Commitment to Equality
DBT Center of Silicon Valley is dedicated to promoting an environment of respect and appreciation for the race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, physical/mental ability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, relationship structure, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, and socioeconomic status of all persons. We commit to creating and maintaining an atmosphere of openness, trust, and safety where all people feel a sense of belonging. We fully embrace providing high quality and multiculturally sensitive services that affirm the dignity, worth and value of all individuals. In doing so, we strive to provide a welcoming and enriching environment that is conducive to the intellectual, emotional, and social development of our diverse community.
Inclusion is acknowledging and appreciating the reality and value of our diversity, intentionally enlisting and engaging the spectrum of different identities and experiences, and respecting what each person brings.
We acknowledge that societal power structures, tensions, and complexities related to diversity contribute to disparities in power, control, influence, status, privilege, and opportunities among individuals and groups. Therefore, our commitment to inclusion involves the continuous identification and effective elimination of barriers to access and resources and prompting balanced relationships and to the creation of systems that promote equity for all.
DBT Center of Silicon Valley strives to support, promote, and protect diversity, to value all individuals and groups as free from prejudice and oppression, and to foster a climate where equity and mutual respect are essential.
Tricia Mlnarik
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Tricia (she/her) is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified DBT Clinician and specializes in using DBT to help clients heal from traumatic experiences. She enjoys working collaboratively with clients as experts of their own experiences and goals.
Tricia holds dual licensure as both a Marriage and Family Therapist and a Professional Clinical Counselor. She began training in Dialectical Behavior therapy in 2007 and has completed Adolescent DBT Training in 2008; Intensive Training, led by Marsha Linehan, in 2010; DBT-Prolonged Exposure protocol by Drs. Melanie Harned, Kathryn Korslund, and Marsha Linehan in 2015; and Advanced DBT-Prolonged Exposure by Drs. Melanie Harned and Lorie Ritschel in 2021. Tricia holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University.
Tricia was part of the Mid-Peninsula DBT team from 2007-2010 and then was fundamental in developing In-the-Moment DBT (2010-2014) and Wise Mind DBT (2014-2017).
When not working Tricia likes to hike and spend time with her daughters.
Leah Nascimento
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Leah (she/her) has specialized in working with adolescents and young adults, and has brought her talents to helping her clients gain healthy behaviors and learn how to manage their feelings, emotions and personal interactions within the DBT framework. Leah’s positions as an associate – working in the Aspire program at El Camino Hospital and Momentum for Mental health – have been focused on assisting people to live meaningful lives.
After graduating from Santa Clara University with a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, Leah completed a post-graduate program, The Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture and Society, through the University of Amsterdam. Leah has also completed Foundational Training through Behavioral Tech.
Out of the office, Leah is a pianist who regularly performs around the Bay Area and enjoys teaching classical piano lessons at the San Jose Academy of Music.
Jen Dawn
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Originally from Utah, Jen (she/her) went to graduated from UC Berkeley in 2004 with a Masters of Social Welfare and has been licensed since 2009. Jen has a well rounded background working with a large spectrum of the population from children to older adults. She has experience working with and helping people recover from depression, anxiety, PTSD, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses, as well as working with clients struggling with substance use, homelessness, self-injury, trauma and child welfare.
Jen loves the assumptions of DBT, especially the idea that we are all doing the best we can with what we have AND we can all do better in our lives. Jen particularly enjoys working to improve social justice in our world both in the therapy office and out.
In her free time Jen is an avid rock climbing, snowboarder and outdoor enthusiast.
Samantha Embrick
Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW)
Samantha (she/her) appreciates how DBT emphasizes a validating, nonjudgmental, and collaborative approach, while giving concrete skills to regulate emotions. She especially enjoys working with teens and young adults, using humor and authenticity to help identify their unique values & build a life worth living.
Samantha holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, where she concentrated in mental health and specialized in sexual health and education. While in graduate school, Samantha worked in hospitals, supporting pregnant and postpartum women in building positive mental health coping skills.
Out of the office, Samantha enjoys painting, hiking, watching TV, and playing with her puppy, Hazel.
Samantha is currently working under the supervision of Jennifer Dawn, LCSW #26121.
Kerianne Doi
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT)
Kerianne (she/her) appreciates the balanced approach that DBT takes in understanding the need for both change and acceptance. Kerianne is passionate about collaborating with her clients, using humor and compassion to help people achieve their goals, reduce suffering, and build a life worth living.
Kerianne has extensive experience working in residential treatment settings with adolescent foster and probationary youth, as well as experience working in school-based settings with children. Kerianne holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from San Jose State University.
In her free time, she enjoys being at the beach, hiking, and reading.
Kerianne is currently working under the supervision of Tricia J. Mlnarik, LMFT # 47605.
Andrew Hudson, ASW
Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW)
Andrew (he/him) appreciates the assumptions held by DBT that people are doing the best they can and can change to build a life worth living. Andrew enjoys working with clients and celebrating moments of change, growth, and development that help clients navigate and overcome the challenges in their lives.
Andrew holds a masters degree in Social Work from Eastern Washington University. Andrew has experience working in residential treatment settings with foster youth.
Andrew enjoys time being with family and friends, playing basketball, exercise, and learning new things.
Andrew is currently working under the supervision of Jen Dawn, LCSW # 26121.