Dr. Sofia (Sofi) Cárdenas

Dr. Sofia (Sofi) Cárdenas is a registered psychological associate (94029245) practicing under the supervision of Dr. Sheila Modir (30671). She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Southern California (USC) in Clinical Science and completed her APA accredited predoctoral clinical internship at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, with a specialization in child and family psychotherapy.

While completing her doctoral studies at USC, Dr. Cárdenas attained six years of advanced clinical training in a variety of evidence-based therapies; including, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP). Her clinical work focused on treating anxiety, OCD, and depression in both youth and adult clients.

During her pre-doctoral internship at UCLA, Dr. Cárdenas worked with children, adolescents, and parents. She received advanced clinical experiences treating clients with depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, and aggression. Most of her training was with clients facing high-acuity psychopathology, requiring intensive treatment in higher-level settings. To gain expertise in supporting families with histories of stress and adversity, she additionally pursued advanced training and certification in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).

Clinically, Dr. Cárdenas is guided by the understanding that all clients enter treatment with unique sets of goals, life experiences, strengths, and challenges. Her clinical training allows her to develop a treatment plan that builds on evidence-based therapeutic principles. Dr. Cárdenas fosters a warm environment where clients can be their whole selves and gain skills to live their most meaningful lives.