Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Kayla Ford, Ph.D. (Rhode Island Hospital, 7/1/25-7/8/26), graduated cum laude with Leadership Distinction in Research from the University of South Carolina, earning a B.S. in experimental psychology and a minor in counselor education. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where she developed expertise in trauma-related interventions among justice-involved adults. Her extensive research and clinical work centered on trauma-exposed populations led to her recognition as a 2024 P.E.O. Scholar. She completed her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where she worked under the research mentorship of Dr. Lindsay Orchowski, investigating barriers to disclosing sexual violence. Subsequently, she started a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown in the Adolescent Forensic and Addiction Psychology position. She has been conducting forensic mental health assessments and providing therapeutic services to adolescents with addiction and co-occurring disorders. Kayla has also expanded her research to include interventions for trauma-exposed youth in the juvenile justice system and the development of a forensic mental health database within the Rhode Island Mental Health Court with Dr. Kathleen Kemp. Remaining deeply committed to serving legally involved populations, she will complete an additional postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at the Medical University of South Carolina. She will focus on conducting various forensic assessments with youth, their families, and adults, and providing trauma-related interventions to adults on probation. She is very grateful for all the support she has received along this journey from mentors, supervisors, family, friends, and colleagues!