WESTSIDE MIND HEALTH
About Us
Christopher Thompson, M.D.
Christopher R. Thompson, M.D. is a highly-regarded Los Angeles area psychiatrist. In his private practice, he treats children, adolescents, and adults, utilizing both medication and multiple forms of therapy (e.g., psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral). He completed his Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Fellowship at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital in Los Angeles and his Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry in Sacramento.
Dr. Thompson is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and Forensic Psychiatry. He is also certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. He is the former Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Division of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, a former President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), a former President of the California Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (CALACAP), and the current Vice-President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry (Vol.) at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he teaches in both the Forensic and Child & Adolescent Division. See also www.christopherthompsonmd.com
Marc Heiser, M.D., Ph.D.
Marc Heiser, M.D., Ph.D. is an ABPN-certified child & adolescent and adult psychiatrist who is committed to providing the highest quality care to his patients. He has extensive experience treating a wide range of psychiatric disorders and has been trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive behavioral therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and in the care of individuals exploring their gender identity. He is an expert in the use of ketamine, esketamine, and is certified in ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP). In his role as Associate Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Dr. Heiser has pioneered the use of TMS and ketamine in community mental health.
In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr. Heiser has extensive experience in basic and translational neuroscience research. His work has been published in scientific journals including Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, Neuron, and the Journal of Neuroscience. He has received awards from UCLA for compassionate clinical care of children and from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation for his research.
Dr. Heiser received a B.A. from UC Berkeley in English and Molecular and Cell Biology. He then entered the Medical Scientist Training Program at UC San Francisco, where he received a Ph.D. in neuroscience and an M.D. He completed his Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at UCLA. He has a faculty appointment at UCLA, where he trains residents in psychopharmacology, TMS, and ketamine therapy.
Adam Lasser, M.D.
Dr. Adam Lasser is ABPN-certified in child & adolescent and adult psychiatry. He is one of the leading psychiatrists in Los Angeles. He has been in private practice for over twenty years, treating children, adults, and families. Dr. Lasser takes a holistic approach in treating mental illness, utilizing medications, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes. Dr. Lasser attended Cornell University, where he majored in Economics. He received his M.D. from the Tulane School of Medicine and completed his adult psychiatry residency at NYU. Dr. Lasser finished his psychiatric training with a fellowship in child & adolescent psychiatry at UCLA.
Dr. Lasser is certified in ketamine assisted psychotherapy and has extensive expertise in treating mental illness with ketamine. In utilizing ketamine with his patients over the last several years, Dr. Lasser has seen the profound effects that ketamine can have on alleviating symptoms and improving mental health.
Photography by Dawn Bowery