Postdoctoral Fellow for EBT Los Angeles

Dr. Gia Chodzen is a postdoctoral fellow practicing under the supervision of Dr. Alyson Fisher. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and has seven years of experience in providing psychological services to adults, children, adolescents, and parents. In addition to her work with Evidence Based Therapy Partners, Dr. Chodzen is currently a National Institute of Mental Health funded postdoctoral fellow at UCLA, where she conducts research and clinical work. 

While in graduate school, Dr. Chodzen received advanced clinical training in utilizing a range of evidence-based therapies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD (CPT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Her clinical work focused on treating PTSD, depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder. She also received specialized training in LGBTQ+ affirming psychotherapy practices.

Dr. Chodzen completed her APA accredited pre-doctoral internship at the UCLA Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, where she worked with adults, children, adolescents, and parents. She received a breadth of advanced clinical training in treating: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, OCD, tic disorders, autism, and aggression. The majority of her training was with highly complex clinical presentations that required intensive treatment. At the culmination of her internship training, Dr. Chodzen was chosen by a panel of UCLA faculty to receive an award which recognizes extraordinary clinical therapeutic skills and compassionate care, particularly in relation to the delivery of evidence-based treatments.

Dr. Chodzen is deeply committed to social justice and leads research examining how stressors related to structural inequality influence psychological functioning and effectiveness of psychotherapy. Her graduate school research focused on examining these issues to improve therapeutic outcomes in trauma focused treatment. Currently, her research efforts focus on improving evidence based treatments for suicidality and trauma in acute psychiatric settings. 

Clinically, Dr. Chodzen is guided by the understanding that every client is unique and presents with their own specific set of concerns, goals, strengths, and challenges. The scope of Dr. Chodzen’s clinical training allows her to craft an individualized treatment plan that uniquely meets the needs of each individual while adhering to evidence based therapeutic principles. She is collaborative in her treatment approach, making sure that the specific goals of therapy are in line with what is most important to each client. Although therapy can often be hard work, Dr. Chodzen also believes it should be fun and strives to bring humor to each session. Her favorite part of therapy is empowering clients to recognize their strengths and build the lives they would most like to lead.

Psychological Associate, PSB94028667