Institute Clinicians

Eda Gorbis, Ph.D., LMFT

Founder and Executive Director

Dr. Gorbis joined Dr. Edna B. Foa, an internationally recognized authority who pioneered the protocols for ERP, in 1994 and received extensive training in the field of OCD treatment. In 1996, she began working with Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz at UCLA, where she integrated Dr. Foa's ERP methods. Over the past seven years, she has treated more than 150 in- and out-patients with OCD while working closely with their families. Her method synthesizes the successful treatment modalities for OCD and PTSD and has yielded a high rate of success. Dr. Gorbis' work has received large amount of attention from the national media. Her intensive method has been the topic on National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, BBC, 20/20, and numerous local news channels. CA license (MFC32501). More about Dr. Gorbis.

Alexander Bystritsky, M.D., Ph.D.

Psychiatrist

Alexander Bystritsky, M.D. is one of the leading experts in anxiety disorders and brain stimulation in the United States. Dr. Bystritsky is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is licensed to practice medicine in California. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and the Life Fellow of American Society for Clinical Psychopharmacology. He is also a member of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, the West Coast College of Biological Psychiatry, and the OCD Foundation.

Professor Alexander Bystritsky, M.D., Ph.D. graduated from Pavlov Medical Institute (currently Pavlov Medical University) in St. Petersburg, Russia (former Soviet Union) with his M.D. degree in 1977 and then his Ph.D. in Pharmacology in 1979. In 1976 his paper won the Gold Medal for the Best Student Scientific Paper and Maria Petrova National Award in Neuroscience. In 2006 he was conferred two degrees by the Pavlov Medical University with Ph.D. degrees in both Clinical Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology.

After he arrived in New York, he worked for 2 years as an Associate Researcher in the NYU Department of Psychiatry prior to his admission to the NYU-Belleview residency program in Psychiatry. He completed his residency in 1985 and moved to UCLA as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar. Dr. Bystritsky has been on the UCLA Faculty since 1987. He is currently a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles where he directs the Anxiety Disorders Program and Targeted Brain Stimulation Program.

Dr. Bystritsky published over 240 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and short publications and has served as the PI and Co-PI on over 90 NIH, foundations and industry sponsored grants. Over the years, he earned several honors and awards, including the OCD Foundation Research Award and Brain and Behavior Distinguished Investigator Award. He is also listed on the Best Doctors in America for the last 20 years. For several years, he was a Visiting Professor and a collaborator with Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts investigating Focused Ultrasound Pulsation effects on brain using fMRI.

He has authored several patents on image-guided neuromodulation of brain neurons using Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation (LIFUP). His current area of interest is neuroimaging guided brain stimulation. He is the director of a collaborative Targeted Brain Stimulation clinical and research program on image-guided DBS, rTMS, LIFUP and other neuromodulation techniques in Anxiety Disorders with the department of Neurosurgery at UCLA. He is Executive Director of Tiny Blue Dot Foundation investigating sources and measurements of Consciousness. He is Founder and CEO Brainsonix Corporation, a start-up company producing LIFUP/MR compatible devices for research.

Lee Y. Sadja, M.D.

Psychiatrist

Dr. Lee Y. Sadja is a psychiatrist in private practice in West Los Angeles and a faculty member at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. He is licensed to practice medicine in the state of California and is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr Sadja’s areas of clinical expertise include Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Mood Disorders, and the intensive outpatient treatment of severe Personality Disorders. Dr. Sadja received his medical degree from The University of Southern California in 1973. He completed a medical internship at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, 1973-1974. His psychiatric residency was at the University of Colorado Medical Center, 1975-1979. From 2004-2006, he returned to school for a post graduate degree in Advanced Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the New Center for Psychoanalysis.

Dr. Sadja’s clinical expertise encompasses psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic modalities. His major clinical foci are noted above. Dr Sadja is a pioneer in the utilization of outpatient multidisciplinary treatment teams in a private practice setting to treat severe personality disorders. Dr. Sadja has worked in multiple academic environments. From 1990-1991, he was a staff psychiatrist and Medical Student Instructor, at the University of Tel Aviv, Israel. From 1982-1984, he was a Teaching Attending at the Sepulveda VAMC Crisis Unit. Currently, he is active as an assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine, where he supervises psychiatric residents. He is also an attending psychiatrist at the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.

Over the years, Dr Sadja has served in multiple administrative venues, including Ward Chief at the Colorado State Hospital, 1977-1978; Team leader at the Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, 1979-1980; Ward Chief, Crisis Unit, Sepulveda VAMC, 1982 to 1984; Chief of Staff, Canyon Ridge Hospital, 1991-1992, and 1994; Chairman, Psychiatry Section, Santa Monica Hospital, 1998-2001; Medical Director, Health Care West, 1998-2001; Medical Director, UCLA Adult Partial Hospital and Intensive Outpatient Program, 2002-2007. He is currently the President of Psychiatric Corporation of America. Dr. Sadja has consulted with the Westwood Institute of Anxiety Disorders for over 10 years.

Joseph Lee, Psy.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Joseph Lee, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, is passionate about learning the story of each of his clients and offers a warm invitation and connection to enrich a shared sense of purpose while collaboratively strategizing solutions to overcome challenges. An ardent believer in mindfulness, Dr. Lee frequently engages in activities that promote self-awareness of the present moment. Dr. Lee's previous clinical settings include an integrated community health center, medical centers, schools, specialty treatment centers, and private practices. His areas of expertise include severe anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, social anxiety, mental and performance coaching, trauma, depression, substance use disorders, interpersonal growth, stress management, and collaborative primary care. Dr. Lee earned his Doctorate and Master’s degrees in Psychology as well as his Master's of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, and his Bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL.

David Kronemyer, Ph.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Dr. David Kroneymer specializes in using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to work with people who have issues with anxiety, moods, emotions, and obsessive thoughts, often inflected with personal considerations. He also frequently incorporates elements from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). He has several therapeutic objectives. One is to help you reframe your thinking about what you're confronting - not only what it is, but also how you got there, why it's distressful, and what it would be like to inhabit a different mental space. Another is to teach you some practical, real-world skills to replace ineffective coping strategies - to reformulate what it is that you're doing (or not doing), in response to what you're thinking. A third is to regain control over the feelings and emotions that surround this thinking-doing complex.

Prior to becoming a psychologist, Dr. Kronemyer had a long career in the entertainment business, so he is familiar with the problems faced by creative and business people. He is on the clinical faculty at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry. He also has an appointment there as a research scientist, where he is working on some cool new brain stimulation technologies.

Cinzia Roccaforte, Psy.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Cinzia Cottù Di Roccaforte earned a Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology from Alliant International University Los Angeles in 2019. She received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from UCLA in 2011 and her Master of Arts in clinical psychology with emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy from Pepperdine University in 2014. Dr. Roccaforte has been working with Dr. Alexander Bystritsky at the UCLA Anxiety Disorders Program. Dr. Roccaforte and Dr. Bystritsky also collaborated writing articles for Anxiety.org. Dr. Roccaforte continues working as a psychology assistant with her former supervisor from UCLA, Dr. Tanya Vapnik and she is currently working with Dr. Eda Gorbis at the Westwood Instituted for Anxiety Disorders.

Alexander Gorbis, AMFT

Marriage and Family Therapist

Alexander Gorbis obtained his master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University and is a BBS registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT 123454). He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Economics from the University of California, Davis.

As a student, he volunteered at Sandy Segal Youth Health Center providing mental health services to youth and teens suffering from anxiety, depression, and grief. Concurrently Alex worked with adults (18-55) with neurodevelopmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, etc for three years. His main role as an independent living skills (ILS) instructor, was assisting clients in learning domains such as safety, nutrition, social & communication skills, housekeeping, community access and money management.

Since graduating Pepperdine, Alex is working at the Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders, attaining hours for licensure and gaining clinical experience with highly comorbid and extreme cases of OCD and related anxiety disorders. As a behavioral coach/associate therapist his responsibilities are administering supervised assessments to new patients, provide support in developing and executing exposures with patients, and assigning daily homework while maintaining a high standard of care. Alex has developed a passion for working the OCD and related anxiety disorders population.

As of January 2022, Alex began studying toward his doctoral degree (PsyD) at The Chicago School for Professional Psychology with an expected completion in three years. Alex’s clinical services at the Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders are provided under the license and supervision of Dr. David Kronemyer (PSY29946) and Dr. Mark Winitsky (LMFT 47563).

Ryan Silverman, Psy.D.

Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Silverman earned his Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego. He completed his internship and post-doctoral training at WellSpan Philhaven in York, Pennsylvania, where he utilized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address the psychological needs of children, teens and adults with mood, trauma, and other psychological conditions. Currently, Dr. Silverman has a specialization in treating OCD and anxiety-based disorders for all ages and families. He has specific training in evidence-based therapies including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and mindfulness-based approaches. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and basketball or staying in and watching movies and sports.

Administrative Staff

Joseph O'Neill, Ph.D.

Research Director

Dr. O'Neill is Assistant Professor of Child Psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI). He has 10 years research and clinical experience with MRI and MRS in neurologic and psychiatric disorders. He collaborates day-to-day with the co-investigators on OCD research at the NPI and Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders, Inc.

Adjunct Professionals to Aid Creativity of Exposures

Yali Zhao, MD, Ph.D.

Neuroscientist, Research Director, Medical Consultant, Head of Business Development in China

Yali Zhao, M.D., Ph.D. is a medical research neuroscientist, interested in the molecular and cellular mechanisms of central control of reproduction, sleep, hemostasis, and learning and memory.

Dr. Zhao received her M.D from the Fourth Military Medical School in China. After completing her residency training in internal medicine, Dr. Zhao continued her postgraduate training and clinical research in medical imaging, focusing on ultrasound diagnostics. After one year of clinical fellowship in the department of radiology at Montreal General Hospital in Canada, Dr. Zhao further received postdoctoral training in neuroscience at IRCM (Clinical Research Institute of Montreal). Since then, Dr. Zhao has been focusing her research on neuronal circuitry, synaptic plasticity and regulations in UCLA Brian Research Institute.

During these years, Dr. Zhao has made significant contribution in both basic and clinical medical research. Her discoveries were published in many highly recognized peer-review journals including Neuron, Journal of Neuroscience, Current Biology, etc. Since 2008, Dr. Zhao has extended her interests to the field of mental health and neuropsychiatric disorders such as OCD, PTSD, sleep disorder, etc. In collaboration with Dr. Eda Gorbis, Dr. Zhao would like to combine her research and clinical expertise to help the patients afflicted with these disorders to improve their quality of life.

Andrew Matzke, M.A.

Spiritual Advisor

Andy Matzke holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Theology and Leadership from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is an ordained Minister who has spent over 20 years of his career training and advising thousands of families and youth on how to pursue truth and deepen their faith in God. Andy is a professional speaker, teacher, writer and pastor who is also trained in Exposure and Response Therapy (ERT) as it relates to Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD).

His expertise is in the area of Scrupulosity, focusing on obsessions and compulsions directly connected to matters of religion and morality.

He uses the methodologies described in Dr. Edna Foa's book, Stop Obsessing and Jeffery Schwartz's book, Brain Lock. Additionally, Andy has personally worked with Dr. Eda Gorbis, Director of the Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders. Together, they have successfully treated patients who suffer from OCD as it specifically interrelates with Scrupulosity.

Jason Charchan

Personal Trainer

Jason Charchan is currently one of the most popular and sought after trainers in Los Angeles with a current and past client list that includes Professional athletes, actors, and models as well as successful executives and professionals including one of the world's most popular athletes, David Beckham, USA Soccer's All-time Leading Goal scorer Landon Donovan, and Future Baseball Hall of Famer Nomar Garciaparra to name a few. The 90210 trainer and has since successfully worked with clients in the greater Los Angeles area, Miami, FL and Rome, Italy.

His approach to fitness and health is both unique and compelling. He enthusiastically approaches whole body fitness by first tapping into your mind and your motivating factors and then teaches you how to push past your perceived "comfort zones" and believe that your goals are possible. This approach has been extremely useful and effective to help people lose weight, gain muscle mass, increase flexibility, decrease stress, preventing injuries and increasing self-esteem and enhance even performance in other areas of life. Jason maintains his own fitness website (www.90210trainer.com) which includes periodic newsletters with fitness and nutrition tips as well as a healthy recipes. He believes that lifestyle change and learning to enjoy the process is the key.

Julia Huffman

Public Speaking Coach

I want to inspire every actor to become a great actor, with the emphasis on great! After moving to Los Angeles in 1994 Julia has played a gamut of characters in front of the camera in film, television and commercials as well as behind the camera producing, casting and directing.

In the studio: For actors, Julia coaches actors on audition preparation and techniques to book the job! Sessions also include breath work, monologues and use of movement. For professional speakers, Julia helps professionals to connect on a deeper level to their material which, in turn, creates a much stronger connection and results in a much greater impact.

What we teach: In film, less is more. Whether a beginner or a pro, film actors must learn not to add to their natural talent. That is, to learn to do nothing extra. Learn to have a healthy relationship with your talent. Talent is the unique and passionate expression of the self in a specific medium.

Michelle McParland, Ph.D., RDN

Licensed Psychologist & Dietitian

Dr. Michelle McParland is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist as well as a licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles. She is trained in Mindfulness Based Eating Awareness, which she uses along with other modalities to help others find nourishment, joy and healing through their relationship with food. Dr. McParland currently serves as the Nutrition Specialist for High Risk Athletes at UCLA, and as a treatment team member at both the California Pain Medicine Center and the Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders in Los Angeles. She has worked at UCLA’s outpatient eating disorders program as well as Monte Nido residential treatment program, has consulted with Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment Center, has presented at numerous conferences, and regularly advises athletes including those at the Dance Academy of the Coburn School in downtown Los Angeles. Always seeking ways to help bring presence to one’s body and eating experience, Michelle is currently completing training in Neuroaffective Touch, a body focused and neurologically informed therapy that offers psychobiological interventions to those who struggle with a varied range of disordered eating and other challenges.