CLINICAL CONSULTATION
I offer consultation for clinicians wanting to learn more about how to best support their clients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and evidence-based treatment models for this population, namely Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I was extensively trained by Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech team early in my career.
I also specialize in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and provide consultation for this complex diagnosis, the mysterious world of multiplicity, and ritual abuse/programming. For the latter, it seems to me that trauma therapists have to be less entranced with DID as a novelty to really understand the horror that requires one to split with her/his self in order to live. I engage in ongoing learning and support for this work through consultation with my own mentors and as a member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD).
In addition to offering consultation around complex client presentations, I also offer mentorship for clinicians who are building a private practice or shifting their professional identity.
Organizational Training
I provide clinical training for organizations and group practices upon specialty populations and corresponding treatment modalities, including BPD and DBT. I teach groups about the biopsychosocial theory regarding the development of BPD, criteria for diagnosing to include identification of underlying behavioral patterns and secondary targets, assessment strategies to determine the appropriate level of care, and the philosophical pillars of DBT. For organizations interested in developing comprehensive DBT programming, we take a deeper dive into dialectical tensions, evidenced-based protocols, clinical interventions, and factors to consider when implementing the Skills Training group therapy portion. I bring more than a decade of experience in developing comprehensive DBT programs within organizations and communities as well as professional training to help teams (clinical and non-clinical staff) adhere to the brilliant treatment model designed to promote transformation and healing for so many. In a time where DBT is grossly misunderstood and oversimplified, this is my greatest passion project!
Other popular training topics for organizations include evaluating severity of substance use disorders and eating disorders as well as general standards in assessment and diagnostic formulation.
LICENSURE SUPERVISION
As an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), I provide licensure supervision for clinical social workers and professional counselors. I am also a field supervisor and adjunct instructor at the University of Denver for graduate-level social work students. The ACS credential identifies those mental health professionals who have met national professional supervision standards and have received specialized training. The ACS promotes a clinical supervisor’s professional identity, accountability to the field, and encourages ongoing self-assessment. As of 2016, 15 states recognize the ACS as a supervision credential of choice.
As a supervisor, I use an integrative approach to include psychodynamic and developmental models of supervision. The psychodynamic model of supervision is relational and includes close examination of parallel process, that is reflecting upon the nature of the supervisor-supervisee relationship and how particular dynamics may correlate to the supervisee’s relationships with clients. The developmental model of supervision includes the supervisor referencing a supervisee’s current stage of learning and modifies their role and corresponding feedback as it relates to these changes. Within supervision, I also weave elements of the Noeticus Counselor Training and Practice Triangle™, i.e. Administrative Effectiveness, Professional Identity Development, and Clinical Skill Clarification and Refinement all of which influenced by the Self of the Therapist. I love giving back to this special profession and find a lot of joy in guiding new clinicians. An interview is required to assess fit and most importantly, whether I am able to meet your needs for what you envision doing in this field!