Orange County Family Wellness Group
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Meet Our Team

DR. NICOLE CHAVEZ
DR. PARIE FARIDNIA
Anne Brunson
Jennifer Leaver
Sally Mansour
McKayla Kay
Raymeka Moss

Dr. Nicole Chavez

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Dr. Nicole Chavez is a licensed clinical psychologist, certified play therapist, and has specialized training in maternal mental health. She has been providing therapeutic and supportive services to children, adolescents, parents, and families since 2007. She has experience in providing therapy in a variety of settings to children ages 0-21, as well as working with pregnant and new mothers.  She strongly believes in prevention and early intervention in order to maintain individual well-being, to promote healthy family relationships, and to facilitate positive bonding and attachment between the child and caregiver. While she enjoys providing individual therapy, she is a strong believe in the importance of working with the whole family. Dr. Chavez enjoys working with parents individually to help them improve their confidence in their parenting skills.
  
Dr. Chavez is dedicated to providing quality services and personalized care to each and every one of her clients. She prefers to work collaboratively with her clients in which they are an active participate in their change. 
Aside from providing therapy, Dr. Chavez enjoys psychological testing. She is able to provide psychological testing for a variety of struggles, including ADHD, learning disabilities, and helping an individual clarify emotional struggles and learn personal strengths and weaknesses.  She is also skilled in early assessment and diagnosis of perinatal mood disorders and childhood mental health disorders. Dr. Chavez’s passion for psychological testing goes beyond the clinical setting, she also teaches psychological testing at the American School of Professional Psychology, and supervises unlicensed professionals and students in the area of psychological testing. 

Dr. Chavez earned her doctorate degree from the American School of Professional Psychology, Orange County in 2010. Dr. Chavez holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Clemson University. She also holds a certificate in Play Therapy from the University of California, San Diego Extension Program. She also has training in and use evidence based practices, including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and Functional Family Therapy when working with families. 

Dr. Chavez is licensed in the State of California as a clinical psychologist. PSY 24982

Dr. Parie Faridnia

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I'm passionate about using humor, stories, and analogies to help my clients look at their challenges from a new perspective.
View on Psychology Today
If you feel stuck in old patterns it may seem impossible to free yourself. Today is the day. All you need to start the therapy process is the willingness to make that first contact. Dr. Faridnia believes in the innate ability of her clients to transform themselves, their relationships, and their lives. Everyone encounters challenges whether it's depression, anxiety, loss, failed relationships, compulsions, or past traumas. Dr. Faridnia works collaboratively with her clients to develop self-awareness and self esteem, a key foundation of meaningful relationships. She enjoys acting as an empowering, knowledgeable guide along each client’s unique therapeutic journey. Dr. Faridnia is a strong supporter of prevention and early intervention to bring about and maintain healthy familial attachments, reduce incidence and severity of risk factors, and increase individual strengths. Dr. Faridnia is committed to helping children, teens, and their families improve their communication and relationships.

Dr. Faridnia is a certified expert in parenting and family therapy. She is certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), an evidence based treatment model, where she provides education and live coaching to parents to strengthen the parent-child bond, promote healthy parent-child attachment relationships, and decrease maladaptive child behavior. Dr. Faridnia is also certified in Functional Family Therapy, an evidenced based short-term family therapy model for tweens, teens, and young adults (aged 10-21) to decrease risky behavior, blame, and negativity, and increase responsibility, warmth, and functional communication. She helps to engage and motivate teens and their families by decreasing intense negativity, reducing and eliminating problem behaviors, and strengthening familial relationships and communication. 
Dr. Faridnia has specialized training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, play therapy, and suicide assessment and intervention.She is passionate about helping individuals who are suicidal find another way to cope with overwhelming despair, pain, and suffering.  She utilizes a collaborative, short-term, evidence-based  intervention program for those presenting with thoughts and plans of suicide.  Dr. Faridnia believes that preventing suicide is a shared responsibility between her and her clients. Together, Dr. Faridnia works with her clients to develop their ability to label their emotions and create personalized strategies to calm themselves and keep themselves safe. She has developed a strong skillset in treating individuals in crisis and has specific training centered around the prevention and intervention of suicide. She acts as a community advocate for promoting best practices in the assessment and management of suicidal behavior.

She is a member and active supporter of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, a supporter of the Los Angeles County Perinatal Task Force, and a member of the American Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Faridnia has extensive experience working with adolescents, parents, and families since 2008.

Dr. Faridnia earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2012. Dr. Faridnia earned her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2009. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from the University of California, Davis in 2007.

Dr. Faridnia is currently licensed as a clinical psychologist in the state of California. PSY 26838. ​

Anne Brunson

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I actively participate while listening to my clients to let them know they are not alone. I walk alongside my clients and encourage them to open up when they are ready.
Anne is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, under the supervision of Dr. Parie Faridnia. Anne graduated from UC Irvine with a BA in Psychology and Social Behavior and a  Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis of Marriage and Family Therapy, from Pepperdine University.

Anne is passionate about the work she does and works to ensure her clients feel safe, heard and understood in a compassionate and empathetic manner. She enjoys building strong relationships with her clients by providing a safe space to allow for healing and growth. “Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful parts of us.” David Richo

She adds in elements of her own personality along with humor to make the therapy experience more enjoyable and less daunting. Anne also incorporates spirituality and faith-based interventions into her work upon the client’s request. A collaborative approach is used in her work to ensure the clients get the best care and their needs are heard and met during their time in therapy.

Anne has worked in different areas of the mental health field, including working with adults who have acquired brain injuries and at a Catholic non-profit organization. She has experience with all ages treating anxiety, depression, stress, communication issues, and those experiencing life transitions. 

Alexandra DeSousa

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I am passionate about collaborating with my clients to help them discover their self-worth and rely on their inner strengths to create change.   
Alexandra is a doctoral trainee, under the supervision of Dr. Parie Faridnia. Alexandra received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, as well as a master’s degree in clinical psychology. She is currently working towards her doctorate in clinical psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Alexandra has worked in several mental health settings, including community-based mental health clinics, schools, and hospitals. She has experience with a variety of challenges, including, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, attention challenges, behavioral difficulties, trauma, and family dynamics. She has also worked with childhood cancer survivors, facilitating group therapy focused on strengthening social, emotional, and problem-solving skills. In addition, Alexandra has administered, scored, and interpreted psychological assessments. 

Hengjia Jian

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My clients always describe me as warm and easy to talk to. You will find a safe and reliable space here and will feel understood and accepted. I believe healing takes courage and we all have courage, but sometimes we have to dig a little to find it. Let’s make a change together!
Hengjia Jian is doctoral trainee, under the supervision of Dr. Parie Faridnia, Psy.D.. Hengjia received her Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from University of California, Irvine, as well as, a Master’s Degree in Clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is currently working towards her doctorate in clinical psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
 
Hengjia’s experience includes working with a variety of issues, including, anxiety, depression, family dynamics, children with behavioral difficulties, problems with jobs and schools, and trauma. She has also worked with teens and young adults who were experiencing family, relational problems, anxiety, and depression issues.  With an Asian culture background, Hengjia can also speak Mandarin. She is familiar with the challenges the immigration families may have in the U.S. Both adults and teenagers suffer in and outside the family and may find it hard to find someone who can understand their distress. Hengjia is committed to helping clients find their self-worth and help them to move forward with their therapy goals.  

我的来访总是认为我很温暖平静,很愿意与我述说心事。我会为您提供一个安全可靠舒适的空间,让您感觉到被理解和尊重。我相信治愈是需要勇气的,而有时候我们需要人帮我们一起去挖掘这份勇气,从而治愈自己。准备好了吗?来一起做一些改变吧! ​

Jennifer Leaver

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 I love skiing, swimming, reading and going to the beach with my dogs.
Jennifer Leaver received a B.S. in psychology from University of Washington and a M.A. in Social Psychology with a specialty in intergroup relations from Claremont Graduate University. 

She has taught psychology at the college level for over 20 years and enjoys working with both students and clients. Jennifer has received training in cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy, humanistic therapy, and play therapy. She has completed the coursework for her doctorate, is working on supervised clinical hours, and will begin her doctoral dissertation soon.

I am excited for the next steps in my career and I enjoy providing excellent care for my clients.


McKayla Kay

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I am focused on building an empathetic and wholistic conceptualization of every client.

McKayla Kay is a 3rd year PsyD student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has two years of experience with Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Currently she is working part-time as a mental health technician at a residential mental health facility, working with adolescents and young adults.

At her previous practicum site, she was a practicum student working as a diagnostic clinician at Vanguard University. McKayla is an aspiring clinical psychologist with a demonstrated history of working with children, adolescents, and young adults in the mental health care field. 

Raymeka Moss

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I believe in creating a safe space for my clients to be themselves, explore interests and talk about the hard things we face in this life. I work in a creative way so that each client is treated according to their unique needs. My hope is that through the work I do with my clients, they can develop the skills needed to embrace their life and their experiences.​

Raymeka is an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. She has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a concentration in substance abuse as well as a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

​Raymeka’s main focus has been serving children, teens and their families. She also has experiences working with individuals on the autism spectrum, adults/children who have faced homelessness, and foster children/families. 

Raymeka uses a person-centered approach along with evidence-based practices to treat anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. Her approach to treatment involves understanding the whole person including cultural and environmental considerations.  
 

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  • Home
  • Our Team
  • Therapy Approaches
    • Prenatal and Postpartum Mental Health
    • Child Therapy
    • Teen Therapy
    • Family Therapy
    • Parenting Support and Education
    • Psychological Testing
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Careers