Who We Are
We are a team of clinical experts who are passionate about helping teens get back on track. Our years of experience in teen addiction treatment, mental health care, behavioral health, and neuropsychology empower members of The Forum to transform your child’s life.
Meet our
Staff
Experts and Difference-Makers
The Forum is based on The Roman Forum: an ancient historical site in the center of Rome, Italy. This was the location for important communal activities, like triumphal processions, religious ceremonies, and social events. We hope for our practice to serve the same purpose; we have built a gathering place for young people to recover.
Our methods promote five pillars of health: emotional, spiritual, physical, social, and environmental. Led by Dr. Joanna Savarese, The Forum seeks to meet the diverse needs of San Diego adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. Scroll down to get to know our team.
Dr. Joanna Savarese, PhD
Executive Director / Founder
Dr. Joanna Savarese, PhD
Executive Director / Founder
Neuropsychologist & Licensed Clinical Psychologist - PSY24973
Joanna Savarese, Ph.D. is the Founder and Clinical Director of San Diego BrainWorks and The Forum at San Diego BrainWorks. She is also the President of the San Diego Psychological Association and her platform is centered around normalizing mental health. Dr. Savarese is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who has specific focus in adolescent treatment and neuropsychological, psychoeducational, and psychological assessment. She has worked extensively with children, adolescents, and adults providing both neuropsychological assessments and psychotherapeutic treatment. She has worked with various clinical populations including Depression, Anxiety, OCD, Personality Disorders, LGBTQ, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia. Dr. Savarese is passionate about individuals receiving the proper diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Savarese has more than 17 years of graduate and post-graduate experience in the field of psychology, neuropsychology, and assessment. She has also been teaching at the college level for more than a decade and lectures in the community on topics such as: Understanding Neuropsychological Evaluations, Learning and the Brain, and Building a Positive Relationship with your Child. She has appeared on ESPN radio, NBC News San Diego, and has written articles for Parenting Magazine. She also wrote several features for the textbook The Neuroscience of Learning: Principles and Applications for Educators (2014).
Dr. Ginger Burleson, PsyD
Clinical director
Ginger Burleson, Psy.D., earned her doctorate degree in clinical psychology at Alliant International University: California School of Professional Psychology. While earning her degree, her coursework largely focused on child and family systems. Over the years, Dr. Burleson has provided therapeutic services to individuals and youths in co-occurring residential treatment settings, acute psychiatric inpatient settings, and outpatient settings. She has several years of experience working with women and their children in a residential treatment facility to assist families with substance use issues, healing from trauma, and parenting needs. She also has extensive experience working with active duty military service members and their dependents.
Dr. Burleson believes that treatment is not “one size fits all,” but rather, that it should be specifically tailored to meet the individual needs of each client. To assist clients with making meaningful change, she utilizes a trauma-informed, integrative treatment approach rooted in evidence-based practices. Dr. Burleson has extensive experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy. She is passionate about helping others and committed to helping each client meet their treatment goals.
Dr. Golzar Kouklan, PSYD
Clinical Supervisor
Dr. Golzar Kouklan, PSYD
Psychologist
Dr. Golzar Kouklan is a clinical psychologist with 10 years of experience in the field. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University and went on to earn her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Midwestern University.
Throughout her career, Dr. Kouklan has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and private practice. Dr. Kouklan’s clinical work also includes conducting a variety of neuropsychological assessments encompassing neurocognitive decline, competency, ADHD, psychodiagnostic, and psychoeducational evaluations.
She has a particular interest in working with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma, and has extensive training in cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance-commitment therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy.
Outside of work, Dr. Kouklan enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, bike riding and traveling to different countries. She is deeply committed to helping her patients lead happier, healthier lives and is grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Dr. Shilpi Sheth, Psy. D.
Clinical Director
Dr. Shilpi Sheth, Psy. D.
Clinical Director
Dr. Sheth earned his Psy.D. in Clinical Forensic Psychology from the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University. Prior to his clinical work, he earned a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Houston. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas, San Antonio. His internships and background are in community mental health and residential rehabilitation.
Dr. Sheth’s specialty is in providing evidenced-based treatment to individuals and families. Specifically, he has extensive training and experience in providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and extensions of CBT including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). His work involves using CBT/DBT and elements of attachment and family therapies to treat a variety of issues including relationship difficulties, family problems, men’s/women’s/LGBT issues, addiction, stress/anxiety, and depression.
Hannah Scheierman, MA
Clinical Counselor
Hannah Scheierman, MA
Therapist
Hannah specializes in the treatment of relational dynamics, mood disorders and acute mental and physical illness in children and adolescents. Throughout her training, Hannah has worked in both outpatient and inpatient hospital settings to give individual, group, and family support therapy. She has provided mental health assessments and resources to numerous middle and high schools spanning across North County. She has given psychoeducational and neurological assessments to accurately diagnose psychosis, learning disorders, ADHD, and autism. Hannah has previously been trained in ACT, DBT, multiculturalism, trauma therapy, and crisis intervention. She primarily utilizes a person-centered, collaborative approach to create individual goals and support for each client.
Hannah attained her bachelor’s degree in psychology at San Diego State University. She then went on to gain her masters and is continuing her training to receive her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from the California School for Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. Hannah’s clinical training includes Alpine Special Treatment Center, North County Lifeline, and Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit (CAP3). Hannah is supervised at The Forum at San Diego BrainWorks by Dr. Joanna Savarese.
Nathan Feder, MA
Therapist
Nathan Feder, MA
Therapist
Nathan earned his Masters in Clinical Psychology and is completing his doctorate with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy at Alliant International University. He uses an integrative therapeutic approach to facilitate meaningful change for people and their relationships. Nathan works with clients from diverse backgrounds (racial/ethnic and cultural minorities, LGBTQAI+, youth and emerging adults, biological and adoptive families) to alleviate anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, complex trauma, and ADHD problems.
Nathan has worked across clinical settings, including substance rehabilitation centers, mental health crisis centers, forensic psychiatric evaluation court clinics, and therapeutic outpatient services. Over the years, Nathan has provided individual, group, family, and couples therapy using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Solution Focused Therapy, and Attachment-based Family Therapies. Nathan is supervised at The Forum at San Diego BrainWorks by Dr. Joanna Savarese.
Dr. Jessica Lenihan, PsyD
Pediatric Neuropsychologist
Dr. Jessica Lenihan, PsyD
Pediatric Neuropsychologist - PSY32069
Dr. Lenihan is a licensed pediatric neuropsychologist whose expertise is the assessment of a wide variety of disorders, including traumatic and nonaccidental brain injury, concussion, seizure disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning differences, pediatric stroke, spina bifida and genetic disorders. She utilizes neuropsychological assessment in diverse contest in order to diagnose, plan intervention, conduct screenings and monitor progress with pediatric populations.
Dr. Lenihan provides a comprehensive assessment approach and tailored recommendations to assist with academic support, tutoring, psychotherapeutic treatment, and parental resources. She specializes in neuropsychological evaluations, Independent Educational Evaluations, psychoeducational evaluations, pre and post-surgical evaluations, and concussion management.
Dr. Lenihan received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from an APA-accredited Clinical Psychology program at Loma Linda University with an emphasis in Child Clinical Psychology in Loma Linda, California. She completed her one-year internship in Pediatric Neuropsychology and Pediatric Psychology at Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. She completed her two-year APPCN approved pediatric neuropsychology fellowship at Advanced Neurobehavioral Health of Southern California in San Diego, CA.
