UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD)

OCD is a mental health condition characterized by persistent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) performed to reduce anxiety or prevent a feared event. These compulsions can be time-consuming and interfere with daily life. Common obsessions include fears of contamination or harming others, while compulsions might involve excessive cleaning or checking.

Check back soon for details on current research opportunities and how to get involved.

At the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, we are committed to advancing scientific understanding and improving treatment options for children and adolescents with OCD, anxiety, and tic disorders. As a state-of-the-art clinical and research center, our team of experts conducts cutting-edge studies to explore the causes, treatments, and outcomes associated with these conditions. Through our research initiatives, families have the opportunity to participate in innovative clinical trials, observational studies, and treatment development programs that contribute to the future of pediatric mental health care. By joining our research efforts, participants help shape the next generation of evidence-based treatments while gaining access to specialized assessments and interventions.

Please note: Participation in research is completely separate from our clinical services. Families are not expected or required to take part in research in order to pursue therapy at our clinic.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, or unease that can be mild or severe. It is often a response to stress or danger, but for some people, it can become chronic and occur without a clear trigger. Symptoms may include restlessness, rapid heart rate, excessive worry, and difficulty concentrating. When anxiety significantly interferes with daily functioning, it may be classified as an anxiety disorder.

Check back soon for details on current research opportunities and how to get involved.

At the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, we are committed to advancing scientific understanding and improving treatment options for children and adolescents with OCD, anxiety, and tic disorders. As a state-of-the-art clinical and research center, our team of experts conducts cutting-edge studies to explore the causes, treatments, and outcomes associated with these conditions. Through our research initiatives, families have the opportunity to participate in innovative clinical trials, observational studies, and treatment development programs that contribute to the future of pediatric mental health care. By joining our research efforts, participants help shape the next generation of evidence-based treatments while gaining access to specialized assessments and interventions.

Please note: Participation in research is completely separate from our clinical services. Families are not expected or required to take part in research in order to pursue therapy at our clinic.

Tics

Tics are sudden, repetitive movements or sounds that are difficult to control. They can be motor tics (such as eye blinking or head jerking) or vocal tics (like grunting or throat clearing). Tics are often seen in conditions like Tourette Syndrome, but they can also occur in isolation. They can range from mild to severe and are typically exacerbated by stress or excitement.

See below for Active Studies:

• Project: Forehead Temperature-regulating Therapy in Adults with Tourette’s Disorder
  

At the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, we are committed to advancing scientific understanding and improving treatment options for children and adolescents with OCD, anxiety, and tic disorders. As a state-of-the-art clinical and research center, our team of experts conducts cutting-edge studies to explore the causes, treatments, and outcomes associated with these conditions. Through our research initiatives, families have the opportunity to participate in innovative clinical trials, observational studies, and treatment development programs that contribute to the future of pediatric mental health care. By joining our research efforts, participants help shape the next generation of evidence-based treatments while gaining access to specialized assessments and interventions.

Please note: Participation in research is completely separate from our clinical services. Families are not expected or required to take part in research in order to pursue therapy at our clinic.

Forehead Temperature-regulating Therapy in Adults with Tourette’s Disorder

Investigators at UCLA, including Dr. Emily Ricketts, are recruiting up to 25 adults aged 18 to 50 years with Tourette’s disorder and co-occurring insomnia for a study piloting forehead temperature-regulating therapy. This study evaluates the preliminary effects of forehead temperature-regulating therapy on sleep, depression, anxiety, daytime sleepiness, and tic severity.

Participation involves: 

• An initial eligibility evaluation involving interviews and questionnaires
• 5 weeks of continuous sleep monitoring with a sleep watch and sleep diary
• 4 weeks of nightly in-home forehead temperature-regulating therapy during sleep
• Pre- and post-treatment interviews, questionnaires, and computer tasks
• Parking vouchers at each visit and up to $250 cash payment upon study completion

If you are interested in being screened for this study, please contact mtooker@mednet.ucla.edu or call 310-825-2701.

Trichotillomania (Trich)

Trichotillomania is a mental health condition where individuals have an irresistible urge to pull out their own hair, leading to noticeable hair loss. This behavior is often a way to cope with feelings of stress, anxiety, or boredom. The condition is classified as a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) and can affect any area of the body, though the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes are most commonly targeted.

Check back soon for details on current research opportunities and how to get involved.

At the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, we are committed to advancing scientific understanding and improving treatment options for children and adolescents with OCD, anxiety, and tic disorders. As a state-of-the-art clinical and research center, our team of experts conducts cutting-edge studies to explore the causes, treatments, and outcomes associated with these conditions. Through our research initiatives, families have the opportunity to participate in innovative clinical trials, observational studies, and treatment development programs that contribute to the future of pediatric mental health care. By joining our research efforts, participants help shape the next generation of evidence-based treatments while gaining access to specialized assessments and interventions.

Please note: Participation in research is completely separate from our clinical services. Families are not expected or required to take part in research in order to pursue therapy at our clinic.

At the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety & Tic Disorders Program, we provide evidence-based therapies to help children and adolescents manage their symptoms and improve daily life. We are a short-term stabilization option, thus we do NOT provide long-term or “lifetime’ therapy. Our primary treatments include: 

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, which helps children identify and change negative thought patterns. 
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, which reduces compulsive behaviors by gradually exposing children to anxiety-provoking situations. 
• Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), which teaches children strategies to manage and reduce tic behaviors.

Booking

New Patient Inquiries: Please Contact Us.

Current Patients & Waiting Pool Inquiries: If you are already in our program or are checking your child’s waiting pool status, please contact the email provided during onboarding (@mednet.ucla.edu).

Referring Providers: For clinician-to-clinician communication, please call (310) 923-8086. This number is not for patient inquiries. If necessary, leave a voicemail with your name and callback number.

Location

UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program Locations

We have two offices connected to UCLA. 

• Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
  740-760 Westwood Plaza, Suite 68-251
  Los Angeles, CA 90095
• 300 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite 1200
  Los Angeles, CA 90095 

Faculty and Staff

Director: John Piacentini, Ph.D., ABPP

Assistant Director: Julia Revillion Cox, Ph.D., LCP

UCLA IOP is a separate program than the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety and Tic Disorders Clinic. This is a more intensive treatment program designed for families looking for more rigorous treatment than the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety and Tic Disorders program. UCLA IOP offers daily group and individual intervention for youth ages 8 to 17 with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The program provides Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) strategies, utilizing empirically validated Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). The program operates Monday-Thursday 1-4 p.m. For more information, please contact Sisi Guo at (310) 206-4875 or childocdiop@mednet.ucla.edu.

This intensive program offers twelve hours of treatment per week, including

• Individually tailored graduated exposure
• OCD education
• Cognitive coping skills
• Mindfulness and relaxation
• Problem solving and relapse prevention
• Parent education and training
• Parent support groups

Director: Sisi Guo, PhD
Associate Director: Mina Yadegar, PsyD
Medical Director: Jena Lee, MD
Clinical Psychologist: Reina Factor, PhD

Booking

Availability: Monday-Thursday 1-4 pm

Financial advisors are available to assist with determination of insurance benefits and many insurance plans provide coverage for this program. Self-paying clients are also welcome. For information & appointments, please call Sisi Guo at (310) 206-4875 or childocdiop@mednet.ucla.edu.

Location

For more parking and transportation information, please visit www.semel.ucla.edu/maps

Faculty and Staff

Director: Sisi Guo, PhD
Associate Director: Mina Yadegar, PsyD
Medical Director: Jena Lee, MD
Clinical Psychologist: Reina Factor, PhD

Gifting

If you would like to make a gift to the Child OCD Intensive Treatment Program, please make the check payable to “The UCLA Foundation” and write “Fund 626110” in the memo line. The check can be sent to Development as follows:

Amy Drizhal
Senior Director of Development, Neuroscience
The UCLA Foundation
PO Box 7145
Pasadena, CA 91109-9903
310.773-7436
ADrizhal@mednet.ucla.edu

To make a credit card donation online, please visit www.giving.ucla.edu/ChildOCD

Sisi Guo, Ph.D.
Director

Dr. Sisi Guo is the Director of the Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, an Assistant Health Sciences Professor of Child Psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute, and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Guo’s clinical and research interests are in the training and delivery of evidence-based treatments for youth and families, with a particular focus on anxiety and OCD-related disorders.  

Mina Yadegar, PsyD
Associate Director

Dr. Mina Yadegar is the Associate Director of the Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. Dr. Yadegar earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. She then completed her predoctoral internship at Harvard Medical/Boston Children’s Hospital and her postdoctoral fellowship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Yadegar has extensive expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, anxiety, and related disorders. She also specializes in Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), as well as parent behavioral training and parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) for attention and behavior challenges. She is passionate about training clinicians and disseminating evidence-based treatments through a diversity-sensitive lens.

Jena Lee, MD
Medical Director

Dr. Lee is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Chicago and her medical education at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She subsequently completed her training in general and child psychiatry at Stanford University.

Dr. Lee serves as the Director of the Pediatric Psychiatry Consult-Liaison and Pediatric Emergency Psychiatry services at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. She also serves as an attending in the Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental (CAN) Clinic.

Dr. Lee provides evidence-based psychiatric diagnostic and treatment services for a wide range of disorders. Her particular areas of clinical interest include suicide prevention and the medical psychiatric interface.

Reina Factor, PhD
Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Reina Factor, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who works with individuals across the lifespan, with an emphasis on individual and group interventions that involve the family. She has expertise working with autistic individuals and neurodevelopmental disabilities of all ages, particularly with the pediatric population, as well as individuals with a range of co-occurring diagnoses including anxiety, depression, early psychosis, ADHD, OCD, ODD, and mood disorders. Dr. Factor serves as a clinical psychologist in the Parenting and Children’s Friendship Clinic. Dr. Factor earned her undergraduate degree at Emory University, where she completed an honors thesis examining an early social responsiveness screener. She completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Tech and subsequently her predoctoral and postdoctoral work at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Additionally, Dr. Factor has conducted extensive research, particularly focusing on the social and emotional development in autistic children, highlighting the impact of systems (e.g., peers, parents, the family) and how they inform interventions by looking at mechanisms of change and treatment outcomes. Dr. Factor was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and is a proud third generation UCLA Bruin and 4th generation Californian!

Director:
John Piacentini, Ph.D., ABPP 

Dr. Piacentini is a board-certified clinical child and adolescent psychologist and Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences.  He directs the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic and Tourette Association Center of Excellence which provide diagnostic evaluation and treatment (both therapy and medication) for youth with the above problems.  He also directs the UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilience, Education, and Support (CARES; carescenter.ucla.edu) which provides education and programming to parents, teachers, and clinicians about anxiety prevention and management. 
Dr. Piacentini’s research focuses on the development and testing of effective treatments for youth OCD, anxiety, tics, and body focused repetitive disorders. He has played a lead role in several major treatment studies for these disorders and has published over 300 scientific papers and chapters and nine books.   
Dr. Piacentini has a long history of child and family advocacy and serves on national Boards for several organizations, including the Anxiety Depression Association of America and the International OCD Foundation. He chairs the Scientific Advisory Board for the TLC Foundation for BFRBs, and co-chairs the same board for the theTourette Association of America. 

Co-Director:
Tara S. Peris, Ph.D. 

Dr. Tara Peris is a Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. She is currently the Vice Chair for Research and the Associate Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition, she is the Program Director of the UCLA ABC Partial Hospitalization Program and Co-Director of the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program. Dr. Peris’s research and clinical interests are in developmental psychopathology, with a particular focus on anxiety, OCD, and related disorders. Her research examines developmental trajectories of these conditions as well as strategies for optimizing treatment outcome.  Dr. Peris’s work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental health, the Patient Centered Research Institute, the Brain and Behavior Foundation and other private foundations. She is the recipient of the 2016 Abidin Early Career Award from the Society of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.

Assistant Director:
Julia Revillion Cox, Ph.D., LCP 

Dr. Julia Revillion Cox is the Assistant Clinical Director of the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program and an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA. Dr. Cox earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in 2019. 

Program Coordinator:
Sophia Barden, B.S. 

Sophie is the Clinical Coordinator for the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program. Sophie earned her bachelor’s degree in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA in 2023. She is passionate about bridging clinical care and research to improve outcomes for children and adolescents with OCD, anxiety, and tic disorders. 

Staff Psychiatrist:
Margaret Stuber, MD 

Margaret L. Stuber MD is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, who did her residency and fellowship at UCLA. Her research work has been in posttraumatic stress and seriously medically ill children and adolescents. She has worked as an educator for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network for the past 20 years. She has been involved in curricular development for medical students and continues to focus on interprofessional education with the schools of nursing, dentistry, public health and medicine. Since 2018 she has been the Program Director for the VA-based psychiatry residency at UCLA. 

Staff Psychologist:
Emily Ricketts, Ph.D., LCP 

Dr. Ricketts is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. She is housed in the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program. Here, she provides training and supervision to clinical graduate externs; serves as an attending in the outpatient trainee clinic, where she trains and supervises clinical psychology interns and psychiatry fellows in behavior therapy; and treats patients with tic disorders, OCD, body-focused repetitive behavior disorders, and anxiety disorders. 
Dr. Ricketts’ research centers on sleep and circadian disturbance and intervention in Tourette’s disorder, OC-related disorders (trichotillomania, skin picking disorder), and associated psychopathology (anxiety, ADHD). She has received grant funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Tourette Association of America, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Ongoing and recent grant-funded projects center on circadian rhythms (dim light melatonin onset) and sleep (actigraphy, home polysomnography), and novel wearable interventions (light therapy, frontal cerebral thermal therapy) in youth and adults with Tourette’s disorder. Dr. Ricketts maintains research collaborations with the UCLA Laboratory of Circadian and Sleep Medicine and UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative. Her emerging research interests span behavior therapy and light therapy for adolescents with delayed circadian timing in clinical populations, the impact of light exposure and light sensitivity on sleep and circadian disruption and related markers of health, and the therapeutic potential of cannabis for insomnia. 

Staff Psychologist:
Sisi Guo, P.hD., LCP 

Dr. Guo is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA School of Medicine and the Director of the Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. In addition, she is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Guo’s clinical and research interests are in the training and delivery of evidence-based treatments for youth and families, with a particular focus on anxiety and OCD-related disorders.  

Staff Psychologist:
Michael Treanor, Ph.D., LCP 

Dr. Treanor (He/Him) is currently an Attending with the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program. He completed an APA approved internship at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Behavioral Sciences Division, at the Boston VA and a National Institute of Mental Health T32 postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA. His research at UCLA examines methods for improving exposure therapy. In addition to his research and patient care, he actively supervises and trains other mental health professionals in cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. 

Staff Psychologist:
Stephanie Violante, Ph.D., LCP 

Dr. Violante is an Attending Clinical Psychologist with the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program and the Center for Child Anxiety, Resilience, Education and Support (CARES). She completed her predoctoral internship in the General Child Track at the UCLA Semel Institute and her postdoctoral fellowship with the UCLA Child, OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program and CARES Center. Her clinical interests include evidence-based interventions for youth with anxiety, OCD, tic disorders, and BFRBs. She also has experience in working with youth coping with acute or chronic illness. Dr. Violante’s research interests include the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based treatments for youth, program development, and measure development. 

General Mental Health & Anxiety Support

• Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
• Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
• Boston Child Study Center – Los Angeles
• UCLA Anxiety Disorders Program for Adults
• California Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress

Intensive Outpatient (IOP) & Partial Hospitalization (PHP) Programs

• Achievement, Behavior, Cognition (ABC) Child Program (PHP) 
• Rogers Los Angeles Behavioral Health Treatment Center
• UCLA Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program
• Wavemind Clinic (Outpatient and IOP) 

OCD & Related Disorders

• International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
• MGH OCD and Related Disorders Program
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Web Page on OCD
• Child Anxiety and Phobia Clinic at FIU

Neurodevelopmental Delay & Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic at UCLA
• Spectrum Psych Los Angeles
• UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART)
• UCLA Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental Clinic (CAN)  

Other Specialized Programs

• Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA)
• Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC)
• Selective Mutism Association
• Center for the Assessment and Prevention of Prodromal States (CAPPS)
• Semel Program for ADHD and Related Conditions (PARC)
• UCLA Child & Adolescent Mood Disorders Program (CHAMP)
• UCLA Family Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Clinic
• UCLA Youth Stress and Mood Program (YSAM)
• UCLA Medical Psychology Assessment Center (MPAC)

Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Programs

Therapist-Guided Online CBT for Skin Picking

Therapist-Guided Online CBT for Trichotillomania

For Parents & Teachers

• Helping Your Anxious Child: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents – Rapee et al. (2000)
• Help for Worried Kids: How Your Child Can Conquer Anxiety and Fear – Last (2006)
• Worried No More: Help and Hope for Anxious Children – Wagner
• Monsters Under the Bed and Other Childhood Fears: Helping Your Child Overcome Anxieties, Fears, and Phobias – Garber, Garber, & Spizman
• Parenting Your Anxious Child with Mindfulness and Acceptance – McCurry
• What to Do When Your Child Has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Strategies and Solutions – Wagner
• Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Practical Program for Parents – Chansky
• Helping Your Child with Selective Mutism: Practical Steps to Overcome a Fear of Speaking – McHolm, Cunningham, & Vanier (2005)
• Good Friends Are Hard to Find: Help Your Child Find, Make, and Keep Friends – Frankel & Wetmore (1996)
• Understanding Children of Special Needs – Jack Taulbee (2005)
• Mental Health Medications for Children: A Primer – Brown et al. (2005)

For Children

Scary Night Visitors: A Story for Children with Bedtime Fears – Marcus, Marcus, & Jesche

Wemberly Worried – Henkes

Up and Down the Worry Hill – Wagner

First Day Jitters – Danneberg

I Don’t Know Why…I Guess I’m Shy: A Story About Taming Imaginary Fears – Cain & Smith-Moore

Into the Great Forest: A Story for Children Away from Parents for the First Time – Marcus, Marcus, & Jesche

Night Light: A Story for Children Afraid of the Dark – Dutro & Boyle

PsychForums: Psychology and Mental Health Forum

The PsychForums platform provides a space where individuals can discuss mental health topics, share experiences, and receive support.

Additionally, The Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program at UCLA collaborates with PsychForums to conduct research surveys. Learn more about participating here.

To read more information about each disorder, please select from the menu below.

Stay Updated

Check back at a later date for news and announcements pertinent to the clinic, including updates on new services, upcoming events, and mental health resources.

Support Our Program 

Your generous contributions help us continue providing exceptional care and conducting innovative research at the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety & Tic Disorders Program. If you’d like to support our work, you can make an online gift by following the steps below: 

1. Visit UCLA Giving. 
2. Under the Gift Information section, select “Childhood and Developmental”.
3. In the Comments box, please specify “Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program”. 

If you prefer to give by mail or have any questions about making a donation, please contact: 

Amy Drizhal 
Senior Director of Development, Neuroscience
The UCLA Foundation
PO Box 7145
Pasadena, CA 91109-9903
310.773.7436
ADrizhal@mednet.ucla.edu 

Thank you for your support!