Shahzad Chaudhry is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in working with children and adolescents, with a varied background including work in group homes, Child Protective Services, children’s outpatient services, inpatient and residential facilities, and medically-focused behavioral health programs. He is currently the Program Manager for the Kern Medical Behavioral Health Integration services and for the previous 9 years, he was the adult outpatient clinic supervisor of the UCLA-KERN Psychiatry Residency Program. Additionally, Shahzad is an adjunct faculty member for National University, as well as an Associate Faculty member of University of Phoenix, both with a focus on teaching courses in Counseling, and Psychology. He completed his year-long doctoral internship focusing on specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/Exposure and Response Prevention (CBT/ERP); which is the preferred treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He is also trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT); which is useful for improving parent-child attachment and addressing parenting issues, especially for younger children (2-8 years old).

Graduate School:

• Master of Science (MS), Counseling Psychology, California State University, Bakersfield, CA
• Master of Arts (MA), Clinical Psychology, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA

Specialization:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/ Exposure and Response Prevention (CBT/ERP) for OCD and other anxiety-related disorders, such as PTSD
• Parenting issues from a behavioral and PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy) focus, especially for parents of young children

Languages:

• English

Sharon Brandon is a trauma specialist trained in EMDR therapy.  Sharon is also a parent training specialist.  She has worked within the local community providing counseling services for over 20 years.  She is a domestic violence & sexual assault expert having worked at the Alliance Against Family Violence & Sexual Assault.  She worked at the county level and in private practice delivering mental health services and with Bakersfield City School District working as a School Counselor.  Sharon worked almost 5 years for Kaiser Permanente where she worked extensively with anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD & Trauma, depression, grief, occupational problems, aging, depression, codependency, relationships, & people-pleasing tendencies.  Sharon is experienced in working with children but prefers to work with parents to assist them in gaining knowledge & confidence in their ability to raise strong, loving, and responsible children.  She has wide-ranging experience working with parents and is a certified parent trainer in Active Parenting & Guiding Good Choices.  Sharon is an eclectic therapist who utilizes the best of several therapeutic approaches including life experience.     

Education: 

• California State University, Bakersfield—Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• California State University, Bakersfield—Master of Science in Counseling
• California State University, Bakersfield—Pupil Personnel Services (PPS)   
• EMDR Institute:  Fully trained in 2016. 
• EMDRIA:  Certification by November 2019

Specialization:

• EMDR Trauma
• CBT & The 3 Principals
• Parent Trainer
• Mindfulness Based Practices
• Person Centered Approach

Languages:

• English