I am a licensed clinical psychologist in California (PSY34156) specializing in evidence-based treatments for children, adolescents, and adults. I have extensive experience working with children (ages 2+) and parents with a range of concerns. 

My specialty areas include:

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Anxiety-related disorders, including Selective Mutism (SM)

• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) 

• Traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT)

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) and Adults

• General Emotional & Behavioral Dysregulation

Special Trainings/Certifications:

• PCIT certified through PCIT-international and PCIT-trained for Selective Mutism

• Tic training through the University of Utah Tic Lab

• OCD trained through UCLA’s Pediatric OCD IOP program

• CBT-trained through Harbor UCLA/Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies

• Specialized Postdoctoral trained in CBT, Full-Model DBT, and ACT

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Biography:

Dr. Ariela received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA in psychology with a minor in applied developmental psychology. Prior to her career as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Ariela worked as a child development specialist with 0 to 3 year olds at UCLA’s Megan E. Daly Infant Development Program. She then went on to receive her Masters and Doctorate in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. Throughout her training, Dr. Ariela’s clinical work focused on developing a broad foundation of evidence-based skills that enabled her to work across disorders and levels of care. These has trained in a range of settings including schools, community, county, hospital-based (UCLA and CHLA), partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, residential settings, and private practice. Her specialized training in OCD was received at UCLA's Pediatric Intensive Outpatient Program. She completed her doctoral internship at Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families’ residential treatment center and received further specialized postdoctoral training in PCIT, DBT-Adolescents, CBT, OCD, and SM. She was trained in CBIT for tics through the University of Utah Tic Lab.

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Oral Presentations/Guest Lectures:

OCD & Anxiety-related Disorders: Assessment and Treatment. PSY435: Developmental Psychopathology, San Francisco State University

Anxiety Disorders, OCD, & Deep Dive into Selective Mutism. PSY435: Developmental Psychopathology, San Francisco State University

An introduction to Evidence-Based Assessment & Treatment of OCD & Anxiety-Related Disorders. Presented to interdisciplinary team, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

Exposure and Response Prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Presented for clinicians in community mental health clinic – South Los Angeles, California.

Mindfulness Derived from Buddhism in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Presented for trainees in clinical psychology – Los Angeles, California.

Exposure and Response Prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Presented for clinicians in private practice – Los Angeles, California.

Cognitive Modification in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Presented for clinicians in private practice – Los Angeles, California.

 Conceptualization, Brief Assessment, and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Exposure and Response Prevention. Presented for clinicians at LA County Department of Mental Health – Long Beach Child and Adolescent Program, Long Beach, California.