Alyssa Simard is a behavioral health care manager working at Chelmsford/Dracut Pediatrics through Helios Behavioral Health. She began working in this role in October of 2024, and prior to this, she worked at the Trial Court of the Commonwealth as a case specialist. In her role at the court, she worked closely with forensic psychologists and clinicians, and was a member of the district court’s mental health unit. She graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelors of Arts in psychology and criminology from Southern New Hampshire in December of 2022, and recently completed her Masters of Science in forensic psychology from Arizona State University. While enrolled in SNHU, she was inducted in the national psychiatric honor society, Psi Chi, and she spearheaded a research team. Her research associated with SNHU was recently published through the Wiley Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology. For her undergraduate thesis, she researched the psychosocial spheres of power and manipulation; with a specific focus on cults, dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, as well as anthropological theories related to authority and social control. Her graduate thesis related to juvenile suspects and the prevalence of false confessions within the United States justice system.