Prior to my clinical training as a clinical psychologist, I worked many different jobs: strawberry picking, nursing home dietary aid, and fast food, among others. Each of these placements, with their ups and downs, lasted from several months to a year at the most. I then proceeded to do my clinical training where I rotated clinics every year to serve a different population: the university clinic, community mental health, and the Veterans Affairs. In each placement, I experienced rewards and challenges that have been invaluable in my development. Yet, my experience at Cincinnati Center for DBT has provided another level of clinical development altogether, as I truly developed my clinical niche as a psychologist over the past three years. The extent that I have grown as a professional and as a clinician over the past years is immeasurable, and this growth is in great part due to my mentors, colleagues, and most importantly, the clients that I served.
There are at least three stages of my development as a clinician at CCDBT. The first stage was a period of learning how to be an adherent DBT clinician. In this stage, I worked to gain an in-depth understanding of Marsha Linehan’s work and the process of conducting adherent DBT. For the first time, I led adherent DBT groups and walked my clients through pretreatment, diary cards, and chain analyses. I really immersed myself in the DBT team and was a very active member of the team and organization. I will never forget Marsha Linehan. From the speed and flow of DBT to the more practical elements like the TIP skill and validation, DBT will always be a part of who I am, both personally and professionally.
In the second stage of my time at CCDBT, I equipped myself to work with DBT couples, parents, and families. To develop this niche, I collaborated with the Center for DBT and Families and took all of the trainings that they offered. CCDBT generously covered these trainings and empowered me to learn what I needed to better serve families. In addition to Nikki Vail and Desirae Allen, who allowed me to have these opportunities, I am grateful for Drs. Armida and Alan Fruzzetti, who equipped me with the foundational training that I needed to effectively serve individuals who experience intense conflicts.
Finally, in my third stage at CCDBT, I mentored students, and I worked toward integrating my plans for the future of my clinical work. Regarding mentorship, I learned that I enjoy teaching as I continue my clinical work because teaching students reminds me that I will always be a student for life. I am constantly changing and growing, in need of refining my skills. Regarding my process of preparing for future work, I worked on the scope of my specialties and both integrated new modalities of therapy to fill in the “missing pieces” of my work and stepped back from other aspects of clinical work that did not fit with my developing knowledge of what makes people thrive. This reflective period was incredibly valuable.
To my clinical and admin team, I am grateful for all of you. You have taught me so much. There are too many important names to list publicly, but you know who you are. To my clients, whether or not our paths cross in the future, I wish you nothing but peace and satisfaction on your journey. Thank you all for being with me on this journey, and I hope that many clients will find new strength and healing at CCDBT.