My Approach

I consider myself a behavior therapist with compassion at my core. Since starting my journey as a behavior assistant, I have utilized effective behavioral interventions to change behaviors. During my practicum, I was exposed to Carl Rogers' Client Centered therapy. Bringing these two approaches together, I now practice Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT, actualized by Marsha Linehan, is a therapeutic model which synthesizes change procedures and acceptance procedures. I have found profound effective results with this therapy technique and I utilize it in all sessions. From mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness, I have been using DBT to guild my interventions for effective change in clients' lives. 

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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) provides clients with new skills to manage painful emotions, decrease conflict in relationships and end destructive coping skills. DBT specifically focuses on providing therapeutic skills in four key umbrellas. First, mindfulness focuses on improving an individual's ability to accept and be present in the current moment. Second, distress tolerance is used to increase a person’s tolerance of negative emotion, rather than trying to escape from it. Third, emotion regulation covers strategies to manage and change intense emotions that are causing problems in a person’s life. Fourth, interpersonal effectiveness consists of techniques that allow a person to communicate with others in a way that is assertive, maintains self-respect, and strengthens relationships.

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DBT was originally developed to treat individuals who struggled with suicidal behaviors (suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts). However, research shows that DBT has also been used successfully to treat people experiencing depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic-stress disorder, and substance abuse. 

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