Welcome to my clinical practice!
ABOUT ME
I am a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Washington who provides evidence-based treatments to adults and adolescents from a cognitive-behavioral framework. I am also authorized to practice inter-jurisdictional telepsychology through PSYPACT for individuals residing in participating states (see here for a map: https://psypact.site-ym.com/page/psypactmap). I am a nationally recognized expert in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure (DBT PE) protocol for PTSD, and also provide Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy. Concurrently, I am a Trainer and Consultant for Behavioral Tech, LLC, the DBT training company founded by the treatment developer, Dr. Marsha Linehan.
Until 2021, I served as the Associate Director of the Trauma and Suicide Treatment Research Lab at the Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research, part of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, where I was a Co-Investigator on NIMH-funded research focused on the evaluation and implementation of DBT and DBT PE. As part of this work, I co-developed the DBT Adherence Checklist for Individual Therapy (DBT AC-I), a tool that can be used by DBT therapists to evaluate the degree to which they are delivering DBT in a way that is consistent with the treatment manual.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
I received my BA in Psychology from Wesleyan University, and my MA and PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology from the
University of South Carolina. I completed my pre-doctoral internship at Westchester Jewish Community Services in Hartsdale, NY., and my postdoctoral training with Dr. Melanie Harned, the treatment developer of DBT PE, at the University of Washington’s Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics (BRTC). Following my postdoctoral fellowship, I remained at the BRTC as a Research Scientist, where I directed the graduate training program in DBT. I currently maintain a Clinical Instructor position through the Department of Psychology supervising advanced doctoral students.
I have experience providing DBT in a variety of settings, including community mental health, private practice, and residential facilities, and work with both adults and adolescents. I am a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™, which means that I have demonstrated the knowledge and skills to deliver DBT to adherence to the treatment model. I regularly provide professional trainings and consultation in DBT and DBT PE nationally and internationally and have published several peer reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics.
APPROACH
I consider therapy to be a collaborative process, based on the tenet that the relationship between a therapist and client is real, authentic, and equal. I strive to provide a warm, non-judgmental, and supportive environment while at the same time, pushing you towards change in order to achieve your life worth living goals. I take an active, problem solving approach to therapy; that is, rather than just talking about changing behavior, we work to change behavior both in and out of session. As a researcher, I stay up to date on current literature relevant to my therapeutic practice to ensure that I am delivering the most effective treatment possible. As a clinician, I rely heavily on case formulation, understanding the unique transactions between you and your environment, and their relation to the problems that brought you to therapy. Taken together, I apply evidence-based interventions to precision, tailoring them to the specific client in front of me. I value creating a safe and affirming therapy environment for individuals of marginalized status, including the LGBTQ+ community.