dr. Taymy Caso. Madison’s work is impacted by her identities as a biracial lesbian and a member of the kink community. Madison’s Master’s capstone was focused on the importance of human sexuality training for aspiring psychologists in Canada and the US. Currently, Madison has contributed to projects regarding sexuality and technology, health disparities for sexual and gender minorities, Black mental health, and reproductive justice for LGBTQ+ and racialized Canadians. Madison is also continuing her Master’s work by identifying gaps in human sexuality training among Canadian student clinicians. Last year, she was fortunate to receive the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship ($12,000) and the Graduate Student Engagement Scholarship ($10,000) for work completed throughout her master’s degree. Madison is trilingual, has three cats, and loves to write fiction and watch Shakespeare in her (rare and precious) free time.
DOCTORAL STUDENT
Lucijana Herceg, MEd
My name is Lucijana Herceg (she/her/hers). I am a first year PhD student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Taymy Caso. For my master’s thesis, I explored how young women experience thin-ideal content (i.e., fitspiration and thinspiration) on Instagram, along with their experiences with social connectedness online. My primary research interests include issues pertaining to body image, body satisfaction, disordered eating and eating disorders, mass media and social media, and the promotion of health. I am the recipient of multiple awards including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship ($80,000), Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship ($17,500) and the UofA President’s Doctoral Prize of Distinction ($10,000). Currently, I am a graduate research assistant for Heros in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC) where I am assisting in the writing of a scoping literature review, and a follow-up environmental scan, on apps and programs aimed at enhancing public safety personnel (PSP), veterans, and military member’s (MMs) resilience and well-being. I am Croatian and speak both Croatian and Bosnian at home and with my friends. I enjoy spending time with my family and pets, being outdoors, and long drives while listening and singing along to good music.
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Ahad Asad, BSc (hons)
Ahad Asad, BSc (hons), (he/him) is a second year Master’s of Education student at the University of Alberta, specializing in Counselling Psychology and a 2023 recipient of the Graduate Award in Counselling Psychology and the Harvey Zingle Award. His research interests lie in anti-oppression and advocacy work with a focus on intersectional identities. Currently, he is working on projects examining race-based traumatic stress in Asian Americans, phantom sensations experienced by transgender and gender diverse individuals, and the effects of imposter syndrome on BIPOC LGBTQ+ individuals. Ahad is also a member of the student advisory committee for advancing racial justice at the University of Alberta, as well as a Campus Representative for the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, and a Safety Ambassador for Alberta Health Services.
GRADUATE STUDENT
Milica Miskic, BA (hons)
Milica Miskic, BA (hons), (he/her/they/them) is a first-year Master of Education student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta, supervised by Dr. Taymy Caso. Their previous research examined the development of vaccine-hesitant belief systems through discourse on social media platforms such as Twitter during the height of the pandemic. Now, she is pivoting her focus to do research from a forensic psychology lens with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ populations following non-profit work done at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northern Alberta. Through supporting clients in rehabilitative efforts, running three community and prison-based programs, and doing regular outreach work to connect with folks through Edmonton, they were fortunately awarded the 2022 Advocate of the Year Award. The experience was formative for her current desire to explore the complex relationship criminalized gender-diverse folk have with the victim-offender overlap, intersections of marginalized identities on surviving oppressive systems, and examination of mitigating recidivism through therapeutic supports. Milica is from an immigrant background, is bilingual (English and Serbian), and has a passion for writing fiction and creating digital art in her free time; she is also an avian enthusiast and has two budgies, a cockatiel, and a conure.
GRADUATE STUDENT
Rose Scavuzzo, BA (hons)
Rosalia Scavuzzo, BA (hons) (she/her) is a first year Master’s Student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Taymy Caso. Her previous research projects have examined: the productivity of students during the Covid-19 pandemic; the effects of context on perceptions of the language of suicide; and whether community notifications could be modified to change public perceptions of offenders. In her Master’s she is shifting to conduct research from a intersectional feminist lens with a focus on 2SLGBTQ+ populations. Rosalia is bilingual and enjoys reading (SFF), music, and tending to ever growing plant collection. She also has a passion for cooking and travel after being a chef for over 10 years and working in kitchens locally (Edmonton) and internationally (including Paris, Melbourne, and Queenstown).
GRADUATE STUDENT
Zalika Scott-Ugwuegbula, BSc (hons)
Zalika Scott-Ugwuegbula, BSc (hons), (she/her) is a second year Masters of Education Student at the University of Alberta, specializing in Special Education. Her research interests lie in intersectionality of Autism and Black and/or LGBTQ+ identities, academic motivation and achievement motivation with an emphasis on Black and African American populations. Currently, Zalika is working on projects that examine the experiences of Black Autistic LGBTQ+ individuals, the experiences of Black and Autistic postsecondary students, the academic assessment experiences of Black postsecondary students, and motivation constructs and theories from a culturally responsive perspective. In-between classes, she works as a graduate research or teaching assistant at the University of Alberta, and as a social skills facilitator at a clinic. Zalika has a passion for endurance running, reading, hiking, camping, and arts-and-crafts!