Clinical Director

Dr. Chipps specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, substance abuse, and trauma. She is a regular presenter at conferences on topics such the client/therapist relationship, creativity in the treatment of eating disorders, and treating dissociative disorders. Her own recovery from an eating disorder and substance dependence gives Sarah an inside perspective that helps her both support and challenge clients.

“Being well equipped for life means having skills for managing whatever life events come our way. Hard things and situations are going to happen and if I’m well equipped I’ll be able to take a pause and decide how I want to respond in both joyous and difficult times.”

Dr. Chipps’ favorite DBT skill is Check the Facts.

“There have been many times in my life when I have believed that my emotions were telling me the truth, and I ended up in a lot of unnecessary fear. Fortunately, I have a very “bad” imagination, most of my fears don’t come true, and by using Check the Facts, I can calm my active imagination down more quickly these days.”

Director of Training

Dr. Julie Trim is a DBT-LBC Certified Clinician and has 15 years of treating eating disorders at the residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient (IOP), and outpatient levels of care. Dr. Trim developed the UCSD Adult Eating Disorders Program in 2009 and subsequently served as Director. Dr. Trim provides ongoing supervision and consultation to colleagues (including the Well Equipped team!), publishes in scientific journals, and participates in cutting-edge clinical research.

“Well Equipped to me means having the tools to be able to live the life you want. It means acting in accordance with your values and navigating life’s challenges with resilience and growth.”

Dr. Trim’s favorite clinical skill is Dialectics/ Walking the Middle Path.

“I really value balance in all areas of life, and tend to see things in “gray” as opposed to black and white.”

Program Therapist

Mellissa (Mell) Giegerich is a licensed clinical social worker with specialized training and experience working with an impressive range of client populations. Prior to joining our clinic, she worked at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center, where she provided treatment to adults in the intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization (PHP) program. Before that, she completed a fellowship at the department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where she was formally trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an evidence-based treatment for PTSD. Mell has also worked with substance use disorders (pulling from SMART recovery principles), individuals on the autism spectrum, and adolescents and young adults. Finally, Mell is passionate about sports psychology and working with athletes, as she was former collegiate athlete herself. She loves helping athletes work through the unique challenges of being an athlete (e.g., issues related to identity, exercise dependency and compulsive exercise, etc).​

Mell draws from evidence-based therapies including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Her empathetic and nonjudgmental approach fosters an environment in which clients feel confident they can learn the skills needed to improve their wellbeing.

Outside of work, you will find Mell spending time with friends, at the beach, rollerblading, and cuddling with her beloved cat, Stella! As someone who loves hiking and nature, one of her life goals is to visit all the national parks within the US. She fully embraces living in southern California and tries to get outside at any opportunity!

Program Therapist

Dr. Bridget Aiello's comprehensive training includes a wide variety of clinical settings and diverse client populations. Dr. Aiello received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Alliant International University in 2022.

Dr. Aiello strives to provide affirmative spaces for clients and is honored to work with individuals whose identities related to culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, body size, and ability intersect with their experiences around mental health. Her experience spans working with children on the autism spectrum, mothers in recovery from substance and chemical dependency, short-term crisis counseling, and providing therapy to incarcerated individuals, college students, and adults with disordered eating. Dr. Aiello’s approach to therapy incorporates relational psychodynamic, humanistic, and behavioral techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).

Dr. Aiello’s clinical interests include eating disorders, trauma, sexual abuse survivors, intersectional identities, gender identity and sexual orientation, coming out, anxiety, attachment concerns, life transitions, codependency, and relational and interpersonal concerns.

Outside of work, Dr. Aiello loves spending time with her two rescue pups, catching beautiful San Diego sunsets, and drinking a good cup of coffee.

Program Therapist

Ari is a DBT trained therapist with previous experience working in a DBT IOP setting and consultation team. Ari is a huge fan of DBT and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Ari on our team!

“Being well-equipped for life would translate to our having the skills needed to effectively modulate emotional lability and mood-dependent behaviors as well as learning to trust and validate our own thoughts, behaviors, and emotional experiences. While this is far from an easy task, the hope would be that ultimately, with these capacities, we would be able to move through life in a way that is generally aligned with our long-term values and goals”

Ari’s favorite DBT skill is Meaning (from IMPROVE).
”When in a state of suffering or distress, or when faced with the suffering of others, I often turn towards a sense of meaning, purpose, and values to motivate me to move forward in acceptance and problem solving.” 

Director of Admissions

Kristin is our admissions all star! She brings over 15 years of diverse program administrative and marketing experience to her role as Director of Admissions.

“Being the initial point of contact, it is my job to make sure that all of our clients feel they are in a safe space, where each individual is guaranteed excellent care and service.”