VFWC (New Home Page) – UCLA Division of Population Behavioral Health

The Veteran Family Wellbeing Center (VFWC) provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for Veterans and their families, including parents, couples, and children.

ABOUT US

The VFWC is part of a unique partnership between the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS).

The skilled providers who make up our dedicated team are experts in the unique needs of Veteran families. They are experienced in providing a range of wellbeing services, including individual, couple, and family resilience programming, events and workshops, and quality referrals to mental healthcare and other resources. VFWC services are available to Veterans, Guard and Reserve families in California and are delivered in person or at a distance through our virtual platform. We hope to see you soon.

MEET OUR TEAM

Tom Babayan, MS, LMFT

Director of VFWC

Tom serves as the Director of UCLA/VA Veteran Family Wellbeing Center. Tom has been dedicated to supporting military and Veteran families since 2008, serving in a variety of roles. He began by delivering mental health prevention services to families and couples aboard Camp Pendleton before returning to Los Angeles to support the Veteran community. Tom pioneered the tele-delivery model of FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress), an innovative platform that uses video teleconferencing technology to deliver psychoeducation and training to Veterans and their families. He served as a consultant/trainer to numerous organizations serving Veterans including the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, UCLA Operation Mend, Los Angeles Department of Mental Health and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Tom is passionate about helping Veteran couples build resilience through skill building. Since 2017, Tom served as the Services Director for the Veteran Family Wellbeing Center before taking on the role of Director in 2021.

Melissa Lee, MA

Resilience Trainer

Melissa serves as a Resilience Trainer for the VFWC. She served as a ground supply officer in the USMC from 2000 to 2004. She was stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Camp Lejeune, and Camp Hansen, Okinawa. She did Veteran outreach for Habitat for Humanity in the San Fernando/Santa Clarita valleys, and since 2015 she has volunteered with and been a Boardmember for 22 Until None, a nonprofit dedicated to ending Veteran suicide. She is married to a former Marine Corps infantry officer and was stationed with him at Marine Corps bases Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms.

Erryn Shine, Psy.D

Resilience Trainer

Erryn Shine, Psy.D, is a Resilience Trainer at the UCLA/VA Veteran Family Wellbeing Center (VFWC), where she has supported military and Veteran families since 2020. A former USMC spouse of 13 years, she brings both lived experience and clinical expertise to her work. Dr. Shine earned her MS in Clinical Psychology from Capella University and her PsyD in Applied Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School, where her dissertation examined attachment and health risk behaviors among military spouses. In addition to her work at the VFWC, she is currently completing her postdoctoral hours as a Psychological Associate with a private provider in Los Angeles, CA, offering therapy and psychological assessment services. Her previous experience includes clinical work with soldiers and their families at Fort Bragg and five years with LACDMH supporting Transitional Aged Youth with complex trauma and severe mental illness. Dr. Shine is dedicated to strengthening the wellbeing of service members, Veterans, and their families.

Charles Johnson, (Psy.D Candidate), M.A. MFTA

Resilience Trainer

Mr. Johnson is a Resilience Trainer for the UCLA/VA Veteran Family Wellbeing Center. Mr. Johnson holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University and is a candidate for a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Combined with his twenty-six years of military training as a Navy Counselor working with military members and families, Mr. Johnson contributes to the mission of strengthening families, couples and individuals with dignity and respect. Mr. Johnson also serves as the Team Leader of the Veterans Resource Center at Los Angeles Pierce College. His team is responsible for helping returning military members transition from military service to successful academic achievement through the development of help-seeking behaviors needed to maximize resource usage. Previously he worked for the Department of Corrections’ Male Community Release Program where he helped soon-to-be released incarcerated individuals develop parenting, relationship and life skills. He has experience conducting individual, couple, family and group clinical treatment using multiple modalities and life skills building sessions needed for successful transitions. He also worked with the Center for Individual and Family Therapy where he received specialized training in couple and child evidence-based therapeutic techniques, including play therapy, trauma-focused therapy, solution-focused therapy and life skills enhancement.

Joanna Lord, MS, LMFT

Resilience Trainer

Joanna is a Resilience Trainer for at the UCLA/VA Veteran Family Wellbeing Center. Joanna holds a Master of Science degree in Counseling with specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Northridge. Joanna has experience working in a variety of settings such as residential, partial hospitalization/outpatient, and private practice and has experience supporting a variety of populations utilizing evidence-based practices such as CBT and DBT. Additionally, she has worked for Southern California treatment centers such as Phoenix House of Los Angeles, Tarzana Treatment Centers, and Harmony Place providing special support to populations affected by substance use and post-traumatic stress. Joanna utilizes a trauma-focused lens in her work and is trained in evidenced based modalities designed to emphasize distress tolerance and resiliency skills and is particularly passionate about supporting veterans in this capacity. Joanna also has experience serving as a sexual assault advocate with Strength United in the San Fernando Valley.

Melva Atayde, BA

Services Coordinator

Melva Atayde, BA, serves as the Services Coordinator for the UCLA/VA Veteran Family Wellbeing Center. She is a former Army Reservist with a BA in Communication from California State University, Northridge. She also holds certificates in Mediation and Conflict Resolution from Roland Tseng College. Currently, she is enrolled in UCLA Extension’s Drug and Alcohol Counseling Certification Program. She is fluent in Spanish and English and has worked extensively with the veteran population and health access for 12 years.

Jorge Merlos, BS

Community Engagement Specialist

Mr. Merlos is the Community Engagement Specialist for the Veteran Family Wellbeing Center (VFWC). He earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Oregon and has received specialized training towards developing social and emotional proficiency for youth, adolescent, and veteran populations. Mr. Merlos joins the VFWC with extensive experience facilitating and supporting canine assisted therapeutic curriculums specifically designed to highlight the interconnected relationship between human beings and the natural world. Jorge actively promotes his Indigenous Mayan heritage by serving as an athlete and ambassador for Mesoamerican Hip Ball.