Speakers

Dr. G. E. Kawika Allen is an associate professor in the Counseling Psychology PhD program at Brigham Young University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in speech and organizational communication and his master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Utah, completed his PhD in counseling psychology at the University of Missouri–Columbia, a top-ranked program, and finished a predoctoral clinical internship at Duke University. His research focuses on spiritual, cultural, and Indigenous approaches to healing in psychotherapy, with particular emphasis on culturally appropriate interventions, religiosity, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and mental health among LDS populations. As a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil, he taught, trained, presented, and conducted research on religiosity, spirituality, culture, mental health, and psychotherapy. He has received multiple awards for research and service, published widely in top-tier journals, secured more than $4 million in research funding, and served in editorial and leadership roles in APA Divisions 17, 36, and 45. He and his wife, Carolina, live in Provo, Utah, and are the parents of seven children.

Debra Theobald McClendon, PhD is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and has inter-jurisdictional authorization through PsyPact to treat clients in most U.S. states. Her psychology practice is The OCD & Scrupulosity Clinic (ocdscrupulosityclinic.com) and she specializes in treating those with scrupulosity, a religious and moral subtype of OCD. She offers gold-standard OCD treatment, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure-Response Prevention. Dr. McClendon is a member of the International OCD Foundation and is a graduate of their Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). She has been interviewed on podcasts, published articles, created online courses, and published the book: “Freedom from Scrupulosity: Reclaiming Your Religious Experience from Anxiety and OCD.” On a personal note, Dr. McClendon enjoys working out, mountain views, reading, doing puzzles, spending time with her kiddos, walking in the evening with her husband, and eating spicy green salsa.

Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is a psychologist and Professor at Utah State University, where he co-runs the ACT Research Group. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science and winner of the 2025 D. Wynn Thorne career research award. His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on obsessive compulsive and related disorders. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers, many book chapters, and 13 books. In 2022, 2024, and 2025 he was rated as the most productive author on ACT in the world.

Annabella Hagen, LCSW is the founder and Clinical Director of Mindset Family Therapy in Provo, Utah. She specializes in treating OCD, anxiety, and related disorders using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Annabella is passionate about helping clients overcome fear and live meaningful, values-centered lives. She is the author of Imperfectly Good, a book on scrupulosity. She is currently serving on the IOCDF Faith and OCD Leadership Council. Outside of work, she enjoys walking, hiking, yoga, reading, music, and discovering new adventures while traveling.