Spectrum CBT Psychologist Treatment Team
Sarosh J. Motivala, PhD, Director
Dr. Motivala is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in CBT and exposure based approaches to treat OCD spectrum and Anxiety spectrum disorders. From 2011-2018 he worked in the UCLA Adult OCD Treatment Program and developed their externship training program for clinical psychology doctoral students and psychiatry residents. He currently serves as the Training Director for the UCLA Adult OCD Treatment Program and holds faculty appointments in UCLA’s Psychiatry Department and Psychology Department. He has presented at the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) Annual Conference, has served on the IOCDF Task Force Committee and Diversity Council. He conducts community lectures annually through UCLA Health on OCD and anxiety.
He also oversees a longitudinal research project at UCLA looking at long-term follow up in OCD patients who have completed intensive treatment. He was the recipient of a 5 year Clinical Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health. He received his doctorate from the University of Miami and completed his clinical internship at UCLA and was a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. He has authored or co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has presented his work at numerous national and international research conferences. In his clinical work, he integrates traditional behavior therapy with CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and relies heavily on research validated treatments to guide his practice.
Christopher Nuñez, PhD OUTPATIENT/INTENSIVE
Dr. Christopher Nuñez is a licensed clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist with over 20 years of experience in assessment and treatment of individuals across the lifespan (children, adults, and older adults). He specializes in evidence-based psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavioral therapy, to treat mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. He has received intensive training in Exposure with Response/Ritual Prevention (ExRP) at the University of Pennsylvania Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Dr. Nuñez has previously worked as a neuropsychologist in the UCLA Department of Neurology where co-founded the Cultural Neuropsychology Initiative in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry. As Associate Clinical Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychology, he supervised and trained clinical psychology trainees. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuroimaging where he studied developmental neuroscience with MRI and fMRI techniques and was Assistant Professor of Research in the USC Department of Pediatrics where he conducted studies on brain development in typically developing children and children with neurodevelopmental disorders. His treatment approaches are informed by his knowledge of clinical and neuroscience research. Dr. Nuñez also works with clients who have medical and/or neurocognitive conditions, with an emphasis in behavioral medicine strategies to promote and improve overall health and quality of life (e.g. treatment for insomnia, stress management, behavioral changes to improve health, and adjustment to medical diagnosis). Cultural issues are of particular interest to him, and he is multilingual (Spanish and French).
Allen Liao, PhD OUTPATIENT/INTENSIVE
Dr. Allen Liao is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in research-supported psychological treatments including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) individually tailored for a variety of mental health concerns, with a particular interest in OCD and anxiety disorders. He combines scientific expertise with a collaborative, caring, and genuine approach to treatment. Dr. Liao completed his APA-accredited postdoctoral fellowship in Adult CBT/DBT at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. His research and clinical interests include improving precision treatment and dissemination of evidence-based practices.
Melanie Hudson, PsyD OUTPATIENT
Melanie R. Hudson, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety and obsessive compulsive spectrum and mood disorders. She has received specialized training in the UCLA Anxiety Disorders clinic, UCLA OCD Intensive Outpatient Program and was recently certified by the IOCDF-Behavior Therapy Training Institute. Dr. Hudson received her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco and completed her clinical internship at the UCSF-San Francisco General Hospital. Later, she worked as primary therapist at Del Amo Hospital’s National Treatment Center specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy on the Eating Disorders and Trauma Recovery inpatient units. During this time she gained extensive experience in the treatment of traumatic stress disorders, complex dissociative disorders, anxiety disorders and eating disorders. Next, she became Assistant Clinical Director of Laurel Hill Inn Eating Disorders Treatment Program in Massachusetts, a JCAHO accredited program. Dr. Hudson incorporates CBT, exposure-based treatment and a family systems approach into her work with adolescents and adults.
Samantha L. Hemingway, M.A. OUTPATIENT
Samantha L. Hemingway received her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles and earned her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University, where she continues to pursue her PhD in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology. She completed a rigorous one-year specialized training at the UCLA OCD Adult Treatment Externship, where she worked with individuals with severe OCD in an Intensive Outpatient Program. Samantha has trained in a number of different treatment settings including community mental health, university hospital, outpatient programs, research, and private practice. In therapy, Samantha uses a variety of evidence-based psychological treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and exposure and response prevention, personalizing her care to meet each client’s unique strengths and needs. At Spectrum CBT, Samantha provides low cost CBT and ERP for OCD patients under the supervision of Dr. Motivala.