Lorelai Symmes

Lorelai (she/her) is a first-year clinical psychology doctoral student in Dr. Braden's lab. She grew up in Severna Park, Maryland, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from St. Mary's College of Maryland in May 2025.

Lorelai’s research broadly focuses on psychosocial factors influencing the development and maintenance of body image disturbances and disordered eating, particularly during childhood and adolescence. She is especially interested in the intergenerational transmission of disordered eating behaviors through both direct and indirect mechanisms, as well as broader familial influences. Her prior research has explored the role of psychological inflexibility in disordered eating, the comorbidity of eating disorders and substance use disorders, and the efficacy of in-person versus virtual body image interventions. Lorelai strives to use her research to better understand the psychosocial and familial mechanisms underlying disordered eating, with the goal of informing more effective prevention and intervention efforts.

In her free time, she enjoys gardening, reading, and thrifting.