Our Staff

Eugenia Hsu Tsao, Ph.D. is the Director of Clinical Services of UCLA TIES for Families and Training Director for our APPIC-approved Postdoctoral Psychology Program. Dr. Tsao is also the Department of Children and Families Services Project Lead at the Department of Mental Health – UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence. Dr. Tsao is a Clinical Psychologist who received her doctorate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2003 and subsequent specialized training in developmental psychopathology and working... more

Jill Waterman, Ph.D. was one of the initial developers of TIES for Adoption in 1995 (now UCLA TIES for Families) and currently is the Associate Director of Infant Mental Health, as well as a supervisor of psychology externs and postdoctoral fellows. She is Adjunct Professor Emerita in the UCLA Psychology Department and former Coordinator of the UCLA Psychology Clinic, the training clinic for UCLA’s top-ranked Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. Dr. Waterman’s research involves long-term follow-up of children adopted from foster care and their families (many now adolescents and young adults... more

Paisha Allmendinger received her MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2013 and her BA in Economics from UCLA in 2004. At TIES, Paisha serves as the Business Manager, responsible for the financial and administrative operations of the organization. She has over 15 years of experience in administrative management at UCLA including diverse aspects of executive leadership, operations management, fiscal management, and strategic planning. As a first generation college graduate, Paisha has a great passion for education and volunteers her time with organizations that inspire underserved... more

Carlos Zacarias, B.A. received his undergraduate degree from UCLA in Psychology. He is now part of the administrative staff for the UCLA TIES program. He is responsible for a wide variety of administrative support, including answering phone and emails as the first point of contact for TIES clients, facilitating the referral process, updating client charts, monitoring and reporting on contract deliverables, coordinating training sessions, overseeing daily office functions, and supporting quality assurance/quality improvement projects on the Department of Mental Health contract. He is also... more

Belveth Marroquin, LCSW earned a degree of Bachelor of Arts with majors in Law & Society and  Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2004 and received her master’s degree from the USC School of Social Work in 2011. She has been a staff therapist at UCLA TIES for Families since 2016, is a part of TIES Infant Mental Health (IMH) Team and is the Adoption Promotion Support Services (APSS) Mentoring Coordinator since 2018. She is experienced in trauma, including physical and sexual abuse,... more

Rebecca Luce James, M.A., CCC-SLP received her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Northwestern University in December of 1999. She has worked in a variety of settings including independent non-profit special education schools for students with emotional disturbance, multidisciplinary clinics, and private practice. Her areas of special interest include the evaluation and treatment of childhood communication disorders including: speech delays/disorders, language delays/disorders, language-based learning disabilities and fluency disorders. At UCLA TIES for Families, Rebecca... more

Natalie Bencuya, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with expertise in the areas of early childhood behavior problems and attachment, trauma and loss, and treatment of child anxiety. She received her doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Bencuya received training in trauma-informed care during her doctoral internship at Children’s Institute, Inc. and her postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA TIES for Families. Prior to rejoining the TIES staff in 2020, she worked in a group mental health practice in Santa Monica. At TIES, she currently provides individual, collateral... more

Ahab Liskin, LCSW, earned a BA in psychology from UC Berkeley, an MSW from USC, and has been licensed since 2000. He has been a staff therapist and clinical supervisor at UCLA TIES for Families since 2007. He has worked with children and families in multiple settings, including Seneca Center (residential treatment in the Bay Area), DCFS Adoptions Division, LA Child Guidance Clinic Day Treatment and Early Intervention programs, and JFSLA. At TIES, he provides psychotherapy to children, families, parents, and groups. He is certified in multiple evidence based practices, including Child... more

Martha A. Rios, Ph.D. received her doctoral degree from the USC Department of Psychology in 2005. Her areas of interest are parenting and behavioral services. Before joining the TIES staff, Dr. Rios worked in community mental health settings with high-risk children and families. At TIES, she conducts interdisciplinary consultation and psychological testing, leads support groups for children and parents, and provides individual, family and group psychotherapy both in English and Spanish. Dr. Rios also manages both In-home Behavioral Services and Therapeutic Behavior Services.

Claudia Wang, M.D. is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA and our TIES healthcare consultant. At TIES, she provides medical consultation for referred cases by reviewing available medical records, identifying possible additional medical information which may be sought in order to assist in the evaluation, providing a medical summary, and giving feedback to the providers. The pediatrician may be requested to attend a child's developmental assessment in order to see the child and discuss the caregiver's medical concerns. Dr. Wang's other interest is in child... more