Join us for this AMG Lunch & Learn on Thursday, April 23rd from 12 – 1 PM with Dr. Drea Letamendi! Dr. Letamendi will guide participants in learning grounding and wellness techniques designed to lift your mood and fit your own personal story of leadership.
Dr. Drea Letamendi
Inaugural Director of Compassionate Response (CORE), UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Dr. Drea Letamendi (she/her/ella) is a clinical psychologist, mental health advisor for the entertainment industry, and two-time TEDx speaker with an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her PhD from UCSD. After completing her postdoc at UCLA’s Department of Psychology, Dr. Drea served UCLA as a campus mental health leader, which included 3 years as the Interim Director of the UCLA Resilience Center and 8 years as the Associate Director of Mental Health Training, Intervention, and Response in Residential Life. In 2025, Dr. Drea began serving as the Inaugural Director of UCLA CAPS Compassionate Response, or “CORE.” CAPS CORE is the UCLA’s first mobile crisis response program that deploys a team of unarmed first responders who support, assist, and provide mental health care for Bruins in crisis throughout our campus community. Dr. Drea also has a private practice as a behavioral science advisor for the gaming, tech, and entertainment media industries and has written publications about the positive impacts of media on mental health, as covered in the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. She also delivers trainings to studios to help industry leaders use science-backed behavioral health practices on-screen and behind the scenes. Among her recent publications includes: The Force Awakens: Using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Using Star Wars. She is the creator and co-host of THE ARKHAM SESSIONS, a podcast about the psychology of superheroes. For more information visit her website, drdreapsychology.com.
