AT A GLANCE
INTENSIVELY TRAINED IN:
DBT
DBT-PE
RO-DBT
MBT
Psychodrama
TRAINER
DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
and
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES:
~~~
provided first and only comprehensive training worldwide for Georgia in DBT and RO-DBT
ADVANCED TRAINING
advanced training in
- CBT
- DBT-EDS
- DBT-SUDS
- Suicide protocol
- Adolescent DBT
- The multiple disordered
patient
- DBT-F: Family and
Couples DBT
RESEARCH
privileged to be a DSM-V research contributor for the BPD category.
AUTHOR
STAGE III & IV DBT
Invited Author
Book Chapter:
Hammer and Nail Medicine: The Cost of Nonacceptance
The Pervasive Ignorance of Endometrial Pain In Adolescents By The Mental Healthcare Profession
in
© 2020
Endometriosis in Adolescents
A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosis and Management
Editors: Nezhat, Ceana H. (Ed.)
Bio
With a background in trauma medicine and a Rehabilitation Counseling integrative degree in law, medicine, and psychology, Minal brings a fresh perspective and the ability to provide comprehensive care for each patient in the clinic. She has been serving the patient population for almost 40 years now, acquiring skills and knowledge that have helped her treat some of the most challenging populations in mental health. She believes in a curative mindset, with an aim towards resolving all illness and ending suffering. Minal believes that emotional brain health needs to be treated akin to conventional medicine—with a resolution or cure/remission in mind, not endless weekly appointments!
Privileged to be a field researcher for the 2014 new edition of the DSM V, she has spoken at numerous venues, including the Georgia Psychological Association (GPA), the Licensed Professional Counselor Association (LPCA), NAMI, and several hospitals. She also participated in effectiveness trials for an ethical review board, along with being a speaker for the national mental health forum, and also the advisory board for Skyland Trail.
With Atlanta DBT's success, she was driven to make affordable, insurance funded DBT available. In January 2015, she & Jania opened the country's first insurance funded immersion program for a behavioral health hospital, utilizing DBT, RO-DBT, DBT-ACES, & MBT for adult women. She now has an independent IOP & PHP available, and is expanding her focus to applying Mindfulness to other areas of medicine.
In addition, she is writing the first modules in DBT for Stage III & IV treatment completion. Her aim is to help people end the cycle of behavioral healthcare, working towards a cure, comparable to currently held accepted expectations of every other field in modern medicine.
With the completion of writing modules for stages III & IV of DBT, and with the additional intensive training in Stage II DBT-PE, Minal is thrilled that Atlanta DBT has become the first clinic worldwide to offer DBT treatment in its entirety!
In 2022, federal and state grants were secured through DBHDD (The Georgia State Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities) funding to train state hospitals and CSB's. Minal, Jania, Michael, & Steve toured the state training clinicians in every region. It continues to be the only training worldwide that is comprehensive in the dialectic with DBT and RO-DBT.
Minal is known for her fanciful yet focused (a dialectic indeed) manner with a passionate ability to engage even the most fearful and reluctant patients. She specializes in crisis management, and her dedicated style of balancing gentleness with firmness (another dialectic anyone?) in getting to the answers quickly allows patients to move on faster. Her absolute favorite part of DBT is the Interpersonal Effectiveness Module. Being able to teach people how to be heard as they intended is very gratifying as people deepen and add meaning to their relationships.
In her spare time, she likes to cook, bake, crochet, perform instrumentally with her family, sail, play cards with her friends, travel, go horse riding, and go on food crawls. She loves Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy, and misses How To Get Away With Murder, and Scandal! She loves little itty-bitty Shitzus and Malteses--and is thrilled to be the owned by a Havapoo! It has been an immensely rewarding experience raising a puppy! Oh, and perhaps most importantly: Butter & Cream's dark chocolate sorbet and Jenni's Salted Peanut Butter with Dark Chocolate Flakes Ice Cream is the best invention in the culinary world to her along with Steve's cookies! mmmmmm.......
"It's time to end the revolving cycle of behavioral healthcare for the financial gain of many. It's time patients were given a curative mindset--with the knowledge and the principles to make it stick."
Education & Training:
MRC: Masters of Rehabilitation Counseling
LPC: Licensed Professional Counselor
NCC: Nationally Certified Counselor
ALL TRAININGS:
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Intensively Trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, directly under the founder of the treatment, Marsha Linehan, PhD.
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Adolescent and family DBT under the treatment’s founder, Alec Miller, PhD.
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The Multiply Disordered Patient by renowned researcher and one time VP and CSO of Behavioral-Tech Linda Dimeff, PhD
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Intensively Trained in Mentalization Based Treatment at McLean hospital, specifically designed for difficult disorders by treatment founders Dr. Bateman, MA, FRCPsych and Dr. Fonagy, PhD.
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Intensively Trained in Radically Open DBT in the first cohort offered in the U.S., by the founder, Tom Lynch, PhD.
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CBT: Extensive study/trainings with David Burns, MD, author of Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy.
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Case-Based clinical training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Shari Manning, PhD of the Treatment Implementation Collaborative (the former president of Behavioral-Tech).
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DBT for eating disorders at Silver Hill Hospital.
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Intensively Trained in Psychodrama, by the 2018 J. Moreno Achievement winner, Rebecca Walters, MS, LMHC.
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Intensively Trained in DBT PE (prolonged exposure) specifically for trauma & PTSD, by treatment developer Melanie Harned, PhD.
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Trained in Family and Couples DBT by treatment founder, Alan Fruzzetti, PhD.
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Studied under Drs. Gunderson and Choi-Kain of the Gunderson Institute.
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Grady Rape Crisis Counselor
After her Initial DBT Intensive, she became sub-specialty trained in all other Behavioral-Tech offerings:
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suicide protocol,
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chain analysis & validation theory, and
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skills training.
Level 4 Advanced Trainings:
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Intensive Training in DBT
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Intensive Training in DBT PE
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Intensive Training in RO-DBT
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Training in Family and Couples DBT
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Training in Adolescent and family DBT
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Training in The Multiply Disordered Patient
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Training in DBT for Eating Disorders
Book Chapter
© 2020
Endometriosis in Adolescents
A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosis and Management
Editors: Nezhat, Ceana H. (Ed.)
Hammer and Nail Medicine: The Cost of Nonacceptance
The Pervasive Ignorance of Endometrial Pain In Adolescents By The Mental Healthcare Profession
FIELD RESEARCHER: DSM 5 Category BPD