Nataliya Turchmanovych, B.S.

Nataliya Turchmanovych is currently a second-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) studying under the mentorship of Dr. Gregory S. Chasson and is a part of the Repetitive Experiences and Behavior Lab (REBL). Nataliya received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree from Loyola University Chicago (LUC) in 2019. As an undergraduate student, she worked as a research assistant in the Activity Matters Lab at LUC under the mentorship of Dr. Amy Bohnert, where her independent research project explored how media influences young adults’ mental and physical health and examined the impact that media has on self-regulation using neuropsychological measures and EEG methodology.

Additionally, prior to graduate school, Nataliya partook in research at DePaul University’s Culture and Evidence-Based Practice (CEBP) Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Antonio Polo. As a post-baccalaureate research assistant in the CEBP Lab, she assisted Chicago Public School (CPS) counselors in delivering a group-based behavioral intervention that targeted depression in adolescents. She also worked on an independent research project that explored the role that school climate plays in attenuating the negative association between youth emotion reactivity and depressive symptom trajectory.

Given her passion for working with individuals with anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Nataliya worked as a Registered Behavioral Technician (RBT). Her work as a RBT further enhanced her passion for developing interventions that are culturally tailored and evidence-based, and enhanced her understanding of how factors such as family and culture impact individuals’ mental wellbeing. Nataliya’s current research is focused on exploring the impact that ASD waiver services have on both child and family outcomes. Additionally, she is working with Dr. Rachael L. Ellison at IIT as a neuropsychological technician and is trained to administer neuropsychological assessments.

Nataliya is also receiving clinical training at Pillars Community Health, where she sees clients across the lifespan with a variety of psychological presentations (OCD, anxiety, ASD, PTSD, depression, etc.) and provides individual therapy, family therapy, and co-leads a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group. She is interested in further exploring the impact that services, culture, and families have on individuals struggling with mental illness, specifically repetitive behaviors, and investigating ways to help improve treatment outcomes for individuals.