Author: kaylabettisweber

I usually talk with my clients about other services that can be helpful to our work, often deemed as alternatives to traditional psychotherapy and psychiatric care. It’s an important conversation that requires strong caution toward the fact that right now, it’s like the wild west out here. We’ve got a surge of opportunities that are … Continue reading Culty culture

I am indebted to a string of professors, supervisors, colleagues, and mentors that have profoundly shaped my academic and professional career. I was fortunate enough to enter the field as an undergrad because my university had a specific social work program that included a clinical field practicum. I adored my professors, all with a wealth … Continue reading A tribute to the elders

When I tell people I teach the SFBT social work course at the University of Denver, I usually get a good laugh. And I love that! I feel so seen as a psychodynamic, relational trauma-therapist, sometimes coined a “lifetime therapist.” I’m specifically referencing the word, “brief.” Trauma treatment is a lot of things and brief … Continue reading Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

The youngest and most innocent members of our society are facing a cruel and vicious cycle of collective trauma at the hands of violence that will cause deep scarring, with emotional and psychological ramifications that persist throughout the lifespan. Mental illness, drug addiction, incarceration, social isolation, self harm and further violence are familiar outcomes for … Continue reading PSA

I’ve come to know these themes both personally and professionally over the last few years. It happens that the circumstances of our life mirror what resides inside. And that inner world is a representation of the collective, including our current societal themes as well as spiritual rhythms of generations upon generations and the earth in … Continue reading Contraction & expansion

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What is your spiritual story? I wasn’t asked this question until I was leading an addiction recovery group about 4-5 years ago. As per the curriculum, we were specifically integrating spirituality as a topic for exploration. Our treatment center’s spiritual counselor was invited to guide the process that week, and I was honored to participate … Continue reading What is your spiritual story?

When emotional pain starts to pull us down, we tend to react in ways to rid ourselves of the feelings by suppressing, dismissing, judging or trying to think our way out of them. We try so desperately to move against the experience, to resist. In the process, we dredge up past regrets and conjure up … Continue reading Moving toward

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment to help provide stabilization to people struggling with chronic suicidal ideation and usually, childhood experiences of trauma. These experiences, among other symptoms, were later categorized into the diagnosis we now know as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Dr. Marsha Linehan’s research not only established hope for a previously … Continue reading My soapbox on DBT