Blacksburg, VA 24060
About Us
The CALMER Lab is devoted to the mission of helping understand and improve the social and emotional development of children and adolescents, particularly those with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). More specifically, we are interested in examining youth and family level factors such as comorbid disorders (anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, autism spectrum disorder, substance use) and parenting behaviors that predict better social and emotional outcomes. Additionally, our lab seeks to evaluate the acceptability and efficacy of the RELAX (Regulating Emotions Like An eXpert) Intervention for adolescents with ADHD. RELAX teaches coping, communication, and conflict management skills to adolescents ages 11-16, and works with parents to support their adolescents in effectively using these skills at home, school, and with peers.
People
Rosanna Breaux, Director
Dr. Breaux's research focuses on the social, emotional, and academic functioning of children and adolescents, particularly those with ADHD. She is also interested in understanding the role parents play in shaping children and adolescent's social-emotional development, with a focus on emotion regulation. Additionally, Dr. Breaux is working to evaluate and disseminate the RELAX intervention, which targets emotion dysregulation and interpersonal conflict in adolescents.
Stephanie Pham, Graduate Student
Stephanie Pham (she/her) is a graduate student in the Clinical Science doctoral program at Virginia Tech. In 2021, she graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) with a dual Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Hearing and Speech Sciences. Prior to joining the CALMER Lab and VT, Stephanie completed a two-year post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD. Broadly, Stephanie’s research interests are in identifying interactions between intrinsic and family level factors that may pose as mechanisms of risk or resilience in the development of emotion dysregulation and related child psychopathology. She is passionate about equitable and inclusive access to high quality mental health intervention and services for parents and children from all backgrounds, especially those from underserved communities and historically marginalized populations
Michelle Le, Graduate Student
Michelle Le is a PREP Scholar who recently graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Psychology with minors in Human Development and Family Sciences and Biology. During their undergraduate years, they worked as a research assistant in the Milestones Lab at Mizzou. Michelle intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical or Developmental Psychology. Broadly, Michelle's research interests include parenting styles, parent-child interactions, child psychopathology, and emotion regulation. She is specifically interested in creating accessible, high-quality treatment options for traditionally underrepresented and marginalized groups. Outside of the lab, they love cooking, gardening, trying new restaurants, enjoying nature, and playing with her roommate's cat.
Charity Majusiak, Graduate Student
Charity Majusiak (she/her) is a graduate student in the Clinical Science doctoral program at Virginia Tech. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) with a Bachelor's in Intensive Psychology and from the University of Maryland (UMD) with a Master's in Clinical Psychological Science. Before joining the CALMER Lab, she worked as a graduate research assistant at UMD's ADHD Program and as a research assistant at Children's National Hospital's ADHD & Learning Differences Program. Broadly, Charity's research interests are understanding the mechanisms underlying ADHD, with a particular interest in executive functioning and how these processes shape academic and social outcomes for youth. More specifically, she is interested in how emotion regulation influences treatment response and daily functioning across sensitive periods of development for youth with ADHD.
Eevee, Lab Assistant
Eevee, CGC, is a 7-year-old golden retriever. She loves to brighten the day of the CALMER Lab members and families that visit us. Her favorite things to do are to make new friends, protect her twin toddler sisters, play frisbee, chew on her bones, eat vegetables (especially green beans), and nap. Eevee is named after the Pokémon, and her favorite evolution is Sylveon.
Participant Information
If you are interested in learning about any new research studies with children, adolescents, families, or emerging adults being conducted by the CALMER Lab or other labs affiliated with the Child Study Center, please join the CSC Circle to learn more:
Current Research Projects
Chatbot Study for College Students with ADHD
This study examines how well the BRIDGE (Bot for Regulating Initiatives and Developing Goal Execution) chatbot can help improve executive function skills and well-being for college students over 1 month. Participants in the study will be asked to use a Slack-based Chatbot to support time management, planning, and self-regulation for 1 month.
Participants will be asked to attend two 1-hour in-person research visits at the CALMER Lab before and after the 1 month of using BRIDGE. During the first visit, you will complete a diagnostic interview and online questionnaires before being shown how to engage with BRIDGE. During the second visit, you will complete online questionnaires and be asked to engage in an interview to provide feedback on your experience with using BRIDGE.
Dogs and Moms Study
Researchers at Colorado State University and Virginia Tech are interested in understanding how living with a pet dog fits into daily life in the first year after having a baby. If you are interested in participating, please complete this eligibility screener.
RELAX Intervention Study
The CALMER Lab at the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech is inviting families of adolescents with ADHD ages 11-16 years to participate in an online intervention study examining the utility of adding a smartphone app to help practice skills to the RELAX intervention. RELAX seeks to equip adolescents with coping, communication, and conflict management skills, and help parents learn how to support their adolescents in using these skills. Families can earn a total of $200 for completing all parts of the study. To get on the waitlist for the RELAX Intervention Study, please provide your family's information here - https://redcap.vtc.vt.edu/surveys/?s=XNTF7FA7J3.
Join Us
Undergraduate Students: Are you an undergraduate student interested in being involved in clinical child research? If so, contact Dr. Breaux and the CALMER lab at CALMERlab@gmail.com with your name, major, GPA, and resume/CV. URAs must be a psychology major or minor and be willing to commit to at least two semesters as an RA. Please note - We are no longer recruiting undergraduate students for the 2026-2027 school year.
Interested in summer research? Consider applying for the MAOP Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (https://www.maop.vt.edu/Undergraduate_programs/summer_research.html).
Graduate Students: Dr. Breaux is not recruiting for the 2027-2028 school year but anticipates recruiting for the 2028-2029.
Recent Graduates
Annah Cash, PhD - Clinical Science (2026); Postdoc at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Jasmine Lewis, PhD - Cognitive Neuroscience & Biopsychology (2025); Postdoc at Virginia Tech
Delshad Shroff, PhD - Clinical Science (2025); Postdoc at Virginia Treatment Center for Children
Links and Resources
- The Child Assessment Clinic specializes in comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for children and adolescents from 7 to 16 years of age. The focus of the Child Assessment Clinic is two-fold: neurodevelopmental disorders in children (such as autism, asperger’s disorder, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, and ADHD), as well as mood and anxiety disorders. However, they also conduct assessments for other problems in children including aggressive behavior, school problems, and other emotional problems. Their evaluations are comprehensive and include behavioral observations, use of established diagnostic tools, and clinical interviews. As a research-based clinic, the Child Assessment Clinic uses scientifically supported (evidence-based) measurements and uses what they learn in the clinic for the pursuit of research in order to inform the field and improve clinical assessment practices. Evaluations are conducted primarily by advanced doctoral students in Virginia Tech’s clinical psychology concentration, under the direct supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist.
- The Psychological Services Center (PSC) is a community-based behavioral and mental health clinic for the Clinical Science Ph.D. program at Virginia Tech. As the training clinic for a nationally accredited program (PCSAS and APA), their goal is to utilize the best available treatments to improve the functioning, health, and well-being of clients. They provide individual, couple, family, and group therapies as well as assessment services for adults, adolescents, and children. The PSC also serves as a training and research center for assessment, intervention, and prevention. Clinic therapists treat clients with approaches validated by research and matched to the individual needs of the clients.
- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), is a national non-profit organization providing education, advocacy and support for individuals with ADHD.
- Effective Child Therapy is a website maintained by the Society of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychiatry to provide families with information on evidence-based mental health treatment for children and adolescents.
- Apps to Help Neurodivergent Students Thrive guide that lists and categorizes various apps that can ease the college transition for neurodivergent students such as those with ADHD or ASD.