Meet Our Team
Trinitas Institute for Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Allied Treatments
Our multidisciplinary DBT adult and adolescent teams are dedicated to providing the highest quality of services to our clientele. In addition to our permanent staff who are listed below, we have several trainees from different disciplines who are undergoing the extensive training and supervision necessary for them to provide comprehensive DBT in line with the original model created by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., ABPP.
Masha Belova, LCSW
Masha Belova is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Masha completed the
10-day DBT Intensive Training in March, 2011 with Adam Payne, Ph.D. and
Haleh Ghanizadeh, M.D., M.P.H. She is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification,
Certified Clinician™. Masha is also interested in helping clients
cope with trauma symptoms and she is trained in using Prolonged Exposure
to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and related problems. Masha is
enjoying working with the Trinitas DBT institute, as well as in her private
practice. "I love DBT".
Victoria Blom, LCSW
Victoria Blom is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with the Adult
DBT Program at Trinitas. Victoria completed the Behavioral Tech DBT Foundational
Training in 2016, led by Shireen Rizvi, PhD and David Pantalone, PhD.
She is an EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) Certified Therapist
and Consultant-in-Training. Her areas of interest include complex trauma,
dissociation, evidence-based practices and innovative interventions for
underserved populations.
Atara Hiller, Psy.D.
Atara Hiller is a licensed psychologist and the Co-Director of the Trinitas
Institute for DBT and Allied Treatments and Team Leader of the Adolescent
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Programs. Dr. Hiller is a DBT-Linehan
Board of Certification Certified Clinician™, and she supervises
fellow clinicians and psychology interns in the practice of DBT, as well
as provides individual DBT and co-leads DBT multi-family skills groups.
She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and English from Barnard
College at Columbia University, and her master's and doctoral degrees
in clinical psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional
Psychology at Rutgers University. At Rutgers, she conducted DBT for two
years under the mentorship of Shireen Rizvi, Ph.D., who was a student
of Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., the developer of DBT. She has also attended
an advanced intensive training with DBT experts, Charles Swenson, MD and
Kelly Koerner, PhD, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in DBT at
Trinitas, under the supervision of Essie Larson, PhD.
Dr. Hiller has extensive experience providing evidence-based treatments to children, adolescents, and adults with trauma, depression, anxiety, and disruptive behavior, as well as complex psychosocial stressors. She is devoted to providing exceptional treatment to children, adolescents, and families in order to empower them with tools to enhance their relationships and navigate life's challenges effectively. She has frequently written about and presented on DBT, borderline personality disorder, and treatment for child sexual abuse.
Essie Larson, Ph.D.
Essie Larson is a Clinical Psychologist and the Co-Director of the Trinitas
Institute for DBT and Allied Treatments and Team Leader of the Adult Dialectical
Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program. Dr. Larson received her doctoral degree
from Fordham University's Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program in the Bronx,
NY with a specialization in neuropsychology. She assisted Dr. Brian Gallagher
in launching the DBT program on the Adult Outpatient Unit at Trinitas
Regional Medical Center in 2007 under the training, consultation and supervision
of Dr. Lisa Lyons, a DBT Intensively-Trained psychologist who helped establish
other DBT programs in the tri-state area. Since 2008, Dr. Larson has been
coordinating the Adult DBT program, running skills training groups, seeing
individual clients and supervising the psychology interns, post-doctoral
students and other staff who work in DBT. She completed the 10-day DBT
Intensive Training in March, 2011 with Adam Payne, Ph.D. and Haleh Ghanizadeh,
M.D., M.P.H. and is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™.
In addition, Dr. Larson has a small private practice in Bergen County
where she provides individual DBT-informed therapy. She has consulted
with several other programs and practices in NJ who have integrated aspects
of DBT into their services. Dr. Larson is especially dedicated to making
high-quality comprehensive DBT services available to underserved populations
who may not be able to afford these services in private practice settings.
Maria A. Santiago, MSW, LCSW
Maria A. Santiago is a licensed clinical social worker and the clinical
coordinator of the Adult DBT Program. She believes clients have the ability
to excel when surrounded by a compassionate therapeutic environment. Maria
provides individual DBT therapy and co-leads two of our Adult DBT groups.
She received her bachelor's degree in social work in 2010 and master's
degree in Social work in 2011 from Kean University. Maria began to work
in the DBT team as an MSW intern in 2011 while she was obtaining her Master's
Degree. She completed the Behavioral Tech DBT Intensive Training in 2013,
led by Shireen Rizvi, Ph. D and Adam Payne, Ph. D. Maria has experience
in treating PTSD and trauma related diagnoses. She has completed the Intensive
Training in Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD provided by the University
of Pennsylvania in 2016. She is experienced in providing Prolonged Exposure
Therapy at the TRMC Adult Outpatient Department of Behavioral Health and
Psychiatry, as well as providing this treatment for clients in the DBT
program. Maria has 10 years of experience in the field of clinical social
work and has worked in various levels of care and different treatment
modalities including partial hospital and in-home family therapy. She
is skillful in providing psychoeducational groups for adults addressing
issues such as mindfulness, stress management, and independent living
skills. Maria continues to be a dedicated team member devoted to providing
DBT therapy. She believes DBT to be "life skills from which everyone
can benefit." Maria enjoys watching her clients progress in both
individual and group therapy and feels privileged to be part of their
journey of building a life worth living.