About Us

At PDBTI, our multidisciplinary team includes psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, dietitians, and addiction counselors.  Following the DBT model, we all participate in a weekly consult, as well as receiving individual supervision.  We are a community of clinicians working with a community of clients.

Staff has been intensively trained in DBT, with many having advanced training directly from the developer of DBT, Dr. Marsha Linehan.


Portland DBT Institute Commitment to Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity

To our DBT community here in Portland and around the world,

In light of the recent political events which have highlighted a climate of intolerance and hate in many of our communities, we affirm our belief that all persons are created equal, that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, including freedom and the pursuit of meaningful lives worth living – no matter the color of our skin, what (or whether) we choose to worship, our gender and gender identity, where we were born, our citizenship status, our sexual orientation, or the extent of our poverty or wealth.

As mental health providers, we understand the pain and suffering experienced by being perceived and treated as the “other” – personally and systemically through explicit and implicit racism, sexism, homophobia, nativism, and classism. We strive to build a world that is just and compassionate, one that honors difference and praises radical and authentic connection between people.  At the same time, we are not immune from the pervasive influence of systematic oppression and marginalization of non-domination populations. In the more than two decades Portland DBT Institute has been in existence, it is without question incidents related to oppression, marginalization, and lack of equity have arisen. When these issues have presented in recent years, we have taken active steps to create long lasting cultural shifts at the clinic which are sustained and deep, rather done with protection of image in mind. When issues related to oppression and marginalization come up in a clinic context, we strive to embody the principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and seek a dialectical synthesis- highlighting our desire to avoid causing harm to individuals we are in contact with and accepting the parallel process where issues in our clinic invariably mirror issues present in our broader culture and the outside world.

We do not condone acts of hate, division, or xenophobia, and pledge to not stand idly by as they occur. We commit ourselves to the cause of justice, to speaking up and to intervening in the face of divisive and demeaning voices, policy, and actions. We pledge to work within and across communities, and to build bonds of understanding, respect, and compassion. We pledge our allegiance to those most vulnerable, as we insist on the dignity and sanctity of each human life. Creation of community is of critical importance to us, given our belief in the principle espoused by the creator of DBT, Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., that DBT is “a community of therapists treating a community of clients”. We are thankful to be part of the community here in Portland, as well as part of the national community of individuals providing DBT. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, or comments regarding our history and approach to equity work.

DBT Training Calendar

(Free CE Hour) Treating PTSD in Dialectical Behavior Therapy: The DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol
July 9, 2025
Melanie Harned, PhD, ABPP, DBT-LBC


(EXCLUSIVE) DBT and Chronic Pain: A Dialectical Workshop on Treating Sensory Dysregulation
July 11, 2025
Deborah Barrett, PhD, LCSW


(EXCLUSIVE) Incorporating Loved Ones into DBT Treatment: Strategies and Skills for Effective Sessions and Enhanced Relationships
July 18, 2025
Tali Wigod, PsyD, DBT-LBC


(EXCLUSIVE) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Moral Injury (ACT-MI): An Experiential Approach to Exploring Meaning while Holding Moral Pain
July 25, 2025
Lauren M. Borges, PhD
Jacob K. Farnsworth, PhD


(Free CE Hour) How to Think Like an Adherence Coder: The DBT AC-I in Practice
August 13, 2025
Sara Schmidt, PhD, DBT-LBC


DBT in a Nutshell: Treating Multi-Diagnostic, Complex Individuals
August 21-22, 2025
Jason Fritts, LCSW, DBT-LBC


DBT for People with Substance Use Disorders
September 11-12, 2025
Dorian Hunter, PhD, DBT-LBC


(Intensive Training) DBT CITI Part I
October 6-8 & 14-15, 2025
Andrew White, PhD, ABPP, DBT-LBC
Ashley Maliken, PhD, DBT-LBC


DBT in a Nutshell for Adolescents and Caregivers
October 16-17, 2025
Tali Wigod, PsyD, DBT-LBC


Maximizing Individual Therapy in DBT: Moving Beyond Life Threatening Behavior
October 30-31, 2025
Leah Smart-Gordon, LCSW, DBT-LBC


Diving into DBT Skills
November 6-7, 2025
Jason Fritts, LCSW, DBT-LBC


Ethics, Boundaries of Competence, Avoiding Harm, and Risk Management: Working Well with the Suicidal Patient
December 5, 2025
Andrew White, PhD, ABPP, DBT-LBC


(EXCLUSIVE) Dialectics can be Challenging and Freeing: Tools for Teaching and Applying Dialectics
December 12, 2025
Andrea Gold, PhD
Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD


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News & Updates

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DBT-LBC Certified Clinicians

We are proud to have clinicians certified by the Linehan Board of Certification, the most stringent certification available regarding the practice of DBT.

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