EPPP Coaching Circle Facilitators

Dr. Jelena Djurovic is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois. She completed her doctoral degree (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2020 with multiple awards and honors. Dr. Djurovic completed her postdoctoral training in a private practice outside of Chicago, where she continues to see patients with a wide array of mental health issues and socioeconomic backgrounds. Her interests include health psychology topics, primarily the effects of mindfulness and self-compassion based interventions on depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms and body image. Dr. Djurovic is also starting her own private practice which will concentrate on immigration evaluations. As an immigrant, Dr. Djurovic understands the struggles of these individuals and is passionate in helping them. Dr. Djurovic also understands the struggles one might face when trying to study advanced materials in a language that is not their native language. Dr. Djurovic is fluent in Serbian, English and Spanish.

Dr. Djurovic has served as a teacher, instructor, coach and tutor across multiple settings and organizations, including serving as a teaching assistant in many graduate courses while completing her program. Dr. Djurovic has a unique point of view that helps her understand topics that many individuals often find challenging (such as Statistics, Research Methods, Test Design, Learning Theory, Biological Psychology and Psychopharmacology amongst others) and transfer that understanding onto others in ways that they often describe as eye-opening. Dr. Djurovic successfully passed the EPPP exam on her first try while juggling many personal challenges, including raising two children under the age of 2. Dr. Djurovic has a unique passion for knowledge and academia which helps her constantly keep up with new topics, find new effective ways to solve problems, and help others achieve their personal goals regardless of the obstacles.

Dr. Leah Hecht is a Research Scientist who leads a program of research focused on maternal prenatal health and obesity prevention at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan. A trained clinical health psychologist, Dr. Hecht earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois, and completed post-doctoral fellowships in Health Psychology and Behavioral Health Services Research at Henry Ford Health System. She successfully passed the EPPP and became licensed as a clinical psychologist in Michigan. Dr. Hecht is passionate about mentorship, collaboration, and supporting emerging psychologists to tackle challenges with the EPPP.  

 Dr. Jordyn Trockman has been helping others to learn and grow for over two decades. Dr. Jordyn is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of California. She earned a master's degree in Counseling Psychology and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) from Adler University in Chicago, IL. She completed her undergraduate studies at Syracuse University, where she graduated with multiple honors and awards.

Dr. Jordyn has worked in a wide range of mental health settings (from outpatient services to inpatient psychiatric hospitals and residential facilities) providing individual psychotherapy, facilitating group psychotherapy, conducting psychological and psycho-educational assessments, conducting research, and providing clinical supervision to up-and-coming clinicians. She is now the owner and founder of California Women's Therapy -- a group mental health practice specializing in women's issues.

Dr. Jordyn also worked extensively as an in-home and on-line academic tutor and test preparation instructor for various tutoring companies and private clients. She has been providing test preparation support for the EPPP since she successfully passed the exam with an impressively high score almost 10 years ago. Dr. Jordyn is the owner and founder of EPPP Tutoring. 

Dr. Jordyn is also the founder and president of Psychologists of Color, Inc. -- a non-profit organization helping to elevate up-and-coming psychologists of color. 

Additionally, Dr. Jordyn is a Co-Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Neurovana TMS -- a dedicated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) clinic in Orange, CA. At Neurovana, she combines her clinical expertise with her passion for accessible, patient-centered care to expand the reach of TMS and integrated mental health services.

Dr. Erica Ligons is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience treating adults, children, adolescents, and families from diverse backgrounds. Her specialties include complex trauma, anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, school and behavioral concerns, relationship challenges, and life transitions. Dr. Ligons is also trained in Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD, psychodrama, sociometry, and evidence-based parenting strategies. She has worked at the Chicago Center for Growth and Change, Mount Sinai Hospital-Under the Rainbow Program, as well as inpatient psychiatric hospitals and community mental health centers. Recently she transitioned out of working in community mental health into a small group practice. Dr. Ligons hopes to one day own her own practice, which would not be possible without a psychologist license. She understands the opportunities that come with licensure, which is why she wants to support people in passing the EPPP. In 2015, when Dr. Ligon first took the EPPP, she scored 659 on the first try. Over the years, people have been coming to her to hear about how she did so well on the exam. She is now on a mission to help people CRUSH this exam so they can go on to have amazing careers and maximize their earning potential. Her goal for test-takers is to help them develop an effective study schedule and strategy to prepare for the exam, teach them what to expect on the test, and help them develop effective stress management tactics as well as keeping them accountable to following their study regimen. You can learn more about Dr. Erica Ligons and her EPPP support options at the following website: https://epppcoach.weebly.com/

Dr. Elizabeth Bistrong is a pediatric neuropsychologist at NYU Langone Rusk Rehabilitation. She obtained her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Virginia in 2019 and completed specialized fellowship training in pediatric neuropsychology at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Bistrong provides comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for children with complex medical concerns with central nervous system impact. Dr. Bistrong successfully passed the EPPP in July, 2021 and obtained licensure in New York. She is currently studying to become board certified in clinical neuropsychology. Dr. Bistrong has experience teaching neuropsychology coursework and mentoring/providing supervision to trainees. She is excited to help aspiring psychologists harness their strengths and pass the EPPP. 

Dr. David Strasshofer is a licensed psychologist (Ph.D.) with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs with expertise in the treatment and study of traumatic stress and co-morbid physical health conditions. Dr. David Strasshofer received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and completed his undergraduate education at Kent State University, where he graduated with highest honors. David has spent the last 5 years aiding individuals in test prep for standardized tests, which has more recently included the EPPP.  He follows a developmental approach to tutoring, which includes an initial assessment of current knowledge and problem content areas and jointly creating a study plan to optimize efficient preparation. In his ongoing pursuit of self-care, David enjoys traveling around the world, running, eating, and spending time with his dog, along with the rest of his family. You can learn more about Dr. David Strasshofer and his EPPP support options at the following website: https://drdavideppp.com.

Dr. Alyssa Cohen is a licensed clinical psychologist (Psy.D) working for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Division. Prior to joining "the County," Dr. Cohen was the Director of a substance abuse facility in Orange County for 5 1/2 years.  She has extensive experience working in psychiatric hospitals, community mental health, and with families with disabilities. Dr. Cohen has been tutoring individuals to prepare for the EPPP for the past 3 1/2 years. She specializes in working with people who have taken the exam multiple times as well as those with test anxiety. Dr. Cohen also enjoys assisting others in finding their path in the studying process. Additionally, Dr. Cohen works pro bono with a non-profit  immigration law center where she conducts psychological evaluations for asylum seekers.