Education

Dr. Becker holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College of William & Mary, a Doctorate of Philosophy in Psychology from the University of Arizona, and a Clinical Respecialization Certificate from the University of Hawaii. Dr. Becker completed her clinical internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. 

Research Interests

Dr. Becker’s research focuses on extending the reach and effectiveness of mental health interventions for youth and families. Her research to date reflects four interrelated pursuits: (1) understanding treatment engagement to help youth and families connect with and stay in treatment; (2) exploring the design of decision support tools to democratize and organize scientific knowledge and local data to empower youth, families and mental health professionals in their own clinical decision-making; (3) enhancing workforce development through clinical supervision, coaching and tailored training opportunities; and (4) expanding the mental health workforce to include care extenders (e.g., teachers, school nurses, paraprofessionals) to meet the growing demand for effective interventions. Dr. Becker’s research has been supported by the William T. Grant Foundation, Klingenstein Foundation and the National Institute of Drug Abuse.   

Dr. Becker trains doctoral students in clinical decision-making and evidence-based psychosocial treatments for youth and families and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses related to psychosocial interventions. Dr. Becker also mentors doctoral students to develop a vision and execute a plan for how their own program of research can improve mental health services for youth and families in need.