Author: Ellen Wassif

Ellen Wassif graduated with her Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2005 from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She started her career working as a field guide at Second Nature Wilderness Program. Ellen spent the following 5 years doing assessment, counseling, crisis and grief response in medical settings and another 4 years in traditional mental health settings. She works at Monarch School, and lives with her husband and two daughters in Sandpoint, ID.

Therapeutic Programs: Learning the Language of DBT

Posted July 19, 2016, 9 a.m. by Ellen Wassif | View Comments

When you are new to the world of teen therapeutic programs and schools, you have to learn a new language. Acronyms, jargon, metaphors – they can all sound foreign and confusing when you have a teen struggling with mental health issues or addiction. In addition to learning about diagnoses and programs, you may also be hearing recommendations to specific therapeutic options for teenagers. But as someone unfamiliar with therapeutic jargon, how do you understand the recommendation? Or whether it is right for you or your family member? Recently, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) has gained popularity. And rightly so. DBT holds ...

Read and Comment →