Desmitificar la salud mental (Demystifying Mental Health)

Dr. Baran has over 20 years’ experience working with young children in a variety of settings. Her expertise includes infant and young child assessment, autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities. She speaks Spanish. She is an avid Tar Heel basketball fan.

Dr. Melina Foden (she/her/ella) is a bilingual, bicultural licensed psychologist. She has received training in multiple evidence-based therapies including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Parent Management Training (PMT), and behavioral approaches. Dr. Foden uses an integrated and strengths-based approach to meet the unique needs of her clients and families. She has worked with youth presenting with a wide range of clinical concerns, including depression, anxiety, autism, trauma, self-harm, suicidality, inattention, hyperactivity and difficulties with emotion regulation. She also has extensive training in working with parents to help support their child. She takes pride in working collaboratively with her clients and families to create safe spaces and nurture their mental health. Dr. Foden is passionate about serving diverse and marginalized youth and families, and increasing accessibility to mental health services. She incorporates a culturally humble approach with all her clients.

Dr. Foden received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Following her work in the UCLA Parenting and Children’s Friendship Program, she began her graduate training across the street within the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium where she earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Foden completed her APA-accredited internship at the USC UCEDD at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). There she provided individual, family, and group therapy to children and adolescents, conducted comprehensive psychological evaluations, and served as a psychology consultant within a multidisciplinary treatment team. At her APA-accredited postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Foden served as the Child and Adolescent fellow within the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She provided individual and family therapy services and served as a group facilitator within the comprehensive adolescent DBT program.

In her time outside the office, she listens to podcasts, searches for the best chocolate cake recipe, and teaches her cat tricks (and is proud to say it’s going rather well!).

Dr. Hsu is a bilingual (Spanish) licensed psychologist who has experience working with individuals throughout the lifespan utilizing individual, group, and psychological testing. In pursuit of her desire to provide culturally competent and sensitive bilingual services to ethnic minority populations, she enrolled in the Diversity and Community Mental Health Proficiency Track at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University. Dr. Hsu specializes in suicide prevention and intervention, anxiety and mood disorders, trauma recovery, and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Hsu’s research and clinical interests include decreasing mental health disparities, suicidology, and understanding how the complexities of human diversity influence emotional health and coping styles. Her therapeutic approach is integrative and strongly influenced by Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and aspects of rapport building from the humanistic tradition. Previously, Dr. Hsu completed her APA accredited internship at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in Culver City, California and her APA accredited postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City, California. At present, Dr. Hsu also conducts quality management at Center for Social Dynamics.