Commitment to Equity
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.
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.
Andrew Hudson, ASW
Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW)
Andrew (he/him) is drawn to helping individuals navigate their psychological challenges such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. He understands the social and environmental impacts on a person’s mental health and is passionate about helping them build emotional regulation in order to achieve greater interpersonal effectiveness. As a DBT clinician, Andrew focuses on what makes life worth living for each individual client and helps them move toward their therapeutic goals.
Andrew holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Eastern Washington University, which emphasizes the dignity of the person and the importance of human relationships. He has also completed the Foundational Training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy through Behavioral Tech, the recognized leader in DBT training. Andrew has experience working in residential treatment settings with foster youth, substance use, ADHD, Autism, and LGBTQ+ folks. Andrew works toward holding a safe, diverse, and inclusive space in therapy.
Andrew enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing basketball, exercising, and learning new instruments. He’s also devoted to his new puppy, Creed.
Andrew is currently working under the supervision of Tricia Mlnarik, LMFT.
Stormeka Jones
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
A graduate of Holy Names University with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, Stormeka (she/her) enjoys working with people of all ages with an integrative-holistic approach to help them increase self awareness and self acceptance.
Stormeka has utilized CBT, DBT and exposure and response prevention (ERP) with adolescents in inpatient and IOP settings and she approaches clients with trauma informed care.
Stormeka is particularly interested in the impact of nutrition on mental health and she has completed the LGBTQ+ Clinical Academy, a partnership between Santa Clara County and Palo Alto University.
In her downtime, Stormeka loves hiking, cooking, traveling and enjoying the company of family and friends.
Zena Andreani
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Zena (she/her) enjoys utilizing DBT to support families, couples, and individuals (all ages) to create a life worth living. Zena has put to use her skills as a therapist since 2018, after graduating with a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco. Zena has worked in various community mental health settings across the peninsula. She provided trauma-informed care to individuals overcoming trauma and addiction within the juvenile justice system.She also previously managed a Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center, which included 24/7 telephone, text and chat support, as well as in-person mobile crisis response. Zena returned to direct service work, and DBT, after witnessing a high need for services.
Outside of her work at the DBT Center, she enjoys spending time with family and friends over a home cooked meal, laughing her way through a comedic movie, and snuggling up with her cat named chicken.
