SoCal Wildfires Support & Resources

RESOURCES

Community Resources:

Emergency – County of Los Angeles provides local resources and information (evacuation warnings, shelters, water alerts, road closures, etc.).
FEMA offers information about recovery assistance and grants.
Disaster Loan Assistance offers federal disaster loans for businesses, private nonprofits, homeowners and renters.
American Red Cross provides assistance and resources in your area, including available shelters.

Group Resources:

Pro Bono LA Fires First Responders + Families Support Group
4 week – In person support group – Newport Beach
Begins 1/21 @ 5-6:30 PM

For those relocated to OC, please join on Tuesday evenings to receive support, share, grieve and heal together. Space is limited, please email at nita@sitarapsychology.com to RSVP.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

The following The Clinic providers opened their caseload to support those impacted. Our team is prepared to offer psychological first aid, and brief psychotherapy interventions for those experiencing acute stress.

Akshay Naresh, PsyD — PsyD, Site Leader
Akshay Naresh

Lia Blaustein, PsyD — PsyD
Lia Blaustein

PsyD, Post Doctoral Fellow
Michaela Moss

Monica Sanders, PsyD — PsyD, Post Doctoral Fellow
Monica Sanders

PsyD, Site Leader

Akshay Naresh

Dr. Akshay Naresh (he/him) is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked with patients across the lifespan in various contexts including community mental health clinics, hospitals, and educational facilities (secondary, community colleges, & universities). He has experience working with a wide range of mental health concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, body image issues, eating disorders, relationship issues, gender and sexual identity, and multi-cultural issues. He uses an integrative approach to create a space for meaningful life changes by helping patients develop self-compassion, self-acceptance, and self-awareness.

Dr. Naresh enjoys working with adults and currently sees patients in Orinda and San Jose, and via telemedicine across the state of California.

Dr. Naresh completed his post-doctoral fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Adult Outpatient Psychiatry and his pre-doctoral internship at Santa Clara University’s Cowell Health Center. He obtained his doctoral degree from The Wright Institute and his bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine. Outside of his clinical work, Dr. Naresh enjoys playing and watching basketball (Go Warriors!) and also plays a variety of different musical instruments.

PsyD

Ladera Linn

Dr. Ladera Linn (she/her) is a licensed clinical health psychologist (PSY35514) specializing in behavioral medicine. She works with patients seeking treatment for mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, sleep difficulties, and chronic illness management. Dr. Linn uses a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approach, integrating CBT, mindfulness, and other evidence-based interventions to empower patients to achieve their health and wellness goals.

Dr. Linn works with adolescents and adults of all ages and offers in-person services in La Jolla and across the state of California via telehealth.

Dr. Linn holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Pacific University in Oregon. She has trained in hospitals, primary care clinics, community clinics, and in-patient treatment facilities. She completed her pre-doctoral internship training at the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, where she specialized in conducting psychological evaluations for individuals with serious mental illness.

PsyD

Lia Blaustein

Dr. Lia Blaustein provides therapy to adults from a wide range of backgrounds and a variety of clinical presentations, including anxiety disorders, depression, adjustment disorders, PTSD, trauma, grief and loss, end of life concerns, and other family, relationship, or marital challenges. Through her work with diverse populations, she has awareness of the intersections of identity and other cultural concerns, as well as in the complexities surrounding attachment and relationship dynamics. Dr. Blaustein’s approach to therapy is rooted in attachment theory. In her work with clients, she focuses on exploring early childhood relationships, the degree to which needs were met, and the past and present influence of these factors on how one relates to oneself, others, and the world.

Dr. Blaustein enjoys working with adults across the lifespan via telehealth throughout California and Florida, with a particular interest in working with adults in hospice.

Dr. Blaustein completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Alvarado Parkway Institute Behavioral Health System, a psychiatric hospital in Southern California, where she specialized in working with patients with acute mental illness, addiction, comorbid medical conditions, and geriatric issues. Dr. Blaustein earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at The Clinic of California.

PsyD, Post Doctoral Fellow

Michaela Moss

Dr. Michaela Moss (she/her) is a postdoctoral fellow with experience providing therapy to individuals and couples from a wide range of backgrounds and clinical presentations. She specializes in treating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship problems, and life stressors through a culturally sensitive, values-based approach.

Dr. Moss aims to create a supportive space for healing that incorporates techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based interventions to meet the needs of each client. With couples, she utilizes Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to foster secure attachment bonds and shift how couples navigate conflict. She is committed to walking alongside her clients as they move through the therapeutic process and gain greater insight into themselves. Dr. Moss works with adults and couples in-person in San Francisco and across the state of California via telehealth.

Dr. Moss received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Health from UC Berkeley. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the San Francisco VA Health Care System.

PsyD, Post Doctoral Fellow

Monica Sanders

Dr. Monica Sanders is a postdoctoral fellow with extensive experience in providing individual and family therapy to adolescents and adults from diverse backgrounds. Her clinical expertise spans a range of issues including adjustment disorders, PTSD, trauma, grief and loss, end-of-life concerns, and various interpersonal challenges. As a bilingual and bicultural Latina clinician, Dr. Sanders brings a nuanced understanding of the intersections of identity and cultural considerations to her practice.

Her therapeutic approach integrates strengths-based cognitive behavioral therapy with systems and attachment theories. Dr. Sanders is passionate about working with adolescents and adults across California through telehealth, with a particular focus on teens and young adults dealing with PTSD or trauma-related adjustment disorders.

Dr. Sanders completed her pre-doctoral internship at the UCLA Semel Institute within the Stress, Trauma and Resiliency Clinic, where she specialized in treating trauma-related disorders as well as co-occurring medical and developmental conditions. She earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California.

SoCal Wildfires Support & Resources

RESOURCES

Community Resources:

Group Resources:

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

The Clinic, San Francisco, CA

The Clinic, Corte Madera, CA

The Clinic, Berkeley, CA

The Clinic, San Francisco, CA

The Clinic, San Francisco, CA

The Clinic, Palo Alto, CA

The Clinic, Orinda, CA

The Clinic, San Jose, CA

The Clinic, La Jolla, CA

The Clinic, Beverly Hills, CA