Lab Director
Erica Woodin, PhD
Dr. Woodin is the Director of the Healthy Relationships Lab, an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Director of Clinical Training (DCT) at the University of Victoria. Dr. Woodin obtained a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, and completed a Pre-Doctoral Clinical Internship at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. She joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria in 2007.
See Dr. Woodin’s CV here
Contact: ewoodin@uvic.ca
Graduate Students
Pauline Song-Choi, MSc
Pauline is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program in the Lifespan stream. She is a second generation Korean immigrant and has completed practicum placements at the University of Victoria Psychology Clinic, Child and Youth Mental Health, and Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health. Her research and clinical interests revolve around trauma and the family system, intergenerational family dynamics, cultural considerations in both family dynamics and mental health services, and how systems intersect to impact the lived experience of clients. Her current dissertation research is focused on centering youth voices and improving mental health services for racialized youth in Victoria, BC.
Pauline has been/is currently involved with a number of community-based research projects, including partnerships with the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS), the Victoria Migrant Mental Health Network, the Island Sexual Health Community Clinic, local Assertive Community Treatment Teams, and the Victoria Police Department.
Contact: psong@uvic.ca
Lauren Matheson, MSc
Lauren is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Victoria. She is passionate about sexuality research, particularly research examining sexual identity and sexual orientation. Currently she is working on two projects examining plurisexuality (i.e., attraction to more than one gender) and how plurisexual individuals understand their sexual identity. Lauren also engages in psychotherapy with clients at the University of Victoria Student Wellness Centre.
Contact: laurenmatheson@uvic.ca
Lorna Breen, MSc
Lorna is a PhD candidate in the Clinical Psychology program (Lifespan stream). Her research interests include trauma and resilience in the context of interpersonal relationships, intimate partner and domestic violence prevention, and the adaptive function of shared play and leisure in fostering healthy relationships. Her program of research explores the psychosocial benefits associated with tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) and their potential uses in therapeutic settings. Her doctoral dissertation investigates how TRPGs are utilized by members of the LGBTQ2S+ community as tools for identity exploration, meaning-making, relationship-building, community connection and organizing, and political resistance.
Contact: lbreen@uvic.ca
Pat Nicoll, MSc
Pat is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program (lifespan stream). His research interests broadly relate to resilience and transformational coping in the context of extreme and unusual environments (EUEs). For his master’s thesis, Pat ran a mixed-methods study on a group of Antarctic expeditioners, examining the phenomenon of post-expedition psychological growth in the aftermath of experiences in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments. Lately, Pat has been interested in exploring the role of healthy relationships in small group/team functioning on missions to ICE environments, such as Antarctica and outer space.
Contact: patricknicoll@uvic.ca
Sean Morgan, BSc
Sean is a Clinical Psychology master’s student in the Lifespan Stream. He is interested in exploring romantic relationships and their association with health outcomes. In addition, he intends to explore the dynamics of couples during the transition to parenthood, focusing on prevention approaches more specifically.
Contact: seanmorgan@uvic.ca
Quinn Storey, BA
Quinn is a Clinical Psychology master’s student in the Lifespan Stream. His research interests include men’s mental health, the transition to fatherhood, and underlying mechanisms in intimate partner violence. He hopes to explore the ways in which men experience parenthood and the influence this carries on health behaviours, emotional wellbeing, relationship quality, and situational violence.
Contact: qstorey@uvic.ca
Honours Students
Michela Kroker
Michela is a BA Psychology student in the mental health and wellbeing stream. She is completing her Honours project under the supervision of Dr. Erica Woodin and co-supervisor Quinn Storey. Her research explores healthy conflict in interpersonal relationships, examining how couples’ motivation and communication patterns during conflicts influence their relationship satisfaction. Michela plans to continue her studies into graduate school with hopes of pursuing a career in counselling.
Aria Stewart
Aria is a BA Psychology student in the mental health and wellbeing stream completing her Honours project under Dr. Erica Woodin and co-supervised by Lorna Breen. Aria’s research explores post-dissolution friendships in the sapphic community, interested in experiences in these friendships and the social norms surrounding them. She is a recipient of the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award. Aria plans to continue her studies in graduate school with the hopes of pursuing clinical psychology.
Lab Coordinator
Rachel Mallinson, BSc (Hons)
Rachel completed her BSc (Hons) in Psychology with a minor in Applied Ethics at the University of Victoria in 2023. Her thesis—supervised by Dr. Woodin and funded by the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award—explored how ADHD relates to gender differences in stress, anxiety, and relationship functioning. More broadly, Rachel’s research interests include neurodevelopmental disorders, gender nuances in psychopathology, and factors that contribute to well-being in personal and professional settings. She is currently applying to graduate programs in psychology with the goal of pursuing a PhD and building a career that combines research and applied work.
Contact: ewoodinlab@gmail.com
Social Media Coordinator
Matthew Cain, BA
Matt completed his BA in psychology with a minor in business from UVic in 2024. Matt’s interests include social media’s effects on interpersonal relationships. He is particularly interested in how the limited nature of digital interactions can occasionally create a distorted sense of connection and undermine empathy. Matt is also interested in communication styles used among people with varying attachment styles, and their effects on interpersonal dynamics, relationship satisfaction, and conflict resolution. In his free time, Matt enjoys spending his weekends surfing, going to the gym with his friends, and their weekly Bin 4 outings. Matt’s goal is to gain his RCC designation to become a family and relationships counsellor.
Research Assistants
- Sam Bottrill
- Shalyn Boyer
- Ellie Curry
- Sydney Foreman
- Mitchell Gaudry
- Fatima Herrera-Montalvo
- Michela Kroker
- Tristan Rendell
- Aria Stewart
- Francesca Cumberbirch
Former Lab Members
Lea Waldis, PhD, was a postdoctoral researcher in the Healthy Relationships Lab. She obtained her doctorate in Personality and Differential Psychology from University of Bern, Switzerland and now teaches in the Psychology Department here at the University of Victoria.
Fanie Collardeau, MA, is a doctoral student in the Clinical Lifespan Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Woodin. Her research centres around the beliefs about, expression and regulation of shame in diverse cultural and social contexts. Fanie completed her predoctoral internship at the Edmonton Consortium.
Kari Duerksen, MSc, is a doctoral student in the Clinical Lifespan Psychology Program under the supervision of Dr. Woodin. She has successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on barriers to university for students with mental health challenges and is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship.
Emily Spargo, BSc(Hons), completed her undergraduate honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Woodin in 2022, studying empathy during relationship conflict in new parents. She was a research assistant in 2020 followed by Lab Coordinator from 2021-2023. She is currently a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Utah under the supervision of Dr. Brian Baucom.
Yuning (Ariel) Zhang, BA(Hons), was a research assistant for the Healthy Relationships Lab from 2020-2023. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (and Economics) with distinction at UVic in 2022 while contributing to a variety of lab projects. Her research interests include social psychology, behavioral economics, and decision-making. She is currently pursuing her MA in Behavioral and Decision Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Rebecca Louw, BA (Hons), is a graduate of the UVic psychology honours program and was the Lab Coordinator for the Healthy Relationships Lab from 2020-2021. She is currently affiliated with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR).
Hannah Dupuis, MA, completed her Honours psychology Bachelor’s degree in 2021 supervised by Dr. Danu Anthony Stinson. Her thesis focused on women’s domestic labour engagement during COVID-19. As a member of the Healthy Relationships Lab she worked as a research assistant for Fanie Collardeau and Dr. Woodin, where she co-authored the theoretical manuscript The Role of Culture and Social Threats in Constructing Shame: Moving Beyond a Western Lens. Hannah is now a graduate student in Social Psychology at Simon Fraser University under the supervision of Dr. Yuthika Girme. She is interested in gender differences in the stereotypes of single people.
Bella Pope, BA, completed her psychology degree in 2019 and was also the Lab Coordinator for the Healthy Relationships Lab until 2020. She has worked as a research assistant for Kari Duerksen, as well as conducted research alongside Veronica Plihal examining the relationship of coercive control and intimate partner violence in university-aged couples. Bella’s interests lie at the intersection of mental health, psychology, and social justice. Bella completed a Master’s in Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia in 2021.
Patricia Tibrea, BSc (Hons), is a graduate of the psychology honours program, which she completed under the supervision of Dr. Woodin. Her thesis explored the associations between both self and partner marijuana usage and communication during conflict resolution during the emerging adulthood stage of development.
Rashmini Shunmugam, BSc (Hons), graduated from UVic with an honours degree in combined biology and psychology, supervised by Dr. Woodin. Her thesis focused on mental health outreach teams, specifically if police involvement in Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams reduce incarceration rates for visible minority clients.
Graham Berlin, BA(Hons), is a graduate of the UVic psychology honours program supervised by Dr. Woodin. His thesis examined the effects of early family environment, specifically aspects of structural sexual stigma (e.g., heterosexism, heteronormativity), on current psychological wellbeing and experiences of unjustified shame in gay and bisexual men. Graham also worked as the Lab Manager for Dr. John Sakaluk’s Methodology and Relationship Sexual Science (MaRSS) Lab and as a research assistant for Dr. Nathan Lachowsky in the School of Public Health. Graham is currently a doctoral student in the clinical psychology Ph.D. program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Laura Glover, BA, completed her psychology degree and was the Lab Coordinator for the Couples and Families Lab. She worked as a research assistant for Lisa Gou and Kari Duerksen and also conducted research alongside Graham Berlin examining the relationship between social media usage and mental health outcomes. Laura’s interests lie at the intersection of mental health, psychology, and law. Laura graduated from law school at the University of Calgary in 2022.
Lisa Gou, Ph.D., is a graduate of the UVic doctoral program in clinical psychology supervised by Dr. Woodin. Her research focused on daily moderators of the link between adult romantic attachment and intimate partner violence. Lisa completed her predoctoral internship at the Edmonton Consortium and is now a registered clinical psychologist.
Tara Galaugher, Ph.D., is a graduate of the UVic doctoral program in clinical psychology supervised by Dr. Woodin. Her research focused on the links between parental relationship functioning, co-parenting, and early child development. Tara completed her predoctoral internship at the Saskatoon Health Region and is currently a clinical psychologist for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Robyn Kilshaw, BSc(Hons), is a graduate of the UVic psychology honours program under the supervision of Dr. Woodin, and previous Lab Coordinator for the Couples and Families Lab. Her research focused on the retrospective measurement of childhood maltreatment, and the long-term outcomes that are associated with childhood abuse and neglect. Robyn is presently a doctoral student in the clinical psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Utah.
Veronica Plihal, BA(Hons), is a graduate of the UVic psychology honours program under the supervision of Dr. Woodin. For her honours thesis, she tested the psychometric properties of the newly designed Readiness to Change Relationship Behaviours Scale. Veronica graduated from Peter. A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia in 2022.
Scott Beaumont, BSc(Hons), is a graduate of the UVic psychology honours program under the supervision of Dr. Woodin. His research focused on family and peer influences on substance use patterns in emerging adulthood. Scott went on to join the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia as a Master’s student.
Sarah Matheson, BA(Hons), is a graduate of the UVic psychology honours program under the supervision of Dr. Woodin. Her thesis focused on the association between prenatal depression and anxiety of parents and child adjustment.
Matthew Ashton, BA(Hons), is a graduate of the UVic psychology honours program, and was the former Lab Coordinator for the Couples and Families Lab. His honours thesis focused on the effects of repeated minor traumatic brain injuries on the brain.
Alina Sotskova, Ph.D., is a graduate of the UVic doctoral program in clinical psychology. Her research focused on group processes in peer support programs for drug and alcohol problems. Dr. Sotskova is currently a registered psychologist in Vancouver, BC.
Valerie Caldeira, Ph.D., is a graduate of the UVic doctoral program in clinical psychology. Her research focused on understanding the intergenerational transmission of family violence. Dr. Caldeira is currently a registered psychologist in Vancouver, BC.