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 11^th 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

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
Director of Training & Fidelity, Adult & Child DBT Programs

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.

Alessandra Rizzotti

MA, LCSW

Staff Therapist

Alessandra Rizzotti is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with personality disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, complex trauma and grief. She is an Academy of Cognitive Therapy CBT certified, DMH DBT Certified, and EMDRIA certified EMDR therapist who treats adults of all ages, children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 years old, as well as parents and couples. Alessandra takes a validating, empathic, client centered approach to therapy, and strives for all her patients to achieve their goals and create a life they deem as worth living.

Prior to joining SoCal DBT, Alessandra was employed as a clinical social worker at UCLA Behavioral Health Associates and as a psychiatric social worker at the Department of Mental Health American Indian Counseling Center. In these arenas, Alessandra worked one on one with underserved communities, and often with chronically ill, high crisis patients, while also offering grief groups and DBT informed skills groups.

Alessandra completed her bachelor’s degree at University of Southern California, majoring in film production, and graduated from California State University at Northridge with a Master of Social Work, where she was also honored as a Golden Key Scholar and a Clinton Global Initiative University Fellow. After graduating from her master’s program, Alessandra went on to train at Our House Grief Support Center, where she conducted multiple children’s grief groups, intake assessments and assisted in research data collection. She then went on to complete her pre licensure hours at Harbor UCLA, where she was intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy as well as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and worked with clients from a variety of backgrounds, providing evidence-based treatments such as DBT and CBT while also training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for working with trauma.

Alessandra is allied with the LGBTQIA+ community and has provided suicide prevention and crisis intervention support at The Trevor Project (2015-18), the only national accredited organization in suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQIA youth. She loves supporting people on their journeys towards self-actualization and wellness, and finds meaning in working with many populations other therapists deem challenging.

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.

Jordan Werner

MA, AMFT

Associate Staff Therapist

Jordan is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist practicing under the supervision of Dr Wallach. She uses a compassionate, sincere, and culturally competent approach with her clients, also utilizing an underlying feminist and integrative approach to therapy. Jordan works with children ages 10 and up, adolescents, adults and couples on reaching their specific goals. She specializes in working with personality disorders and mood disorders along with a broad spectrum of trauma in clients of all ages, and also sub specializes in working with those in the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically gender expansive young adults focusing on anxiety, depression, and gender dysphoria. She also works with people in non traditional relationships from a non judgmental and supportive stance.

Jordan has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of Rhode Island where she focused on interpersonal communication and conflict resolution. She then completed her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in LGBTQIA+ studies at Antioch University Los Angeles. While still in grad school, Jordan began her training working with individuals at COLORS counseling center, a free clinic dedicated to providing care and resources to the LGBTQIA population ages 13-25. Since joining Dr. Wallach’s practice, she has been Foundationally trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by Nick Salsman, PhD and Basma Kilani, MA at Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech. She continues her training and mentorship in DBT on Dr Wallach’s DBT Team at SoCal DBT, where she is a primary DBT therapist and skills class leader and attends weekly trainings in DBT. Jordan also works with parents and family members to deepen their understanding of DBT in order to support their loved ones. Additionally, Jordan is an Air National Guard (Air Force) veteran with deployment experience and has training in working with veterans.

In her private practice at Suzanne Wallach & Associates, Jordan utilizes a trauma informed, LGBTQIA affirmative approach along with internal family systems, CBT, and feminist modalities to treat clients from all backgrounds and of all ages.

Mason Allred

MA, AMFT

Associate Staff Therapist

Mason is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist practicing under the supervision of Dr. Suzanne Wallach. His approach to therapy is centered around bringing compassion and understanding to the therapy room to create a safe place for clients ages 10 and up to dive deep into their own world. Mason also has experience working with couples and families, and enjoys working with multiple people in the room, addressing relationship and family problems from a solution focused, goals based and behavioral perspective. He is drawn to working with clients in integrative, affirmative, feminist, and strength-based approaches. Mason specializes in working with personality disorders, substance use disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, and treating trauma both past and present. He also sub-specializes in working with the LGBTQIA+ community, with a special interest in assisting gender expansive youth and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, and gender dysphoria. Additionally, he brings an informed and culturally sensitive approach to working with neurodivergence.

Mason has been trained in and continues to expand his knowledge of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at SoCal DBT. He is currently a staff therapist and skills leader on Dr. Wallach’s DBT team, and has received comprehensive training within the SoCal DBT program, as well as weekly trainings and supervision with Dr. Wallach. Mason completed his DBT Foundational Training at Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech with trainers Katie Dixon-Gordon, PhD. and Gloria Seo, LCSW-C. Mason delivers DBT across populations, and works with children age 10 and up, teens, adults, couples and families. He has a passion for working with Borderline Personality Disorder, and has also found DBT to be effective for treating those struggling with labile moods, relationship problems, and developmental and attachment trauma.

Mason has a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from California State University, Long Beach where he focused on educational skills and self-development. He developed a curiosity for the intersection of trauma and the arts, specifically invalidation and validation in youth populations. He then completed his master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in LGBTQIA+ studies at Antioch University, Los Angeles. While in grad school and accruing pre-licensure hours, he began his training at COLORS counseling center, a free psychotherapy clinic dedicated to providing care and resources to the LGBTQIA+ population ages 13-25. In addition to SoCal DBT’s comprehensive program, Mason also sees clients in his private practice, where he works from an inclusive, validating and affirmative stance, and focuses on all clients creating the life they want.

Molly Nestor Kaye

MA, AMFT

Associate Staff Therapist

Molly Nestor Kaye is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist practicing under the license of Dr. Wallach at SoCal DBT and Suzanne Wallach & Associates Psychotherapy. Molly takes great joy in accompanying clients on their journey of self-knowledge and emotion regulation, and approaches therapy as a dynamic, creative process.
Molly has a background in psychodynamic, mindfulness, and systems-based treatment. She uses these modalities in conjunction with her Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training to support clients in cultivating more contentment, authenticity, and curiosity in their daily lives. Molly works with children ages 6 and up, teens, adults, couples, and families facing a range of challenges including trauma, relational difficulties, personality disorders, mood disorders, and emotion dysregulation. She has a special interest in supporting identity development and works from a queer-affirming, actively anti-bias lens.

Molly has an undergraduate degree in Education from University of Michigan and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from University of Southern California. She completed her grad school hours at Pelican Cove Counseling Centers, where she gained specialized knowledge in the treatment of trauma from an attachment-based lens. Because Molly has always had an interest in emotion dysregulation and borderline personality disorder, she pivoted to DBT after graduating USC by joining Dr. Wallach’s practice and was foundationally trained in DBT at Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech by Nick Salsman, PhD and Basma Kilani, MA. She continues to deepen her knowledge in this modality through working as a primary therapist and skills class leader at SoCal DBT, as well as working within SoCal DBT’s family program and training weekly with Dr. Wallach and SoCal DBT’s team members. She also attends monthly consultation at SoCal DBT with Francheska Perepletchikova, the developer of DBT for Children for consult on her child cases.

Prior to becoming a therapist, Molly worked as an educator and educational consultant in New York City. In her decade as an educator, Molly developed a passion for supporting children who were struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges, as well as working with their families, who were affected by these struggles. As a consultant, Molly created and facilitated workshops for school districts across the country to enrich special education programs. Molly’s extensive experience with child development, school systems, and special education supports her work with families that are navigating difficulties with their school-age children.

In her private practice at Suzanne Wallach & Associates, Molly sees a of range individuals and families as a primary therapist and specializes in working from both dynamic and behavioral modalities, finding a synthesis between the two approaches to help her patients. In all settings, Molly partners with clients to access greater meaning and possibility in their lives to help all those she works with develop a life worth living.