Arie Winograd, L.M.F.T., Director, Los Angeles Body Dysmorphic Disorder Clinic, is a very experienced cognitive behavioral psychotherapist licensed by the state of California and an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). In 1998 he initiated the first Body Dysmorphic Disorder studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Since these initial studies, Mr. Winograd has worked extensively with individuals with BDD. He has co-authored several journal articles on Body Dysmorphic Disorder and has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject. In 2003 he established the first BDD support group in California and in 2005 he co-organized the first ever body dysmorphic disorder conference which took place at UCLA. Much of his experience as a cognitive behavioral therapist was gained by six years of training at the UCLA OCD intensive treatment program. In 1996 Mr. Winograd completed his graduate work in clinical psychology at Pepperdine University.
Jamie Feusner, M.D., Psychiatric Research Consultant, Los Angeles Body Dysmorphic Disorder Clinic,
is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the Semel Institute
of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and is the Medical Director of the UCLA Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder Intensive Treatment Program. He also teaches clinical psychopharmacology and cognitive-behavioral
therapy at the UCLA Anxiety Disorders Clinic. Dr. Feusner graduated with honors from UC San Diego, obtained
his medical degree at UCLA, and then completed his psychiatry residency training, a clinical psychopharmacology
fellowship, and a NIMH-funded postdoctoral research fellowship, during which time he has received several awards.
His areas of specialty include body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other
anxiety disorders. He has done basic science and clinical research and published in the fields of mood and
anxiety disorders. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the topics of BDD, OCD, anxiety
disorders, and depression. His current neuroimaging research investigates visual information processing in BDD.
Scott Fears, M.D., Ph.D. received his MD and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. His doctoral research focused on Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology. He completed his psychiatric training at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA where he received specific training in OCD and anxiety disorders as the Chief Resident of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic and OCD Intensive Treatment Program. Currently, he is a Neurobehavioral Genetics Postdoctoral Scholar at the Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA. His research now focuses on the relationships between genetics and brain structure/function. Dr. Fears is the staff psychiatrist at Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide healthcare to homeless Los Angelians. He is trained in psychopharmacology as well as behavioral and dynamic therapy.
Ali Ghassemi PsyD. is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of California. Although he has provided therapeutic services from children to adults, his most extensive training has been in psychodiagnostic assessment. Dr. Ghassemi was one of the primary investigators in translation of The MMPI-2 to farsi, and he has been supervisor and coordinator of doctoral level students in a psychodiagnostic assessment-training program. Dr. Ghassemi received his M.A. and Psy.D. from the California School of Professional Psychology, and he completed his clinical training at The HELP Group, Harbor Regional Center, UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center, and Families In New Directions. Dr. Ghassemi is also an Associate Professor of Counseling and an adjunct Professor of Psychology at Los Angeles Valley College. He lectures on topics such as Exceptional Children, Adolescent Psychology, Life-Span Development, and Biological Psychology.
Laura Paulson, M.A. is a pre-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She
received her B.A. in Human Development from the University California Davis and later
earned an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. Ms Paulson has
worked with a wide variety of clients but specializes in the treatment of body
dysmorphic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and the obsessive compulsive
spectrum disorders. Her clinical training includes internships at the UCLA OCD
Intensive Treatment Program, the Airport Marina Counseling service, and The
Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills. She is able to utilize both cognitive
behavioral and psychodynamic psychotherapy techniques with both adolescents and
adults. Her prior experiences include psychiatric intakes at Stanford University
Hospital as well as working with adolescent and eating disorder inpatients at
the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital. Ms. Paulson is also a pre-licensed member of
the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
