Frequently Asked Questions

Clinical Teaching

Currently I am the Chief of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Crisis, Emergency and Consultation Service at LAC+USC hospital. I supervise a team of psychiatrists who are learning about child psychiatry as they evaluate child psychiatric emergency cases and/or respond to concerns about psychiatric issues in children on one of USC’s pediatric units. In my role as supervisor, I see cases with my students and help them formulate their assessment and plan for each child.

In addition, I am the Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Trauma Service. This is a program I developed at USC with national grant money for the purpose of providing psychiatric treatment to traumatized children and for training our clinical trainees in evidence-based assessment and treatment of child psychiatric trauma.

At USC I have worked in the adult psychiatric emergency room, covered nights at adult and child inpatient units and was co-chief of an adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit.

Didactic Teaching

I teach a didactic course in psychotherapy, child residents’ monthly Journal Club, and present a monthly clinical case conference jointly to pediatric and child psychiatry trainees.

Direct Patient Care

Currently I provide psychiatric treatment to adult patients in USC’s Men’s AIDS Clinic and to children at USC’s Maternal Child AIDS Clinic where I also consult with the non-medical therapists and am developing longitudinal research on the effects of psychological stress and trauma.

I worked for many years for a large non-profit children and family service agency. In addition to consulting with non-medical clinicians about psychiatric treatment in both residential and outpatient settings, I developed an ongoing training program for child psychiatry trainees from Cedars-Sinai Hospital, supervised the other staff psychiatrists at the residential site, and, with private funding, developed a children’s clinical research institute to evaluate the long-term effects of child maltreatment.

I also had a part-time private practice of adult and child psychiatry, providing psychotherapy and psycho-pharmacological treatment to children and adults.

For over 20 years.

I have provided expert psychiatric consultation in child and adult cases involving:

• Date Rape
• Diagnosis and Appropriate Treatment of Trauma-related Conditions
• Emotional, Sexual and Physical Abuse, and Neglect
• Internet Seduction
• Psychological Trauma in the Workplace
• Psychological Effects of Physical Trauma including Traumatic Brain Injury
• Child custody and abuse allegations

Yes, as a child psychiatrist I am fully trained in adult work and have seen adults in private practice and in emergency settings. My specialty is Child Psychiatry and within that field I have further special interest in problems related to child psychological trauma. Currently I am investigating how traumatic experiences become embedded in our bodies via the actions of stress hormones and the regulation of gene expression. In addition, for seniors, I support organizations like Caring.com.

In addition to my residency in general psychiatry and fellowship training in child psychiatry, I have had additional training in psychopharmacology, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, hypnosis, meditation and the neuroscience of stress.

Yes, I have been retained in cases involving criminal allegations against both adults and minors.

Yes, I have been retained in cases involving allegations of malpractice on the parts of both psychiatrists and other licensed mental health professionals or students.

I am retained by both Plaintiffs and Defendants.