ABOUT US
Julie Trim, PhD
she/her
Founder & Clinical Director
Dr. Julie Trim provides compassionate, evidence-based treatment for a variety of problems including eating disorders, anxiety and mood disorders, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder (BPD)/emotion dysregulation. She 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. In addition to seeing clients, Dr. Trim provides ongoing supervision and consultation to colleagues, publishes in scientific journals, and participates in cutting-edge clinical research. Dr. Trim has served as a therapist on several randomized clinical trials of psilocybin since 2020 for conditions such as treatment-resistant depression (TRD), anorexia nervosa, and phantom limb pain.
Dr. Trim is a firm believer in evidence-based treatment. Intensively trained experts in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Dr. Trim is one of four psychologists in San Diego to achieve certification in DBT by the Linehan Board of Certification. She draws heavily from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) when working with depression and anxiety, and blends in DBT skills when appropriate. Additionally, Dr. Trim has formal training and experience in two evidence-based treatments for PTSD-- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE).
Dr. Trim also serves as the Director of Training for Well Equipped IOP, a virtual comprehensive DBT IOP program for clients in several U.S. states (https://www.wellwilliamsburg.com/wellequipped).
Outside of work, Dr. Trim loves being outdoors (at the beach or on a hike), having dance parties at home, and curling up on the couch with a blanket and a good book. She describes herself as an extraverted introvert or an introverted extravert, depending on the day. She considers this the best of both worlds; she cherishes the time she has to herself, AND values relationships above everything else.
Bridget Aiello, PsyD
she/her
Psychological Associate
#94027748
Dr. Bridget Aiello is a Psychological Associate working under the clinical supervision of Dr. Trim (PSY# 22814). She is a queer, white, able-bodied, cisgender female whose 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 has worked at Stein Education Center, ParentCare Family Recovery Center, Vista Balboa Crisis Center, Alliant International University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, University of California San Diego’s (UCSD) Eating Disorder Center, Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, and UCSD’s Center for Applied Counseling and Psychological Services. 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 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. 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.
Mell Giegerich, LCSW
she/her
Licensed Clinical
Social Worker
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!