Kristen McDonald, Ph.D.

Dr. Kristen McDonald is a licensed psychologist and cognitive-behavioral therapist at the UCLA Adult OCD Intensive Treatment Program. She specializes in integrating behavioral treatments, such as Exposure and Response Prevention, into a comprehensive and individualized treatment program that is grounded in human kindness and collaboration. Dr. McDonald also serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the UCLA Psychology Department, with a focus on clinical supervision and training. She has a background in psychosocial rehabilitation and the treatment of mood, anxiety, sleep, and thought-disorders in both young and older adult populations, including 6 years in leadership and clinical roles at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and 5 years at UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services.

Dr. McDonald has a background in the humanities and interdisciplinary studies, having earned a Bachelor’s Degree in American Studies at Pomona College in 1997 prior to completing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2008. She went on to complete a clinical internship at the Psychology Internship Consortium at Albany Medical College in 2008 and a postdoctoral fellowship in psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in 2009. In her spare time, she can be found cycling across the roads of Los Angeles or hiking in the backcountry. She maintains a small private practice in Culver City and Santa Monica, specializing in individual work with adults.