Skip to Main Content
UCLA Counseling and Psychological Center

CAPS staff is comprised of professionals from diverse cultures and backgrounds. All clinicians are trained to provide culturally-sensitive treatment. CAPS clinicians speak a range of languages: American Sign Language, Chinese-Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, Dutch, Farsi, French, Hindi, Malay/Indonesian, Korean, Spanish, and Urdu. All CAPS clinicians are experienced with college mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, and adjustment to college life. Clinical staff are licensed in the state of California through their respective boards:

Leadership

The Leadership Team is responsible of all the programs and services provided at CAPS. We provide supervision and support to our staff, coordinate our services with campus partners, and support innovation in our programs and services to adapt to the evolving needs of our student body. Many of our Leadership Team members also provide direct clinical care to students seeking services at CAPS.

Tanya Brown, Ph.D.

Training Director

Johanna Canlapan Rigor

Administrative Services Director

Ancy Cherian, Ph.D.

Clinical Director

Deborah Green, L.C.S.W.

Assistant Clinical Director

Michael Friedmann, Ph.D.

Assistant Clinical Director

Saeromi Kim, Ph.D.

Assistant Clinical Director

Kathleen Lambird, Ph.D

Quality, Client Safety and Risk Manager

Hope Levin, M.D.

Psychiatry Director

Kei Takahashi, PsyD.

Assistant Training Director

Mia Power, Psy.D.

Assistant Clinical Director, Triage Team

Chris Praetzel, Psy.D., CMPC

Director of Student-Athlete Mental Health Programs, UCLA Athletics/ Assistant Clinical Director

Michelle Shea, L.M.F.T.

Interim Assistant Clinical Director of the CERF Program

Clinical Coordinators

Clinical Coordinators provide a variety of different support to students. We assist with connecting to off-campus resources when using private insurance, collaborate with campus partners regarding student needs, and respond to clinical emergencies. When unique challenges come up at CAPS, Clinical Coordinators are here to help!

Triage Team

Our team of triage clinicians are the first providers students meet with at CAPS. We conduct a brief assessment to learn more about your reasons for coming to CAPS and help connect you to appropriate resources.

Staff Psychiatrists

CAPS psychiatrists provide medication management as we work alongside our team of CAPS therapists, providing comprehensive treatment in support students' mental health.

Clinicians in Training

CAPS has a robust training program for future social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, representing the full range of training stages. Our trainees provide therapy services to our students under the supervision of a licensed clinician and are dedicated to the wellness of our UCLA students.

Michelle Chang

Practicum Student

Elisa Espinoza

Social Work Intern

Veronica Franco, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Miral Malik

Doctoral Intern

Maleeha Naqvi

Postdoctoral Fellow

Michael Olivares

Postdoctoral Fellow

Maryam Saleem

Postdoctoral Fellow

Kevin Shon

Social Work Intern

Kaitlyn Vilkin

Doctoral Intern

Xiao Ting (Kitty) Wang

Doctoral Intern

Sam Wessels

Doctoral Intern

Administrative Support

Our administrative staff at CAPS work to support both clinicians and students in their work to improve student mental health across campus.

Alejandro Barba

Logistics Coordinator

Lucas Ciaccio

Clinic Support Specialist

Cecilia Colon

Clinic Assistant

Tiffany Cooper

Clinic Support Specialist

Kenrick Ellis

Administrative Specialist

Doreen Gonzales

Clinic Assistant

Kenny Goodman

Executive Assistant

Jennifer Ramirez

Insurance and Referral Coordinator

Mikel Yi

Administrative Specialist

Quality Assurance

Our team of quality assurance staff work to uphold consistent adherence to state and university standards of care.

Kathleen Lambird, Ph.D.

Quality, Client Safety and Risk Manager

Johanna Canlapan Rigor

Administrative Services Director

Jason Thornton

Quality Analyst