EXPERIENCE. INTEGRITY. AUTHENTICITY.

People seek us out because in addition to our credentials and years of experience, we are able to provide a treatment model that is based on integrity and authenticity. We pride ourselves on being truthful in our communications and feedback in order to identify the central issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. We are not afraid to share our true opinions with you because we know that’s what you are seeking with us.

Deborah E. Lynn, MD

Cofounder, Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst

Dr. Deborah Lynn is a Board-Certified psychiatrist, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. She is on the clinical faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles, teaching at UCLA for over 20 years. Her early career was spent investigating the biology of mother-infant separation, ADHD, temperament, and an in depth investigation of personality development. Dr. Lynn has been in private practice in Westwood, California for over 20 years. She teaches at UCLA and the New Center for Psychoanalysis. She also works as a consultant for City of Hope, addressing psychiatric issues in a consultation/liaison modality in the pediatric oncology population. Dr. Lynn is a graduate of Northwestern Medical School, University of Chicago, and University of Wisconsin, Madison for Psychiatric Residency, and UCLA Child and Adolescent for Child and Adolescent Fellowship and Research Fellowship. She is a long time member, instructor, and senior candidate at the New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles. She is a faculty member of Reiss-Davis Child Study Center.

Gita Zarnegar, PhD

Cofounder, Psychoanalyst/Psychotherapist

Dr. Gita Zarnegar has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, from California School of Professional Psychology and a Psy.D. in psychoanalysis, from the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis. She has a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Loma Linda University and is a licensed M.F.T. since 1988. She has been in private practice for 32 years in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Zarnegar specializes in mood disorders, couples therapy, and trauma related issues. She has lectured at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis, American Jewish University, UCLA, Sinai Temple, Maple Center, Kenter School, Milken High School, the International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, and has been a plenary speaker at the International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology. She was chosen as Scholar in Residence at the Sinai Sisterhood retreat. She has been on the Board of institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in addition to serving as the chair of ICP Extension program for three years.

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Miriam E. Goldblum, MD

Psychiatrist, Psychoanalytic candidate

Dr. Goldblum is a Board-Certified psychiatrist, a clinical fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Stanford University, and a second-year psychoanalytic candidate at the Columbia Psychoanalytic Institute. She practices psychodynamically-oriented psychotherapy with adults, children, and adolescents. She graduated from the Psychiatry Residency training program at Weill Cornell/New York Presbyterian Hospital where she was the Rosemary DeWitt Scholar in the History of Psychiatry. While there she was the Child Psychiatry Chief, completed a training Transference Focused Psychotherapy under Frank Yeomans, MD, and led a psychodynamic group for affective disorders. She has completed research in the areas of eating disorders, maternal depression in the NICU setting, and Borderline character pathology. Dr. Goldblum is a graduate of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where she was the recipient of the prestigious Geffen Scholarship—a full merit scholarship covering all tuition and living expenses for all four years of medical school. She graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University’s Barnard College with a degree in Political Science and received honors for her thesis presentation on the use of suicide as a tool in political conflict. She is a native of Los Angeles, California.

Katia Zarnegar, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Katia Zarnegar graduated Suma Cum Lauda from California State University Northridge, with a Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences.  She is a California licensed clinician and nationally recognized by the American Speech-language and Hearing Association (ASHA) with a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP).

Her areas of specialization are articulation/phonological disorders, receptive/expressive language disorders, social language impairments, fluency/stuttering disorders, auditory processing disorder (reading vs. retention of information), and executive functioning (e.g., planning, organization, time management, task initiation). 

Katia has experience in both public schools and private practice (early intervention – adults). Some of the populations she has provided treatment for include Autism Spectrum Disorder, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, language-based learning disabilities, developmental delays, cognitive delays, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, auditory processing disorder, sensory processing disorder, intellectual disabilities, and hearing impaired.

Tara Schlussel, PhD

Cofounder, Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Tara Schlussel graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. After graduation, she went on to study at California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, where she earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in integrative health psychology. Dr. Schlussel’s research is focused on exploring factors that protect against the intergenerational transmission of trauma. She has trained and worked at the Saban Community Clinic, VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center and West Los Angeles VA, the Simms/Mann – UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology, in addition to private practice settings. Dr. Schlussel has extensive experience implementing evidence-based practices such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I), CBT for Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD), CBT for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as well as mind-body interventions such as Mindfulness Self-Compassion (MSC), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and biofeedback. Dr. Schlussel also has experience administering comprehensive neuropsychological and evaluations as well as providing group, family and couple therapy.

Gil Spielberg, PhD

Clinical Psychologist, Psychoanalyst

Dr. Gil Spielberg is a psychologist and psychoanalyst who works in the West Los Angeles and Santa Monica area, as well as La Jolla, California. He has over 35 years of experience as an individual and group clinical psychologist. After earning his doctorate in psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego, he underwent his post-graduate training at the Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity in New York, and his group psychoanalytic training from the Centre for Advanced Group Studies, New York.

Utilizing the experience of studying various psychoanalytic points of view (relational analysis, self- psychology and modern analysis), Gil is especially interested in exploring the interaction of individual and group development using both interpretive and non-interpretive interventions.

Gil is a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology and a Certified Group Psychotherapist.

His commitment to the field of group treatment includes training the next generation of clinicians and currently, Gil is a training and supervising analyst at the Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. He also works as a consultant to the Actors Fund in LA., as well as being a supervisor at Beit T’Shuvah, an addiction rehab centre in Culver City.

Most recently, Gil has become the clinical director of TMS Brain Health, which has pioneered Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy in the Los Angeles area.

“I enjoy the vitality that comes from a diverse practice encompassing adults of all genders, nationalities, and belief systems, many of whom are in the creative fields. A safe space and atmosphere of trust are fundamental to facilitate an emerging dialogue.  The more present each can be within the therapeutic relationship, the more potent the healing dialogue becomes.”

Sarah Kappen, PsyD

Clinical Psychologist

After receiving her undergraduate degree, Dr. Kappen worked with diverse groups in the non-profit sector in the United States, Europe, and Africa for more than 10 years before returning to graduate school. Dr. Kappen earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology at California Lutheran University. She completed her doctoral internship in clinical health psychology at VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center, an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited training site. Dr. Kappen furthered her specialization with a postdoctoral residency at VA Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center. She has experience implementing evidence-based practices such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). She is a certified provider of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma. She has trained and worked in community and VA settings. Dr. Kappen has experience in providing individual, group, and couples therapy. Additionally, she has experience administering comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Dr. Kappen’s research has focused on the impact and efficacious treatment for survivors of human trafficking and complex trauma. She has particular interest and expertise in the areas of trauma, multicultural psychology, couples therapy, and women’s health.

Carrie Crossman

Stress Resiliency Specialist

Carrie Crossman holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Vanderbilt University and a Master's in Genetics from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. This education led to a career in Genetic Counseling, working with the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and the March of Dimes in New York City. Subsequently, she earned her Montessori Infant, Toddler, and Primary credentials from the NAMC, as well as Early Childhood and Supervisory Certifications from the University of California, Los Angeles. This foundation laid the groundwork for a decade of leadership in founding and directing The Seed, an experiential learning preschool in Los Angeles.
Observing how children thrived in a prepared environment that highly values kindness to self and others, Carrie became passionately curious about the correlative relationship between nature (genetics) and nurture (environment). This curiosity, mixed with a strong commitment to fostering environments that nurture an internal sense of "felt-safety," seamlessly transitioned Carrie into the role of a resiliency specialist and founder of The Innerwork Studio. In the process, she has studied numerous neurosomatic therapies and became a Certified Clinical EFT Practitioner, HeartMath Interventions Practitioner, and Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) Provider. Carrie leverages this extensive mind-body education with specialized knowledge in stress management, nervous system regulation, resilience building, and emotional intelligence.
Scientist at heart, Carrie is passionate about sharing evidence-based techniques and experiences that allow individuals to tap into the transformative power of the mind-body connection. Carrie is currently working with individuals, families, and small groups of children in Los Angeles and across the country, with particular expertise in working with parents, caregivers, and students.