Hello! My name is Dianne Celemen, and I am a Junior at UNC Chapel Hill from Cary, North Carolina. I am pursuing a Psychology B.S. and Human Development & Family Science B.A.Ed. with a minor in Biology. My experience at Carolina has been truly life-changing in my personal life and academic career, and I am proud to be a part of the Karen M. Gil Internship Program this fall semester.
Growing up, I was always intrigued by how someone's perception of the world, themselves, and others is shaped by their personal background. This fascination led me to start reading psychotherapeutic literature in my free time, ranging from popular media to scientific articles on mental health, including the various sociocultural factors that can impact well-being. For me, my family was and still is a significant context of my development. As the oldest daughter of parents who immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines, I grew up with a bicultural identity, balancing the cultural practices of both my heritage and the country I called home. This formative upbringing shaped my perspective on mental health, particularly in understanding the stigmatization surrounding mental health care in many cultures.
Coming to UNC, I made it a point to explore different areas of psychology to see where I felt the strongest pull. My start in research was with the Department of Organizational Behavior at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, where I am researching workplace ethics through behavioral coding and thematic analysis with Dr. Timothy Kundro. I became a research assistant with the Developmental Social Neuroscience Lab with Dr. Eva Telzer, where I am working on a study that examines the effect of smartphone use on emerging adults. I also joined the Carolina Affective Science Lab in the Social Psychology department with Dr. Kristen Lindquist, and I assist in several studies about how we measure and sense emotions. Most recently, this summer, I joined the administrative team on the Emotion and Physiology in Context study, which examines how our emotional experiences change as we get older. A large portion of our participant pool in this study was individuals aged 50-80, so I led recruitment initiatives at senior centers in the greater Triangle area to target this age range and diversify our participant pool. My appreciation for representative demographics in studies grew immensely. Exposing myself to different areas in psychology was formative in my view of the field as a whole, and it ultimately led me to my personal research interests.
My research focus is on understanding how various family contexts affect behavioral health outcomes across the lifespan. This semester, I am conducting independent research on the effects of socioeconomic status on eating behavior— specifically, I am examining how the subjective experience of economic disadvantage during childhood may impact parenting and child outcomes, including family members’ health behaviors and psychopathologies. I have broader interests in applying this research trajectory to individuals with trauma and stress-related disorders, especially with diverse populations in community mental health settings.
With a passion for this family-centered approach to understanding mental health, I started working as an intern with 3-C Family Services through UNC’s Karen M. Gil Internship Program on the clinical psychology track. I work with a team of professionals in psychology, psychiatry, and counseling to support children’s mental health and social skills while also helping to strengthen family relationships. Dr. Lori Schweickert, the medical director of 3-C Family Services, is my exceptional mentor who has guided my assistance on a wide range of tasks around the clinic. Every week, I write literature reviews on various psychopathological disorders, including Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). This work is expanding my knowledge of the state of contemporary mental health research. Another key responsibility at the clinic is facilitating weekly social skills group sessions for children aged 4-5 with Autism Spectrum Disorder, alongside Dr. Meagan Padro. As a semester-long project, I will be revising the social skills group lesson plans to help group leaders effectively guide these sessions. One of my favorite tasks thus far has been shadowing and scribing for psychiatric intake and individual therapy sessions. I get to observe how clinicians uniquely engage with their clients and apply therapeutic techniques modified to fit the client’s lifestyle. I love interacting directly with clients, building a strong therapeutic relationship with them, and seeing how the work we put in each week really does make a difference in their mental health.
I can’t overstate how lucky I feel walking into the 3-C office every week, immersed in an environment filled with clinicians who share the same dedication to psychology and neuroscience as I do. Combining my deep passion for research and clinical work, I plan to continue my education post-grad in a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. with a focus in trauma and stress-related disorders. I want to increase the representation of marginalized groups in mental healthcare and academia as an Asian American woman. My underlying motivation in pursuing this career is to improve the lives of people from all generations and cultures, starting with mental health. I am eager to see current psychotherapeutic research applied to improving behavioral health in global communities, and I hope to contribute to this positive change. None of these goals could be accomplished without the support of my loving family, dear friends, and mentors at UNC, including Dr. Steven Buzinski and Emily Dolegowski, both of whom create a welcoming environment for the Gil Interns to grow as individuals. I thank the clinicians at 3-C Family Services, especially my mentor, Dr. Schweickert, all who have graciously provided me with endless learning opportunities. My love for psychology drives me to continue being curious, and I can't wait to see where my academic path leads in the coming years.
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