Leila Capel

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Psychology

Leila Capel, M.S. is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology program at Utah State University. Her research is dedicated to increasing access to evidence-based interventions. Her work has focused on identifying and addressing treatment barriers for individuals with obsessive compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) and anxiety broadly. She has co-developed an online treatment program for trichotillomania which was then adapted for skin picking disorder and is currently co-developing an online treatment program for adults with OCD to address barriers to treatment including proximity to clinicians, provider knowledge, ambivalence about seeking treatment and cost. Additionally, her work has sought to identify ways of improving treatment efficacy by critically evaluating and developing measures of symptom severity and processes of change, as well as exploring individual level factors that may impact treatment efficacy and outcomes to inform treatment adaptation. Leila’s research has direct clinical implications with respect to informing treatment decision making and improving treatment efficacy. With 21 peer reviewed publications and 16 national and international academic presentations, Leila has sought to not only increase access to care but also build community awareness of need for ongoing efforts to improve awareness and knowledge of treatment and resources of individuals with OCRDs.