About me

I am a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist with over 20 years of experience in assessment and treatment of individuals across the lifespan (children, adults, and older adults) experiencing depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders, and other emotional and behavioral difficulties.  I also have expertise working with clients who have neurocognitive and/or other medical  conditions, with an emphasis in cognitive rehabilitation and behavioral medicine strategies to promote and improve overall health and quality of life (e.g. developing compensatory cognitive strategies, treatment for insomnia, stress management, adjustment to medical diagnosis).  In addition, I provide support to people with current or past experiences of narcissistic abuse in romantic relationships, family relationships (parents, siblings), and in the workplace (employers and coworkers).

I work closely with each client to develop a personalized treatment plan with clear and specific goals and use an integrative treatment approach that is tailored for each client.  I emphasize evidence-based treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavior therapy and also utilize family therapy, psychodynamic, and supportive psychotherapy.  I have received intensive training in Exposure with Response/Ritual Prevention (ExRP) for OCD at the University of Pennsylvania Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety.  I am trained as a neuroimaging researcher, and my treatment approaches are informed by my knowledge of clinical and neuroscience research.  Cultural issues are a particular interest of mine, and I am multilingual (Spanish and French).

Training

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Developmental Neuroscience (2007-2010):  Developmental Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical Neuropsychology (2005-2007):  Medical Psychology Assessment Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
  • Predoctoral Internship (2003-2004).  Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Adolescent Medicine (APA Approved Internship), Los Angeles, CA.

Education

  • Ph.D. (2005), Clinical Psychology:  Fordham University, Bronx, NY.
  • M.A. (2000), Psychology:  Fordham University, Bronx, NY.
  • B.A. (1996), Psychology:  University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.

Academic Appointments

  • Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA  2015 – 2018.
  • Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA  2012 – 2015.
  • Research Assistant Professor, USC Keck School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Los Angeles, CA, 2012 – 2015.
  • Health Sciences Clinical Instructor, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, 2010 – 2012.
  • Adjunct Faculty, Psychology, Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University, Culver City, California, 2010 – 2012.

Clinical Administrative Appointments

  • Neuropsychologist, Neuropsychology Clinic in the UCLA Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2015 – 2017.
  • Supervising Psychologist, Psychology Clinic, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2012 – 2018.
  • Associate Director, Cultural Neuropsychology Initiative, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 2010 – 2012.
  • Clinical Supervisor, Medical Psychology Assessment Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 2010 – 2012.
  • Chief Fellow, Medical Psychology Assessment Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 2006-2007.

Other Positions:

  • Psychologist, Spectrum CBT, Los Angeles, CA, 2019 – Present.
  • Psychologist in Private Practice, Los Angeles, CA, 2019 – Present.
  • Associate Director, Cognitive Neuropsychology Laboratory, Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 – 2017.
  • Co-Investigator, Achieving Best Cognitive Successes (ABCs) after Childhood Cancer, Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USC Keck School of Medicine, September 2012-June 2015.
  • DSM-5 Field Testing Interviewer, Geriatric Psychiatry, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, May 2011 – December 2011.
  • Consultant, Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2010 – 2015.
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Autism Evaluation Training Clinic, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, University of California, Los Angeles, January 2006 – June 2006.
  • Neuropsychology Research Extern, Medical Psychology Assessment Center, Neuropsychiatric Hospital and UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles, September 2004 – June 2005.
  • Neuropsychometrist, Neuropsychology Assessment Program, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, New York, June 2002 – May 2003.
  • Clinical Interviewer, OCD Collaborative Genetics Study, Columbia University, New York, New York, January 2002 – January 2003.
  • Neuropsychology Extern, Neuropsychology Assessment Program, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, New York, July 2001 – June 2002.
  • Psychology Extern, Multicultural Track, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York, September 1999 – August 2001.

Publications

  1. Baron Nelson, M.B., O’Neil, S.H., Tanedo, J., Dhanani, S., Malvar, J., Nuñez, C., Nelson, M.D., Tamraz, B., Finlay, J.L., Rajagopalan, V., Lepore, N.. Brain biomarkers and neuropsychological outcomes of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumor survivors treated with surgical resection with or without adjuvant chemotherapy. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 2020.
  2. Bava, L., Malvar, J., Sposto, R., Okada M., Gonzalez-Morkos, B., Schweers, L.M., Nuñez, C., Ruccione, K., Katz, E.R., Freyer, D.R..  A parent-directed intervention for addressing academic risk in Latino survivors of childhood leukemia: results of a pilot study. Psychooncology, 25(10), Page 1246-1249, 2016.
  3. Gautam, P., Nuñez, C., Narr, K.L., Mattson, S.N., May, P.A., Adnams, C.M., Riley, E.P., Jones, K.L., Kan, E.C., Sowell, E.R..  Developmental trajectories for visuo-spatial attention are altered by prenatal alchol exposure:  a longitudinal fMRI study.  Cerebral Cortex, 25(12), Page 4761-71, 2015.
  4. Gautam P., Nuñez S.C., Narr KL, Kan E, Sowell ER. Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the development of white matter volume and executive function.  NeuroImage:  Clinical, 4(5), Page 19-Page 27, 2014.
  5. Zhou Y, Ortiz F, Nuñez C, Elashoff D, Woo E, Apostolova L, Wolf S, Casado M, Caceres N, Panchal H, Ringman JM. Use of the MoCA in detecting early Alzheimer’s disease in a Spanish-speaking population with varied levels of education. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra, 10(4), Supplement, Page 727-Page 728, 2014.
  6. Roussotte, F.F., Bramen, J., Nuñez, S.C., Quandt, L.C., Smith, L., O’Connor, M.J., Bookheimer, S.Y., & Sowell, E.R.: Abnormal brain activation during working memory in children with prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse:  the effects of methamphetamine, alcohol, and polydrug exposure.  Neuroimage: 54(4), Page 3067-Page 3075, 2011.
  7. Nuñez, S.C., Dapretto, M., Katzir, T., Starr, A., Bramen, J., Kan, E., Bookheimer, S.Y., & Sowell, E.R.: fMRI of Syntactic processing in typically developing children: Structural correlates in the inferior frontal gyrus.  Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience: 1(3), Page 313-Page 323, 2011.
  8. Nuñez, S.C., Roussotte, F.F., Sowell, E.R.:  Structural and Functional Brain Abnormalities in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.  Alcohol Research & Health, 34(1), Page 121-Page 132, 2011.
  9. Nuñez, S.C. & Cagigas, X.E.  Cultural neuropsychology of aging:  An introduction.  The California Psychologist: 43(6), Page 6-Page 10, 2010.

Abstracts

  1. Nuñez, S.C., Baumeister, B., Gonzalez-Morkos, B., Hering, M., Johns, A., & Williams, J. (2004). Practical utility of the Minnesota Supervisory Inventory:  A qualitative study.  Poster presentation at the 105th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, Hawaii.
  2. Carroll, R.T., Steh, B.D., Motivala, S.J., Nuñez, C., Celaya, B., Holt, L.E., & Schaeffer, J. The relationship between MMPI-2 depression scores and cognitive functioning in a heterogeneous neuropsychiatric sample.  Poster presentation at the 35th Annual Convention of the International Neuropsychological Society, Portland, Oregon, 2007.
  3. Nuñez, C., Lu, L., Bookheimer, S., Houston, S., Mattson, S., O’Connor, M., O’Hare, E., Smith, L., & Sowell, E. Attention Performance in Children Prenatally Exposed to Methamphetamine.  Poster presentation at the 36th Annual Convention of the International Neuropsychological Society, Waikoloa, Hawaii, 2008.
  4. Nuñez, S.C., Dapretto, M., O’Hare, E., Lu, L.H., Smith, L., O’Connor, M., Bookheimer, S.Y., & Sowell, E.R.  Differential brain activation during language processing in children prenatally exposed to methamphetamine and alcohol.  Poster presentation at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Melbourne, Australia, 2008.
  5. Nuñez, S.C., Dapretto, M., Lu, L.H., Smith, L., O’Connor, M., Bookheimer, S.Y., & Sowell, E.R. Increased frontal activation during language processing in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.  Poster presentation at the 38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C., 2008.
  6. Nuñez, S.C., Babakchanian, S., Kan, E., Smith, L., O’Connor, M., Bookheimer, S.Y., Thompson, P.M., & Sowell, E.R. Callosal thinning in children prenatally exposed to methamphetamine.  Poster presentation at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, San Francisco, California, 2009.
  7. Nuñez, S.C., Starr, A., O’Hare, E.D., Bookheimer, S.Y., O’Connor, M.J., Smith, L.M., & Sowell, E.R. Decreased activation associated with verbal working memory maintenance in children prenatally exposed to methamphetamine and/or alcohol. Poster presentation at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, 2009.
  8. Bramen, J.E., Hranilovich, J., Dahl, R., Dinov, I., Nuñez, C., Rosso, C., Forbes, E., Toga, A., Thompson, P., & Sowell, E. Longitudinal progression of puberty predicts changes in brain structure, independent of age, in adolescent boys and girls.  Poster presentation at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, 2009.
  9. Roussotte, F., Nuñez, C., Quandt, L., Smith, L., Bookheimer, S., O’Connor, M.J., & Sowell, E. Functional brain activation during working memory and neuropsychological performance in children with prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse.  Poster presentation at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, 2009.
  10. Colby, J.B., Nuñez, C., Van Horn, J.D., & Sowell, E.R. Diffusion tensor imaging reveals regionally variant developmental trajectories in normal white matter.  Poster presentation at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, 2009.
  11. Nuñez, C., Cagigas, X.E., Medina, L., Rodriguez-Agudelo, Y., Coppola, G., Cummings, J.L., & Ringman, J.M. Neuropsychological performance and demographic variables predict familial Alzheimer’s disease genetic status in a Spanish speaking sample.  Abstract presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, Honolulu, HI, 2010.
  12. Roussotte, F.F., Nuñez, S.C., Mattson, S.N., Riley, E.P., Jones, K.L., Adnams, C., O’Connor, M.J., May, PA, Narr, K., & Sowell, E.R. Regional Brain Volume Reductions are Related to Measures of Facial Dysmorphology and Neurocognitive Function in FASD: the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD).  Abstract presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  13. Gautam, P., Nuñez, C., Kan, E., Mattson, S.N., Riley, E.P., Jones, K.L., Adnams, C.M., May, P.A., O’Connor, M.J., Narr, K.L., Sowell, E.R. A multisite longitudinal study of changes in brain activation patterns during a working memory task in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.  Poster presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, New Orleans, LA, 2012.
  14. Bava, L., Nuñez, C., Gonzalez-Morkos, B., Okada, M., Schweers, L. Ruccione, K., Katz, E., & Freyer, D.R.. Addressing the Cognitive and Psychosocial Needs of School-Age Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) through a Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Intervention. Poster presented at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) 10th Annual Conference, Huntington Beach, California, 2013.
  15. Bava, L., Nuñez, C., Gonzalez-Morkos, B., Schweers, L, Okada, M.,. Ruccione, K., Katz, E., & Freyer, D.R. Parental Advocacy in the School System for Pediatric Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL): Teaching Parents with Low Literacy to Apply Health Knowledge. Poster presented at the 12th Annual Health Literacy Conference, Irvine, CA, 2013.
  16. Gautam P, Nuñez SC, Kan EC, Mattson SN, Riley EP, Sowell ER.. Longitudinal changes in white matter in children prenatally exposed to alcohol: Comparisons with typical controls. Poster presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the Organisation of Human Brain Mapping, Seattle, WA, 2013.
  17. Gautam, P., Nuñez, S.C., Herting, M.M., Uban, K.A., Colby, J.B., Riley, E.D., Mattson, S., Herting, M.M., Uban, K., Colby, J., Kan, E., Sowell, E.R.. Change in cognitive function is associated with connectivity changes in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Poster presented at the 1st Annual Meeting of the International Congress for Integrative Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2013.
  18. Nuñez, S.C., Gautam, P., Kan, E., Bookheimer, S.Y., & Sowell, E.R.. Individual differences in executive function related to BOLD activation on a go/no-go task in typically developing children and adolescents.  Poster presented at the 1st Annual Meeting of the International Congress for Integrative Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2013.
  19. Gautam, P., Nuñez, S.C., Riley, E.D., Mattson, S., Herting, M.M., Uban, K., Colby, J.,Kan, E., Sowell, E.R.. Longitudinal change in cognitive function is associated with structural connectivity changes in children prenatally exposed to alcohol.  Poster presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, California, 2013.
  20. Uban, K.A., Lynch, K.M., Andrade, A.F., Herting, M.M., Gautam, P., Nuñez, C., Colby, J.B., Kan, E.K., Mattson, S.N., Riley, E.P., Adnams, C.M., May, P.A., Narr, K.L., Sowell, E.R.. Structural connectivity alterations are related to cognition in youth prenatally exposed to alcohol. Poster presented at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Organisation of Human Brain Mapping, Hamburg, Germany, 2014.
  21. Herting, M.M., Nuñez, C., Chen, C., Gautam, P., Orozco, M., Sowell, E.R.. Age and sex effects on adolescent performance of varying task difficulty on an fMRI Go/No-go task.  Poster presented at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Organisation of Human Brain Mapping, Hamburg, Germany, 2014.
  22. Herting, M.M., Nuñez S.C., Chen C., Gautam P., Sowell E.R. Sex differences in the development of brain activity during inhibitory control. Poster presented at the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Flux Society, Los Angeles, California, 2014.
  23. Bava, L., Nuñez, S.C., Freyer, D. Parental health literacy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors. Poster presented at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, San Diego, California, 2015.
  24. Herting, M.M, Nuñez, S.C., Chen, C., Gautam, P., Uban, K., Sowell, E.. Puberty predicts inhibitory control improvements on an fMRI Go/No-go task across adolescence.  Poster presented at the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Flux Society, Leiden, Netherlands, 2015.
  25. Roberg, B.L., Woo, E., He, A., Hanulik, I., De Leon, F., Ringman, J., Apostolova, L.G., Nuñez, C.. Metacognition and Activities of Daily Living in Cognitive Impairment.  Abstract accepted to the 96th Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, Long Beach, California, 2016.
  26. Hanulik, I., Woo, E., Wright, M.J., He, A., De Leon, F, Roberg, B.L., Apostolova, L.G., Ringman, J., Nuñez, C.. Components of Prospective Memory in Healthy Aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment.  Abstract accepted to the 96th Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, Long Beach, California, 2016.
  27. He, A., Wright, M.J., Woo, E., Hanulik, I., De Leon, F., Roberg, B.L., Apostolova, L.G., Ringman, J., Nuñez, C.. Everyday functioning in aging, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.  Abstract accepted to the 96th Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, Long Beach, California, 2016.

Other Publications

  1. Nuñez, S.C. (2005). Development of an empirically-derived neuropsychological screening battery for mild to moderate cognitive impairment.  Doctoral dissertation, Fordham University, Bronx, NY.
  2. Nuñez, S.C. (2002). The California Verbal Learning Test as a measure of insufficient effort in a heterogeneous sample.  Unpublished pre-doctoral research, Fordham University, Bronx, NY.

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