Specialized Treatments

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT helps individuals better understand and manage intense emotions, reduce impulsive or self-destructive behaviors, and improve relationships. DBT combines a validating, compassionate therapeutic relationship with practical skills training, and between-session skills coaching, offering support as individuals learn to apply new strategies in real-life situations. Core skills include mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, with the goal of helping to build greater stability, resilience, and a life that feels meaningful and worth living.

*Note: For comprehensive DBT, I can provide recommendations of local or virtual skills training groups (if you do not already attend one).

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

CBT focuses on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. CBT is collaborative and goal-oriented, integrating techniques such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, exposure, and building practical coping strategies to help individuals develop more adaptive ways of thinking and coping. Through cognitive restructuring, individuals learn to identify and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns and develop more balanced perspectives to reduce distress and improve daily functioning and well-being. 

DBT Informed

DBT informed treatment draws from the core principles and skills of DBT while offering more flexibility in structure and intensity. This approach is well-suited for individuals who experience emotional sensitivity and reactivity, and/or interpersonal challenges, but may not require or desire a full comprehensive DBT program. Treatment incorporates DBT strategies such as mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, while remaining individualized to needs and goals, to support increasing emotional balance, resilience, and effective coping.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE)

DBT-PE is a trauma-focused treatment for individuals experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with high emotional sensitivity or difficulties with emotion regulation (including suicidal and self-harming behavior). DBT-PE integrates the skills and structure of DBT with prolonged exposure (PE), a well-established trauma treatment that helps individuals gradually and safely confront trauma-related memories and avoided situations in order to reduce fear, distress, and trauma symptoms. This combined approach supports individuals in processing traumatic experiences while continuing to build emotion regulation and coping skills. DBT-PE is typically introduced after a foundation of safety and stability is established to allow trauma work to proceed safely and effectively.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

CPT is a trauma-focused therapy designed to help individuals recover from PTSD. CPT focuses on identifying and challenging unhelpful beliefs and interpretations related to traumatic events, while helping clients process emotions and develop healthier perspectives. This structured, skills-based approach is effective for reducing trauma-related distress, improving daily functioning, and fostering a greater sense of safety, empowerment, and emotional resilience. 

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

ERP is a type of CBT and the gold-standard for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). ERP helps individuals gradually face anxiety-provoking thoughts, images, or situations while reducing compulsive behaviors or avoidance patterns that maintain distress. Through a collaborative and structured process, clients learn to tolerate uncertainty and anxiety more effectively, allowing distress to decrease naturally over time. ERP is skills-based and goal-oriented, supporting individuals in building confidence, flexibility, and long-term symptom reduction in daily life.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT helps individuals develop a more flexible and compassionate relationship with their thoughts and emotions. Rather than trying to eliminate distressing experiences, ACT focuses on increasing psychological flexibility—supporting individuals in staying present, responding more effectively to difficult internal experiences, and making choices guided by personal values. Treatment emphasizes mindfulness, acceptance strategies, and values-based action, helping individuals build a meaningful life even in the presence of challenges.