ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CLINICAL SUPERVISOR & PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Dr. Zaha’s role at Compass includes providing individual DBT treatment and skills coaching sessions, conducting DBT skills group, participating in weekly team consultation and supervision, and developing the teen residential program.

HER STORY

Dr. Zaha mentors post-doctoral psychologists through Compass’ Comprehensive DBT Fellowship training program. She has also provided individual, group, skills coaching, and family therapies at residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and outpatient levels of care and supervision to residential staff at Compass Behavioral Health since 2017. Dr. Zaha was intensively trained in DBT, CBT, ACT, and CBASP during her practicum at Harbor-UCLA in 2008-2009, under the direction of Lynn McFarr, Ph.D. Dr. Zaha’s internship was completed at Metropolitan State Hospital (APA Accredited), in Norwalk, California, in which she helped to train and develop an inpatient DBT team, and provided DBT services to patients on a specialized unit.

Her graduate studies focused on Family Psychology and Adolescent Identity Formation and emphasized multicultural and spiritual integration. She graduated from Azusa Pacific University (APA Accredited) with her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2010. She worked as a Psychological Assistant at Clearview Residential DBT Program in Los Angeles, California for six years during which she aided in transitioning the residential program from a psychodynamic model to DBT. She trained staff members in DBT interventions, including skills coaching, and crisis intervention along with serving as an individual and group therapist. She has been directly supervised and intensively trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure by developer Melanie Harned, Ph.D. and has a special interest and experience in assessing and treating trauma.

In addition, she has received advanced training in DBT for specific populations, including for substance use, eating disorders, adolescents, and emotionally dysregulated families. She has been formally trained in Behavior Activation, as well as Mindful Self-Compassion by developers Kristin Neff, Ph.D. and Chris Germer, Ph.D. and in Exposure and Response Prevention by developer Jonathan Abramowitz, Ph.D. Dr. Zaha also currently works as a Qualified Medical Evaluator and provides psychological evaluations for adults with industrial injuries.

Her true north and greatest joy is her new baby Farah.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Minor in Religious Studies), Cum Laude, Azusa Pacific University
• Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, specialty in Family Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
• Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, specialty in Family Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
• Comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• Intensively Trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure
• Comprehensively trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Intensively Trained in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) by Dr. Daniel Moran
• Comprehensively trained in Exposure-Response Prevention for OCD by Dr. Jonathan Abramowtiz, founding editor and chief of OCD Medical Journal
• Trained in Attachment-Based Family Therapy by treatment developer Dr. Guy Diamond at Drexel University

HER SUMMITS

• DBT- Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™

HER TRUE NORTH

Dr. Zaha’s passions and personal interests include yoga, family, ukulele, dancing, writing, and mindfulness meditation.

LEAD GUIDE / ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMPASS RESEARCH & TRAINING INSTITUTE / CLINICAL SUPERVISOR / DBT PROGRAM CLINICIAN
Within Marissa’s role as Associate Director of Compass Research & Training Institute, Marissa serves as the Clinical Supervisor for Columbia University’s Master of Social Work graduates. Additionally, Marissa is responsible for teaching didactics and DBT Skills Training to UCI’s Psychiatry Fellows and the community, providing supervision and ensuring adherence to DBT, and managing Continuing Education. Marissa works closely with Compass’ Research Director to identify training needs and to ensure clinical excellence. She provides both in-house training and external trainings. Additionally, she facilitates meet and greets with families interested in Compass to identify goodness of fit and to provide an overview of the program.
Additionally, Marissa facilitates a clinical caseload, providing individual and family therapy, leading DBT Skills Training groups, phone coaching and attends weekly team consultation meetings. A team of coding and therapy adherent professionals review her treatment plans and clinical videos and she receives expert consultation from Dr. Clive Robbins, DBT Training Director at Duke University and Compass Research & Training Institute.

HER STORY

Marissa started her master’s in Social Work at Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW) in 2012. She served as a Student Ambassador, working with prospective students and Alumni. It was here that Marissa gained interest in research and participated in research under Dr. Allen Zweben studying the efficacy of Chantix with substance abuse. Marissa’s research sparked interest in working with mental health and substance abuse. During her second year at CSSW, she found her passion in providing therapy to individuals who suffer from emotion dysregulation and completed her intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in 2014 by Dr. Andre Ivanoff. Marissa completed her second-year internship at Rikers Island, providing DBT to female inmates. Here, she provided DBT in a setting with limitations and restrictions, leading to her passion of providing affordable and accessible DBT to the community.

Marissa has extensive experience working with adolescents and young adults providing evidence-based therapy in a variety of levels of care. Marissa participated in the development of the Partial Hospitalization Program at Clearview Treatment Programs and has provided therapy at the outpatient and intensive-outpatient level of care for nearly 4 years. Marissa has a passion for teaching and returned to her alma mater at California State University, Northridge and was an Associate Professor in the Child and Adolescent Department for 3 years. Here, Marissa taught Child Abuse and Neglect, Adolescence, Professional Pathways and Careers in Child and Adolescent Development before joining the team at Compass Behavioral Health.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge 2012
• Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia School of Social Work, New York City 2014
• Adjunct Professor California State University, Northridge 2014-2018
• Completed Intensive DBT Training, 2014
• Certification in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Lynn McFarr 2016
• Completed Advanced DBT Training, 2017
• Completed Intensive Training in DBT-Prolonged Exposure, 2018
• Completed Intensive Training in DBT-C (DBT for Children), 2019

HER SUMMITS

• DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
• Calibrated video Adherence Coder to the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification™

HER TRUE NORTH

In addition to her loving fur-baby, teaching is at the core of Marissa’s passions and values.

SENIOR GUIDE/COMPASS RTC MEDICAL DIRECTOR

In Dr. Nicole’s role as Medical Director of the Compass Residential Treatment Program (RTC), The Farmhouse, she oversees the medication management and overall psychiatric treatment of residents.  Dr. Nicole works closely with the Compass Chef to develop nutritional psychiatry informed menu programming, utilizing food as a source of mood stabilization, improving focus, and enhancing overall well-being and health.

HER STORY

Early in her training in medicine, Dr. Nicole realized quickly that health is far from black and white, and medicine is often looked at from the standpoint of disease and what is wrong, rather than searching for optimal health. It was through her intensive training that Dr. Nicole found medications far from enough to help those struggling with their mental health. By integrating therapy, self-discovery, mindfulness, nutrition, exercise and sometimes medications, we can live an emboldened life to the fullest.

At Compass Behavioral Health, Dr. Nicole found a community of providers that embodied these values of wellness where a life worth living can be realized.

HER TRAINING

• Undergraduate degree from University of California, Irvine in Psychology and Social Behavior
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine (WesternU)
• Completed a Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship in medical school at WesternU
• General Psychiatry Residency at Kaiser Permanente, Fontana
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at University of California, Irvine
• Trained in infant, child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy at Newport Psychoanalytic Institute
• Trained in Mentalization Based Treatments with Children and Young People at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
• Certifications in Integrative and in Nutritional Psychiatry from Integrative Psychiatry Institute

HER SUMMITS

• Fitness instructor at LA Fitness
• President of MBLDN Psych and Wellness

HER TRUE NORTH

Dr. Nicole loves spending time with her family and two shih-tzus, Honey and James. Though while with her family, she will often be spotted making amigurumi with crochet or learning new crafts.