Therapist Testimonials

"Learning ISTDP Informed Interventions has helped me to expand my abilities as a therapist. By being aware of how a client's anxiety may come up to avoid certain uncomfortable internal emotional experiences, it allows me to help clients become aware of how this is happening in session. When we can explore that together, in a more deeply explorative way what is happening within, (and why), then a client can more fully understand themselves, and expand their abilities to process more fully, that then can lead to deeper healing."

- Robin Padilla, LPC

"I appreciate seeing depression through a different lens than what I've always known. It has given me a deeper understanding of why it occurs and how it impacts clients, beyond just knowledge of symptoms and diagnosis."  

- Abby Harbor, LMSW

"After approximately 20 years of working in the mental health field, I have attended and even led numerous psychotherapy training sessions focusing on various therapeutic modalities and interventions. I was first introduced to ISTDP therapy nearly a year ago, and I can truly say that using the skills and techniques associated with this modality has significantly boosted my confidence as a mental health therapist. Specifically, the various ISTDP learning opportunities have equipped me with additional tools and strategies to mobilize clients' wills in order to identify the internal emotional problems they wish to address in therapy. This modality has also enhanced my ability to notice and be aware of clients' body language, allowing me to partner with them on their journey towards increasing self-awareness of their emotions and the connections between their minds and bodies. As I continue to learn about ISTDP therapy and grow as a therapist who uses this modality, I also incorporate other therapy modalities, given that the therapeutic interventions of ISTDP complement other therapeutic modalities."

- Kristi Kieu, LMSW

"ISTDP therapy has transformed my life personally and professionally. I have seen vast and long-lasting improvements in my clients' abilities to tolerate stress by accessing their emotions and gaining deeper self-awareness. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn this approach." 

- Heather Breimayer, LPC

"ISTDP has become a solid foundation for my therapy skills and has integrated well with other modalities that I often use. In my opinion, ISTDP interventions are essential for fostering an effective therapeutic relationship, and I wish these were the skills we were taught in grad school. I have learned how to better identify avoidance in clients, how to work with common defenses that arise, and how to help clients decrease insecure attachment behaviors + increase secure attachment. ISTDP has increased my understanding, as a clinician, of the root causes of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, and I now feel better equipped to address these problems in sessions. Lastly, ISTDP has decreased my burnout because it helps me work more effectively and mobilizes the will of my clients to drive progress."

- Julia Maraskine, LMSW

"ISTDP has not only helped me to provide clinical support to my clients but also to myself as well.  It has taught me to understand the emotions motivating my anxiety rather than avoiding them and continuing the anxiety cycle.  ISTDP has helped for me to rapidly process my own traumas in order to gain further clarity about myself and have empathy for what my clients are struggling with."

-Mary Holbrook, LPC