Our Staff

Audra Langley, Ph.D. is the Director of UCLA TIES for Families. Dr. Langley is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Health Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the UCLA DGSOM Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Langley also co-directs the UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families and is the Child Welfare lead for the DMH UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence. Dr. Langley is an experienced clinician and researcher who specializes in culturally responsive, trauma and resiliency informed care for children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress and her body of work has sought to increase access to quality mental health interventions for under-resourced populations of children, including those involved in the child welfare system and school based mental health. Dr. Langley is the author of 4 treatment manuals and books, including “ADAPT Adoption-specific Psychotherapy: A Guide to helping Adopted Children and Their Families Thrive” and “Bounce Back: an Elementary School Intervention for Childhood Trauma.” She has presented and published numerous research papers and trainings on her work.

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 with children and families where child trauma has occurred. Dr. Tsao joined UCLA TIES in 2004. As the Clinical Director, she is responsible for the planning, implementation and oversight of client care and administrative operations of our clinical program. She is also the primary supervisor for our staff clinicians and interdisciplinary consultants. She has experience in bringing and implementing evidence-based practices to a community mental health setting and closely collaborating with the outside agencies to creatively meet the multiple needs of vulnerable children from the child welfare system. As the Training Director for our APPIC-approved Postdoctoral Psychology Program, she serves as primary supervisor and mentor for our postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Tsao has developed trainings and presented in the areas of child trauma, working with children in foster care and adoption, culturally responsive trauma and resilience informed systems, professional wellbeing and reflective leadership.

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), as well as evaluation, treatment and follow-up of prenatally exposed infants placed with foster parents who hope to adopt them, and evaluation of Adoption-specific Therapy. Dr. Waterman is author of 3 books on aspects of child trauma and numerous articles, and is the lead author of Adoption-Specific Therapy: A Guide to Helping Adopted Children and their Families Thrive, published by American Psychological Association Books in 2018. In addition, she is a practicing clinician specializing in treatment with parents and young children.

Catherine Lippincott, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist at UCLA TIES for Families and is highly experienced in specialized services for children age 0-5 and children who have experienced interpersonal trauma, including physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and domestic violence. Dr. Lippincott is trained in a number of evidence-based programs, including Child Parent Psychotherapy, Parent Child Interaction Therapy, and Reflective Parenting Program. She is highly involved in the Infant Mental Health program at UCLA TIES for Families and recently completed the Napa Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship Program, an intensive, interdisciplinary training and mentoring program for professionals who work with children ages 0-5. In addition to providing individual, family and group psychotherapy at TIES, Dr. Lippincott leads parent and children support groups, conducts psychological testing, provides consultation, and supervises clinical psychology postdoctoral fellows and doctoral students.

Alycia Davis, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist at UCLA TIES for Families. Dr. Davis received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. Dr. Davis completed her predoctoral clinical internship at St. John’s Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, where she worked with children, teens, and families in a school-based and community mental health setting. Dr. Davis specializes in providing trauma informed, empirically supported assessment and interventions for children, adolescents, and young adults with a range of mood related symptoms. Dr. Davis is trained in providing interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for children and adolescents with significant mood and behavioral dysregulation. At TIES, she provides individual, collateral, family and group therapy, provides clinical supervision of psychology externs and interns, and conducts preplacement consultation and psychological testing. 

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, and family psychotherapy. Dr. Bencuya began her training at Tufts University, where she received her B.A. and M.A. in Child Development. Dr. Bencuya incorporates this developmental perspective in her work and strives to maximize child and family strengths. 

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 Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Managing and Adapting Practices (MAP), and Reflective Parenting Program (RPP). He has also had training in Seeking Safety, FOCUS, UCLA TIES adoption-specific manualized treatment (ADAPT), and provides grief/loss intervention group services (LIFT program) to prospective adoptive parents whose placements disrupted or are at risk of disruption due to reunification. He provides outreach, consultation, and training to parents in the process of fostering and adopting. He manages our Adoption Promotion and Support Services (APSS) contract with DCFS and facilitates referrals from this contract. He is bilingual and provides services in English and Spanish.

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, neglect, and domestic violence. She is certified in multiple evidence-based practices, including Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Managing and Adapting Practices (MAP), Reflective Parenting (RPP), and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). She also has training in Seeking Safety and UCLA TIES Adoption-Specific Manualized Treatment (ADAPT). In addition to providing individual, family and group psychotherapy at TIES, Belveth leads parent and children support groups. She is bilingual and provides services in English and Spanish. Prior to working at TIES, Belveth worked with children and families in the school-based setting as a school counselor at Edison Language Academy, Santa Monica Malibu-Unified School District, and provided community based mental health services at Family Services of Santa Monica, a division of Vista Del Mar. 

Danielle Perryman, Psy.D. received her doctoral degree in Clinical Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology- Los Angeles, CA in 2014. Dr. Perryman completed her pre-doctoral internship from Child and Family Center in Santa Clarita, CA where she was trained in early childhood mental health, preschool consultation, psychoeducational assessments, intake assessments, and outpatient mental health therapy for children and families. Dr. Perryman continued her career within the community mental health field, providing services at Children’s Institute, Inc as a Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (MAT) Assessor, in addition to providing evidence-based therapy to children and families. Dr. Perryman has been trained in Seeking Safety, Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Infant Massage, and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Prior to coming to TIES, Dr. Perryman also worked in the correctional setting, providing weekly individual therapy to incarcerated youth at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. At TIES, Dr. Perryman is a part of the Infant Mental Health (IMH) Team, provides individual and family therapy, leads support groups for children and parents, and provides psychological testing.

Brenda Pitchford, MSW/ASW received her undergraduate degree from UCLA in African American Studies and her graduate degree from USC School of Social Work. Her areas of interest are infant mental health and the impact of trauma on development and relationships. She received training in the following evidence-based practices: Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Structural Family therapy (SFT), Managing and Adapting Practices (MAP), UCLA TIES adoption-specific manualized treatment (ADAPT), and Seeking Safety. At TIES, she provides individual, collateral, family, and group therapy and conducts pre-placement consultations.

Victor Rico, Ph.D. received his doctoral degree from The University of Texas -Austin in 2011. Dr. Rico completed his APA approved clinical psychology internship with Children’s Institute Inc., providing bilingual (English and Spanish) evidence-based outpatient mental health services to children and families, behavioral consultation in pre-school settings, and group therapy for men under the Project Fatherhood program. Dr. Rico continued his work in community mental health with Pacific Clinics East -Monrovia and Didi Hirsch Outpatient Mental Health -Inglewood, providing evidence-based treatment interventions to children, adolescents, and families. Specific areas of clinical and research interest include ethnic identity, sexual orientation identity, children and adolescents with post traumatic stress, and providing evidence-based interventions to community settings and underserved populations. At TIES, Dr. Rico provides individual and family psychotherapy utilizing evidence based treatment approaches such as CBT, TF-CBT, Triple P, Seeking Safety and MAP (Managing and Adapting Practice), conducts psychological testing and assessment, administers group and family clinical services tailored to the specific circumstances of foster and adoptive placement. Dr. Rico is also the Parent and Youth Mentor program coordinator, where experienced adoptive parents and successful former foster UCLA college students are matched with new adoptive parents and current foster/adoptive youth, respectively.

Melita Daley, M.D. is a full-time faculty member and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute and graduated from the UCLA child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program in 2002. Dr. Daley has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents from high risk backgrounds, and worked for several years in an underserved area in California with children who had been placed in group homes, the foster care system, as well as Juvenile Hall. Dr. Daley also serves as the Medical Director of the UCLA Center for the Assessment and Prevention of Prodromal States for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents at high risk for psychosis. In addition, she teaches in the UCLA Tuesday Child Evaluation Clinic which sees children and adolescents from ages 3-18 years old for a wide range of both developmental disabilities as well as other psychiatric disorders including ADHD, Mood disorders, Psychotic Disorders, and Anxiety Disorders. Dr. Daley has recently been the recipient of a National Institute of Health Career Development award, two Narsad awards, as well as an Epilepsy Foundation of America award. She is a member of the UCLA Ethics Committee and she is board certified in both Child and Adolescent as well as Adult Psychiatry in both Canada and the United States.

Los Angeles native Tanisha Tatum received her undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount University. She continued her education at California State University- Los Angeles, where she received a Master of Science in Counseling with an emphasis in School Psychology in early 2013. She also has her P.P.S. and Child and Welfare Attendance credentials. Tanisha is licensed as a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP) which is certified by the Board of Behavioral Sciences in California and as a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA). Additionally, Tanisha has been working in the school system for over 10 years as a School Psychologist and more recently the Director of Special Education and Program Specialist.

Lori Waldinger, M.A. is an Educational Consultant with UCLA TIES. She has worked with our project since 1998. She has a Master’s Degree and holds California teaching credentials in General Education and Special Education. She has special education teaching experiences in both public and in a non-public school setting. Since leaving the classroom in 1980, Ms. Waldinger has been in private practice as an advocate and educational consultant. In addition to her private practice, she provides direct educational and mental health support, consultation and advocacy services to the families and staff in the TIES project. Ms. Waldinger attends school meetings, participates in IEP and 504 Planning meetings and conducts school assessments. She also provides school observations and in-service trainings to school staff so that they can better support and understand the educational and mental health needs of TIES clients. Ms. Waldinger also participates in and provides consultation and recommendations to TIES staff, families and outside agency staff to identify and address the educational needs of individuals referred to TIES. Ms. Waldinger has presented workshops to families, agency and community staff on topics such as Understanding How Trauma Impacts Educational Functioning, Trauma-Informed Approaches to Address Student’s Educational and Mental Health Needs, and Managing ADHD in School.

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 protection. She has been the Medical Director of the UCLA Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Team since 1992 where her primary role is evaluating child abuse and neglect cases, which include prenatally substance exposed infants. She also focuses on education regarding child endangerment within the UCLA Medical Center and within Los Angeles County Department of Social Welfare. The TIES pediatrician's role is for consultation and unfortunately is not able to become the primary care physician for our TIES children.

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 delivers screenings/evaluations for children at risk for speech and language difficulties, consultations for parents and staff, and provides speech-language therapy when the diagnosed communication delay/disorder has a negative impact on social emotional development. Additionally, Rebecca was trained in the 4-Digit Diagnostic Code for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and participates on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum (FAS) team.

 Dr. Shulamite Green is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. Dr. Green is a licensed clinical psychologist with clinical expertise in children and families, neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, as well as early life trauma, foster care, and adoption. She did much of her training at TIES, starting in 2010, and has served as TIES' autism specialist beginning in 2017. Dr. Green also directs the UCLA Sensory, Cognitive, and Affective Neurodevelopment (SCAN) lab in the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience. Her research integrates neuroimaging, physiological, and behavioral methods to identify the neurobiological underpinnings of atypical sensory processing in children with neurodevelopmental conditions, and to help develop interventions to improve sensory processing. At TIES, Dr. Green conducts comprehensive autism assessments, provides consultation for clinicians working with children with autism, and meets with families of children with autism to provide parenting support.

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 students to go to college.

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 responsible for entering/updating client data on our electronic health record system (Exym) to record any clients that choose to receive mental health services from UCLA TIES for Families.

Araceli Barajas has been part of the administrative staff at TIES since 2004. She completes the Department of Mental Health (DMH) billing functions for the TIES program. She is responsible for overseeing a comprehensive internal audit program that ensures effective controls for safeguarding PHI and ensures compliance with applicable federal, state and LACDMH regulations. Araceli manages the integration of custom content updates, including clinician & ancillary staff documentation templates and custom databases/reports, to be used for quality improvement, quality assurance, and research. At TIES she is responsible for the electronic health record system (Exym) to include the effective configuration, operation, and maintenance of systems hardware, software and related infrastructure.

Sarah Xu, B.A., received her undergraduate degree from UCLA in Psychology. Previously, Sarah worked as a piano teacher for underserved youth in Los Angeles and as an instructional aide for neurodiverse college students at UCLA Pathway. At TIES, she now serves as the Community Resource Coordinator, where she researches and facilitates connections to community services for TIES families. Sarah worked at TIES as a student and is excited to be rejoining.

Matthew Ruderman, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who specializes in early childhood mental health, research and evaluation, bullying and victimization, preschool mental health consultation, and trauma-informed care. He received his doctorate in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Ruderman completed his doctoral internship at St. John's Child and Family Development Center and his postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA TIES for Families. Before rejoining the TIES staff, he served as staff psychologist, supervisor, and trainer at a community mental health clinic. Dr. Ruderman is the recipient of Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars fellowship focusing on addressing health disparities, health inequities, and building a culture of health.

Ana Berman received her B.A. in Psychology from UCLA in 2023, where she graduated magna cum laude and in the honors college. She now works as the Research Coordinator at UCLA TIES for Families. Previously, Ana worked in multiple labs as a research assistant and a project coordinator. Her projects have been presented at various UCLA Undergraduate Research Conferences, the APA Division 45 Research Conference, and the Western Psychological Association Conference. Ana's primary research interests include exploring how being interracially adopted and race/ethnicity affects outcomes for youth in or adopted from foster care.