Suzanne M. Wallach
PsyD, MA, LMFT
Clinical / Executive Director
Dr. Wallach is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Ottawa University in 2002, her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Phillips Graduate University in 2008, and her Doctorate in Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2014.
B.A. Psychology
Ottawa University
Master’s Degree
Phillips Graduate University
Doctorate
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Dr. Wallach is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the owner and Clinical Director of Suzanne Wallach & Associates and SoCal DBT. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Ottawa University in 2002, her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Phillips Graduate University in 2008, and her Doctorate in Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2014.
Dr. Wallach works mainly from both behavioral and psychodynamic perspectives, using Object Relations and Attachment Theory as well as existential, dialectical behavior and cognitive behavioral interventions as needed to help patients dealing with substance abuse, behavioral addictions, eating disorders, complex trauma and personality disorders. Her pre-licensure training was completed at the LA Free Clinic and at CalFAM Counseling Center in Encino as an MFT Trainee, followed up by three years as an MFT intern at The Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills, a regionally recognized and respected psychodynamic training center. In 2014, Dr. Wallach completed the Psychoanalytic Center of California’s Adult Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program.
The Maple Counseling Center
MFT Intern
EMDRIA
Certification in EMDR
Psychoanalytic Center of California
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program
Linehan Institute DBT Intensive Training for Private Practice Clinicians
Behavioral Tech
Dr. Wallach is extensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and serves as the team leader for SoCal DBT. She has completed a 2 year intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for independent practitioners at Dr. Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech in Seattle, Washington with Lizz Dexter-Mazza PhD and Jennifer Sayrs, PhD. This training is the only comprehensive DBT training in the nation supervised by Marsha Linehan, PhD, the original developer of DBT. In addition to being intensively trained in DBT, Dr. Wallach has also completed trainings in Providing Effective DBT Skills Groups by Patricia Gieselman, LMFT, Optimizing Eating Disorder Treatments with DBT with Amy Kalasunas, LPCC, and DBT for Parents, Couples, and Families by Dr. Alan Fruzzetti of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2021 Dr. Wallach was intensively trained in DBT for Children with Francheska Perepletchikova, PhD and Kimberly Vale, LCSW-R. Dr. Wallach is currently in the process of obtaining DBT Clinician Certification through the DBT Linehan Board of Certification. This certification is considered the gold standard for DBT providers and signifies that the highest standards of clinical excellence in the practice of DBT have been achieved.
Dr. Wallach is also a seasoned trauma therapist, and was trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in 2012 by one of the world’s leading EMDR clinicians, Andrew Leeds of Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute. She is an EMDRIA certified EMDR therapist, which means that she has completed an EMDRIA approved training in EMDR, and completed hundreds of hours in sessions and consultations beyond what is required for basic training in EMDR. In addition, in 2020 Dr. Wallach completed a training in Prolonged Exposure for PTSD & Trauma with Drs. Lata McGinn and Lauren Bonavitacola of Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants. Dr. Wallach is also trained in Trauma Resiliency Model, Levels 1 and 2.
Prior to working in her own private practice, she served as a Staff Therapist at an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center in Beverly Hills and as a staff therapist at Mental Health Center at Cedars Sinai Hospital. While at these facilities, Dr. Wallach worked on a number of highly complex cases, treating high acuity addicts of all kinds as well as clients with behavioral addictions and treatment refractory mood and personality disorders. She also ran Relapse Prevention, Sobriety Maintenance and Client Process groups. Dr. Wallach is an active member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).
Daniele Lewin
MA, LMFT
Staff Therapist
Program Director, Child & Adolescent DBT programs
Daniele is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who uses a humanistic, genuine approach to build trusting therapeutic relationships. Daniele treats trauma, anxiety and mood disorders, borderline personality disorder, and offers LGBTQ+ affirmative, culturally sensitive therapy to adults, adolescents, and children.
Through the approaches of play, art, and developmentally appropriate discussion, Daniele helps children and teens learn in a way that feels safe and natural. She is passionate about helping young people and their families learn tools for managing emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Daniele also uses cognitive-behavioral techniques to help adult clients develop more effective coping skills. With roots in attachment theory, Daniele also assists clients in gaining insight into old patterns and core beliefs. By learning how past informs present, clients are able to work more successfully toward their goals. Ultimately, she strives to help clients build more meaningful relationships, self-respect, and greater engagement with daily life.
Daniele holds a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where she concentrated on the treatment of children and adolescents and worked as a school counselor with Counseling Partners of Los Angeles. With an interest in research, Daniele studied risk and resilience in young adults in Dr. Gayla Margolin’s USC Family Studies Project. Prior to pursuing her graduate degree, Daniele examined the long-term effects of children’s exposure to the September 11th World Trade Center attacks with the Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group at Columbia University and NY State Psychiatric Institute in New York, NY. In addition, Daniele has worked in education, providing individualized learning and behavioral support to help students with disabilities succeed.
Daniele was comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by Dr. Tony DuBose and Dr. André Ivanoff through Dr. Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech and received dedicated training in DBT for Adolescents & Families under Dr. Alec Miller and Dr. Jill Rathus. Additionally, Daniele has completed trainings in mindfulness through Mindful USC and in Suicide Prevention through Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. To further her knowledge of trauma treatment, Daniele gained experience in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, and Prolonged Exposure for PTSD & Trauma under Dr. Lata K. McGinn & Dr. Lauren Bonavitacola. Daniele is also an active member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT).
As a Primary DBT Therapist and Skills Group Leader for adults and adolescents, as well as in private practice, Daniele works with clients to identify areas of strength, resilience, and capacity for positive change.
Molly Ackerly
MA, LCSW
Staff Therapist
Program Director, Adult DBT Program
DBT Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician
Molly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She uses a warm, collaborative, and non-judgmental approach to therapy and believes in enhancing individual strengths to help her clients reach their goals. Molly specializes in providing Dialectical Behavior Therapy to adults and adolescents seeking support for mood disorders, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse, and trauma. She also uses a variety of evidenced-based treatments including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindful Self-Compassion. She has special interest in life transitions, relationship issues, and fostering emotional expression through creativity and art.
Molly holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University in New York with a specialty in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from George Washington University. While at Columbia University, Molly completed the DBT Training Program and Lab under the supervision of Dr. André Ivanoff, president of Behavioral Tech. Molly completed her intensive DBT training in 2016 with Randy Wolbert & Gwen Abney-Cunningham at Columbia University. Additionally, Molly has completed trainings in Mindful Self-Compassion with Kristen Neff & Chris Germer, Family Connections Leadership with Alan Fruzzetti, DBT for Adolescents, Young Adults and Families with Alec Miller, Case Conceptualization & DBT Adherence with Emily Cooney, Optimizing Eating Disorder Treatments with DBT with Amy Kalasunas, Prolonged Exposure for PTSD & Trauma with Drs. Lata McGinn and Lauren Bonavitacola, Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT), Motivational Interviewing, Prolonged Exposure Therapy with Edna Foa, and cognitive behavioral advanced clinical methods.
Molly is certified through the DBT LInehan Board of Certification as a DBT Provider. DBT-LBC Certification is an involved assessment to demonstrate the application of knowledge to the performance and delivery of DBT treatment. It is a valuable reassurance to referring clinicians and to the public that other knowledgeable experts in the field of DBT have successfully assessed Molly. This is the gold standard for DBT providers, and certifies that Molly has achieved the highest standards of clinical excellence in the practice of DBT.
Molly has seven years of experience working in Residential, Partial Hospitalization, and Outpatient settings as a Primary Therapist. As a Primary Therapist, Molly coordinated care of complex cases presenting with co-morbid mental health disorders. Prior to licensure, Molly worked as a DBT intern at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, CT where she provided individual psychotherapy, sat on a multidisciplinary DBT consultation team, and co-led DBT skills groups. While at Silver Hill, Molly also worked as a Residential Counselor in the Transitional Living Program to provide milieu skills coaching to adults and adolescents with co-occurring disorders. Molly also previously worked on an inpatient unit at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah, NY as a Milieu Manager and Mental Health Worker. At Four Winds, Molly provided DBT milieu skills coaching and crisis de-escalation to adolescents with severe mental illness in an acute care setting. Molly is currently a member of Dr. Wallach’s comprehensive DBT Team as a primary DBT therapist and also a DBT skills leader, as well as a therapist in her private practice within Dr. Wallach’s group practice.
Angelique Poisson
MA, LMFT, ART
Staff Therapist
Angelique Poisson, LMFT, ATR is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Art Therapist in Los Angeles, California who is a primary therapist at Suzanne Wallach & Associates and SoCal DBT. She is passionate about helping clients unleash their intuition and creativity to harness their capacity to heal, transform, and thrive.
Angelique has been foundationally trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with additional extensive training in DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol for PTSD through Behavioral Tech. She has also completed the Grief Specialist training through Ourhouse in Los Angeles.
In addition to private practice, Angelique has developed and implemented art therapy programs for adult and adolescent treatment in Los Angeles and Minneapolis. She was honored for this work in 2017 when awarded the Art Therapy Clinician Award by the Southern California Art Therapy Association. Angelique serves on the board of Westmont Counseling Center in South Los Angeles, and is past president and honorary lifetime member of the Southern California Art Therapy Association. She is a professional member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Ruth Avalos
MA, LCSW
Staff Therapist
Coordinator of Training and Fidelity, Adult & Child DBT Programs
DBT Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician
Ruth is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who uses a compassionate, open and strengths-based approach to therapy with her clients. Ruth specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with adolescents and adults experiencing depression, anxiety, eating disorders, personality disorders, and complex trauma. Ruth also utilizes evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Ruth received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis.
While in her graduate program, Ruth completed extensive training in DBT, CBT, PE and Motivational Interviewing through the clinical team at Sparlin Mental Health, under the supervision of Ryan Lindsay, LCSW. Ruth also completed DBT skills training through DBT Missouri, through the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Lastly, she also participated in ACT training through Washington University in St. Louis. After moving back to her hometown, Los Angeles, Ruth worked as a primary DBT therapist at The Women’s Center at Clearview Treatment Programs. She received monthly consultations with Charlie Swenson, MD to ensure that she was providing treatment adherent to the model.
Ruth is certified through the DBT Linehan Board of Certification as a DBT Provider. Certification through the Linehan Board of Certification is an involved assessment to demonstrate the application of knowledge to the performance and delivery of DBT treatment. It is a valuable reassurance to referring clinicians and to the public that other knowledgeable experts in the field of DBT have successfully assessed Ruth. This is the gold standard for DBT providers and certifies that Ruth has achieved the highest standards of clinical excellence in the practice of DBT.
Ruth has extensive experience in providing individual therapy, co-leading groups, and providing phone coaching with adolescents and adults in community-based, outpatient and residential settings. She is also fully trained in Prolonged Exposure, a modality of trauma treatment to specifically treat PTSD among high-risk and multi-problem clients who are receiving DBT and CBT. The DBT PE protocol is based on Prolonged Exposure therapy and was adapted to fit the needs of this complex client population. DBT with the DBT PE protocol is a comprehensive treatment designed to help these tremendously suffering individuals recover from trauma and build lives they experience as worth living. Ruth is fully trained in this protocol, which enables her to treat complex, treatment refractory cases that many therapists would turn away.
Ruth is passionate about providing evidence-based treatment that is empathic and adherent in order to help each client build a life worth living. Ruth is currently a member of Dr. Wallach’s comprehensive DBT Team as a primary DBT therapist and DBT skills leader. She serves as SoCal DBT’s Coordinator of Training and Fidelity, a role in which she thrives at keeping the team at SoCal DBT and our DBT program as adherent as possible to Linehan’s model, ensuring the best outcomes for all our patients. Ruth provides continued training and feedback to all our associates and licensed therapists, and helps move each therapist toward the goal of Linehan Board Certification. Ruth is also a therapist in her private practice within Dr. Wallach’s group practice, treating adolescents, adults, families and couples dealing with a variety of issues that benefit from evidence-based treatment.
Sarah Gordis
MA, LCSW
Staff Therapist
Sarah is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who uses a reciprocal, non-judgmental, and motivational approach to therapy with her clients. Sarah specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with adults experiencing personality disorders, depression, anxiety, chemical dependency, and eating disorders.
Sarah received her master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from Columbia University in New York and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Linguistics from Emory University in Atlanta. While at Columbia University, she participated in the DBT Training Program and Lab under the supervision of Dr. André Ivanoff, president of Behavioral Tech, and completed her intensive DBT training in 2019 with Randy Wolbert and Gwen Abney-Cunningham. She enjoys practicing DBT because of its commitment to a dialectical worldview, mindfulness, and the use of the therapist’s genuine self to assist individuals in cultivating a life worth living.
Sarah received additional clinical training in exposure therapy, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral advanced clinical methods. Sarah also participated
in specialized training in Radically Open DBT for disorders of overcontrol through Radically Open Blended Learning Ltd. and DBT for eating disorders through Oshawa Psychotherapy Training Institute. Sarah has significant experience providing individual therapy, leading groups, and providing coaching in outpatient and residential settings. While completing her masters, she worked as a DBT therapist at Brooklyn Heights Behavioral Associates, providing individual psychotherapy, group skills training, and phone coaching to individual struggling with emotion dysregulation, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and interper
sonal conflict. Sarah also worked for the NYC Department of Education as a school social worker for middle school students who had been suspended from school. Prior to being a team member at SoCal DBT, Sarah most recently worked as a primary DBT therapist at Clearview Treatment Program’s Dual Diagnosis residential program for adults with co-occuring mental health and substance use disorders during which she received monthly consultations with Charlie Swenson, MD to ensure adherence to the DBT model.
Sarah is a primary DBT therapist at SoCal DBT, and a DBT skills class leader. She is available to see comprehensive DBT clients ages 15 and up, and available to meet with parents or loved ones of clients in our comprehensive programs for adolescents and adults.
Sarah is passionate about providing effective, evidence-based treatment for clients using warmth, respect, and honesty, and enjoys helping clients create and maintain their lives worth living.
Claire Lopaty
MA, LMFT
Staff Therapist
Claire is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who uses a person centered, nonjudgmental and compassionate approach to treating clients across the life span, starting as young as age 13 all the way into late adulthood. Claire specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with adolescents and adults seeking help for acute personality disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, trauma, OCD and substance use disorders. She also works with families, couples and parents in our DBT program as well as her private practice, using the DBT model and other modalities. Additionally, Claire has clinical experience working with the elderly, particularly those experiencing or impacted by dementia and memory loss.
In addition to DBT Claire is also trained in other evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention and depth modalities like psychodynamic, humanistic and attachment theory.
Claire received her bachelor’s degree in Social, Behavioral, and Human Understanding from the University of Arizona in 2013 and a master’s degree in clinical psychology, with a specialization in trauma, from Antioch University in 2017. For several years, Claire has specialized in treating eating disorders in residential, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient settings, as well as working with other comprehensive DBT programs in the greater Los Angeles area before joining Dr Wallach’s team at SoCal DBT.
Claire completed her foundational training in DBT with Shari Manning’s Treatment Implementation Collaborative and has received specialized training in DBT for eating disorders as well, serving as a program therapist at Keystone Treatment and The Bella Vita, both in Los Angeles.
Claire is currently a staff therapist and skills class leader at SoCal DBT, where she is a member of Dr. Wallach’s comprehensive DBT team, and also has a private practice at Suzanne Wallach and Associates where she sees a variety of cases for DBT informed, CBT or depth psychotherapy sessions.
Kayla Uggetti
MA, AMFT, APCC
Associate Staff Therapist
Kayla Uggetti is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, who uses a strengths-based approach to help her clients achieve their goals. Kayla brings warmth and compassion into the therapy room to create a safe, trusting environment where clients can do deep work and exploration. Kayla works with children ages 4 and up, adolescents, adults, couples and families on developing effective communication, useful coping mechanisms, and increasing self-esteem. She specializes in working with those struggling with anxiety, depression, personality disorders and complex trauma. She has worked with adults and children from a variety of backgrounds and offers a culturally sensitive perspective and is an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Kayla has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development from California State University, San Marcos, where she studied the bio-psycho-social development of the entire lifespan. She then completed her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Azusa Pacific University in San Diego. Kayla began her training working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum by providing behavioral strategies to improve communication and social skills, and she also worked in various community mental health sites such as The Help Group, where she specialized in treating treatment refractory children on and off the autism spectrum, as well as adults and families with acute trauma and complex backgrounds and diagnoses. Kayla helped to provide wraparound care to these complex patients and families, and often worked within multi-modality treatment teams, assuring that these clients received the highest quality care possible.
Kayla has been trained in and continues to deepen her knowledge of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She is currently completing her prelicensure mentorship and licensing hours under Dr. Suzanne Wallach’s supervision, receiving comprehensive training as a skills group leader, primary therapist, and team member within the SoCal DBT program, as well as weekly trainings and supervision with Dr. Wallach. Kayla has completed her DBT Foundational Training at Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech with trainers Leslie Kaworski-Anderson, PhD and Jo Berg, PhD. Kayla is also trained in DBT for Adolescents and Families by protocol co-developers Drs. Alec Miller & Jill Rathus.
In her private practice at Suzanne Wallach & Associates Kayla utilizes a trauma informed approach along with Narrative, CBT, and DBT modalities. She has training in the CASE Approach for assessing for safety and is also trained in Motivational Interviewing, an evidence-based approach that is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to specific goals. Kayla has a passion for working with couples, and has received certification in Gottman Level 1, which helps couples compassionately manage their conflicts, deepen their friendship and intimacy, and share their life purpose and dreams based on the Sound Relationship House Theory. In all her clinical work, Kayla strives for strong rapport with her clients and providing the highest quality of care, basing all clinical work on the strength of the therapist patient relationship as the basis for motivation and change in behavior which leads to increased life satisfaction.
Sofia Gomez Botero
MA, AMFT
Associate Staff Therapist
Sofia is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who uses a warm, non-judgmental approach to help clients achieve their goals. Sofia views therapy as a dynamic, collaborative process of healing and self-exploration, and she brings compassion and curiosity into the therapy room to create a safe environment where clients can engage in that deep process. Sofia offers culturally attuned and LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy to adolescents, adults, couples, and families seeking help with personality disorders, relational or complex trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, and eating disorders. As a bilingual therapist, Sofia is happy to work with clients in English or Spanish, or both.
Sofia has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where she majored in Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology and minored in Health Policy. After spending three years on the East coast working with healthcare companies as a consultant for Deloitte Consulting, Sofia realized her true passion was in working with clients, and she then completed her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Southern California. Sofia began her training in a community mental health setting at Pelican Cove Counseling Center, where she provided long-term psychodynamic therapy to adolescents, adults, and couples for over a year before graduating from USC and joining Suzanne Wallach & Associates and SoCal DBT.
Sofia completed her foundational training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy at Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech. She is completing her DBT mentorship and prelicensure hours under the supervision of Dr. Suzanne Wallach at SoCal DBT, where she is also receiving comprehensive training as a DBT skills group leader, primary therapist, and team member within the SoCal DBT program. In SoCal DBT’s comprehensive DBT program, Sofia sees teens age 13 and up, adults across the life span, couples, families, and provides parents with parent skills training.
In private practice at Suzanne Wallach & Associates, Sofia takes a trauma-informed approach to working with clients aged 12 and up, incorporating psychodynamic, family systems, and DBT modalities. With all her clients, Sofia strives to build relationships characterized by warmth, honesty, compassion, and the highest quality of clinical care.