Meet Our DBT Therapists

Wendy Douglas, LCSW, MSPH founded San Fernando Valley DBT in 2012 and has been practicing DBT for nearly 20 years. She was intensively trained in DBT at Harbor UCLA in 2006 while working at L.A. County’s Edelman Westside Mental Health Clinic as the DBT Team Leader. She completed her Advanced DBT Training under Shari Manning and Kate Comtois in 2017. She holds a Master of Social Work from UCLA and a Master of Science in Public Health from Tulane University in New Orleans, and has an undergraduate degree in theater and cross-cultural studies from Emerson College in Boston. She has lived and worked in Ghana, West Africa where she studied the public health impact of malaria on small communities. From there, she moved back to L.A. and went on to become the Manager of the Sexual Health Program at the L.A. LGBT Center for four years before getting her Masters at UCLA.  While working with the homeless and chronically ill at L.A. County Mental Health, she realized her passion for helping disenfranchised populations and those suffering the most.  Amazed at the impact that DBT had on her clients in crisis, she went on to found San Fernando Valley DBT, where she is passionate about helping those who struggle with emotion dysregulation.  Wendy is a certified Anger Management Therapist.  She has been intensively trained in Prolonged Exposure (PE) for trauma by Melanie Harned and Kate Comtois; Radically Open DBT (RODBT) by Thomas Lynch, and DBT for Families by Dr. Alec Miller. She currently sits on a National DBT Team with a number of other experienced therapists and Clinical Directors, supervised by Shari Manning, one of the original researchers who worked side by side with Marsha Linehan to set up DBT protocols at the University of Washington.  Wendy has also been a consultant for a number of different popular movies and t.v. shows.  She offers DBT trainings for therapists in L.A.

Thomas Dunleavy, LCSW, CPC is a mindfulness-based psychotherapist, public speaker, and workshop leader specializing in DBT with focused interest in the treatment of anxiety, perfectionism, and trauma related disorders. Thomas has been certified in CBT by the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies and has completed advanced trainings in Cognitive Processing Therapy; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders; and Prolonged Exposure for Panic and Anxiety Disorders. With over 13 years experience as a personal development and corporate coach, Thomas has been certified by the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching and has traveled nationally leading seminars on life fulfillment and emotional intelligence. Thomas graduated with the highest honors from the University of Southern California, where he earned his Master of Social Work, and was awarded the USC Order of Arete for social contribution and leadership in the field of homeless services. As a psychiatric social worker for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Thomas provides DBT and CBT for people with severe and persistent mental illness and is in the process of becoming certified in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

Katherine Whitman is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at San Fernando Valley DBT. She holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley, and has received comprehensive training from the Treatment Implementation Collaborative. With experience in various therapeutic settings, including a school-based community therapy organization, Katherine’s therapy style balances accepting clients where they are and pushing them toward change. Guided by the DBT framework, she helps clients build a life worth living through individual sessions, phone coaching, clinician consult group, and skills groups. Katherine emphasizes multicultural competence and effective communication. When not in the office Katherine can be found at the beach with her doodle, playing tennis, or trying new restaurants in the LA area.

Kate is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and obtained a Master of Social Work degree from New York University in 2009. She has extensive clinical experience with people of all ages in residential treatment facilities, psychiatric hospitals, homeless shelters & schools. This influences her humanistic, strength-based & trauma-informed orientation to psychotherapy.  Kate completed intensive DBT training from the Treatment Implementation Collaborative, founded by Shari Manning, an original researcher on DBT protocols under Marsha Linehan.

Lyn Mayes, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and received a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California in 2010. She was trained in DBT at Harbor UCLA and previously co-facilitated DBT groups at the Edelman Westside Mental Health Clinic at the L.A. County Department of Mental Health. She is also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Problem Solving Therapy, and Seeking Safety. Since 2016, she has specialized in crisis intervention and has experience providing psychological first-aid during the Malibu fires, the after-math of active shooter incidents, and many other high-conflict situations. Lyn frequently provides lectures at local universities and colleges, educating students about mental health and stigma.

Diane DeMartino, LCSW is a consultant for San Fernando Valley DBT. She received her Comprehensive DBT Training in 2015 under Dr. Lynn McFarr, Director of the Cognitive Behavioral/Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinic at Harbor UCLA (a Behavioral Tech approved training site) where she practiced DBT with adults for four years. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California and has been certified by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. She is currently the Director of DBT Programs at the Camden Center in West Los Angeles where she specializes in treating patients with emotion regulation disorders and dual diagnoses. Prior to embarking on her career as a psychotherapist, Diane was a broadcast journalist and television producer at NBC News and other broadcast outlets where she honed her interviewing skills and developed her passion for working with people.