After 10 years, four clinical certifications, countless awards, and 14 academic publications, Elizabeth (Liz) Halliday, a sixth-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology, successfully defended her dissertation on April 30.
Halliday’s journey at the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences began as an undergraduate student in 2015. Originally, Halliday was on a pre-medical track with psychology as her minor. Once she began taking her psychology coursework, however, she discovered that helping the families of emotionally distressed children was her true vocation.
“After a couple of years of being in psychology, I met Jill Ehrenreich-May, my mentor, and everything that she was teaching about in the class at the time on helping kids and their families with emotional disorders really resonated with me,” said Halliday.
After graduating from the college with psychology departmental honors, Halliday began working under Ehrenreich-May in the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Treatment (CAMAT) program as a postbaccalaureate research coordinator. CAMAT is the Department of Psychology’s clinical research center for the testing and development of psychotherapy approaches for treating anxiety and depression in children and adolescents.
While working in CAMAT, Halliday was accepted into the University’s six-year psychology program, where she earned both a master’s degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in psychology on the child/family clinical track.
Reflecting on Halliday’s excellence in research, psychotherapy, and academics, Ehrenreich-May described her as “easily among the most skilled and adept clinical scholars I have had the privilege to train and supervise in the last 20 years.”
Praise for Halliday has not only come from her mentor, but also from undergraduate student mentees. In 2023, she was awarded the Rod Gillis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for her celebrated instruction of psychopathology.
Reflecting on 10 years of growth and development at the college, Halliday attributed much of her success to Ehrenreich-May’s guidance.
“I am grateful to have an amazing mentor who took me under her wing and helped me understand research and academia. She helped me navigate the program and get the best possible training experience,” Halliday said.
Halliday’s dissertation encompasses the development and evaluation of an intervention for parent distress tolerance. Following graduation this summer, Halliday will be moving to New York City to work as a postdoctoral fellow at the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders and the Anxiety and Behavioral Challenges in Early Childhood Program.
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