About this course

Learning Objectives

• Understand the basic principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and 12 Step recovery programs.
• Learn to harmonize both DBT principles and 12 Step recovery program principles.
• Utilize this knowledge to enhance your work with clients and guide them towards the most effective treatment and support.

Learning Levels

• Intermediate
• Advanced

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Laura Goldstein, LCMFT

  Owner and Therapist, Montgomery County Counseling Center and TheraCourses

  Laura Goldstein is a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist in Rockville MD. She is the founder and Executive Director of Montgomery County Counseling Center and the founder of TheraCourses! She has worked across multiple settings including in-home behavioral health services, IOPS for adolescent dual diagnosis treatment and young adults struggling to launch, and her private practice. 

  Laura is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) from Behavioral Tech and has been fine tuning the application of DBT into individual therapy, parent coaching, and family therapy. She also trained in 2017 with The Gottman Couples Method, which is a seamless integration of DBT concepts when working with couples. With over 12 years of experience in the field, Laura has established herself as a local expert in relationship therapy, public speaking, and therapy practice management.

  In 2022, she launched TheraCourses, an e-course platform with innovative solutions to address the obstacles of accessing affordable psychoeducation that parents need in order to prevent and/or treat the adolescent mental health crisis we face today.

• 

  Sara Varga, LCSW-C

  Clinical Director and Therapist, Montgomery County Counseling Center

  Sara is an alumna of Syracuse University, where she completed her undergraduate education in public policy and women's studies. After working in a domestic violence shelter in Fairfax County, Virginia, she earned her Master's in Social Work from The National Catholic School of Social Service in 2006. During this time, she also obtained a Certificate in Domestic Violence Policy from the University of Colorado at Denver.

  Sara discovered her passion for working with young adults and adolescents struggling with substance abuse and mental health challenges. She worked as a wilderness therapist at two programs and was the creator and clinical director of an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for dual-diagnosed adolescents and young adults, specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

  Sara served her community of Frederick, MD by co-founding a non-profit that established the state's only Recovery High School. She helped launch the Phoenix Recovery Academy and served as its Head of School for the first year of its operation.

  Previously, Sara worked as a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) therapist, serving children, adolescents, and their families. Currently, she is an outpatient (OP) therapist serving adolescents, adults, and their families while also providing supervision to emerging therapists in the field. Sara is a licensed social worker in Maryland and Virginia.

Disclosure

References

• Dimeff, Linda A, and Marsha M Linehan. “Dialectical behavior therapy for substance abusers.” Addiction science & clinical practice vol. 4,2 (2008): 39-47. doi:10.1151/ascp084239
• Linehan, Marsha. DBT Skills Training Handouts And Worksheets. New York : The Guilford Press, ©2015. Print.
• DBT and the 12 Steps; Created by Brian Barr, Exodus Treatment Program, Snoqualmie, Washington . Edited by John T. Bolla, Parke Creek Treatment Center, Ellensburg, Washington.