Our Clinical Director Dr. Darra Hirsh has over 25 years experience providing mental health treatment to patients of all ages, races and genders in settings ranging from private practice to social service non-profit agencies to large institutions. While she specialized in Forensic Psychology and Substance Abuse Treatment, she also instructed courses at National University, Reedley College and Brandman University. There she served as Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program and provided clinical supervision to Associate Marriage and Family Therapists.
Dr. Darra enjoys Play Therapy with children. When she introduced Animal Assisted Therapy into her practice, she experienced unexpected successes with both adults and children suffering from depression and anxiety. She found that dogs provide safety, comfort, compassion and acceptance. Children gain self-confidence and self-esteem while learning to interact positively with dogs and build a social relationship.
Education
M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from California Professional School of Psychology, San Diego, California.
B.A. with Honors in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
License
Clinical Psychologist, California PSY16504.
