Our therapists offer DBT / dialectical behavior therapy in Manchester, CT

Sam Boisvert is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 4 years of experience. She specializes in working with children, adolescents, and families on a wide array of concerns including trauma, depression, anxiety, behavioral issues, attachment issues, family relationships, and parenting challenges. Sam has worked with youth and their families in crisis management and intensive in-home programs.

Sam received her Master of Social Work from Springfield College. She uses a variety of trauma-informed, strengths-based, and solution-focused approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy.

Sam believes in getting to know each individual, their stories, and their strengths while working together to overcome life's challenges and heal from past wounds. She meets clients where they are in their journey to provide support in processing and coping with life's challenges.

Aide A Perez is a Licensed Practitioner Counselor with experience working with both children and adults. She is passionate about helping people of color to address their unique challenges and live more fulfilled lives. Aide specializes in depression, anxiety, grief, and trauma.

Aide completed her Master’s Degree at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Aide utilized multiple treatment approaches including mindfulness, grounding, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT).

We all go through challenges in life. Aide is confident that she will be able to provide you with support throughout your journey to gain insight, and explore and learn new techniques that will assist you to manage whatever you may be struggling with. If you are ready to do the work, schedule an appointment with her today.

Stephanie Villegas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 5 years of experience specializing in anxiety, depression, and life transitions. She works best with adults, young adolescents, and young professionals struggling with overwhelm, self-doubt, or emotional exhaustion. Her clients often seek relief from persistent worry, low mood, or the weight of perfectionism while wanting to regain balance, set healthy boundaries, and reconnect with their sense of purpose. Together, Stephanie and her clients create a collaborative space to process challenges, develop coping tools, and cultivate a more fulfilling life.

Stephanie earned a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Connecticut. Grounded in evidence-based approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness, she helps clients build resilience while fostering self-compassion. Her background includes working with diverse populations, giving her a deep understanding of systemic barriers.

Stephanie understands how everyday life can feel overwhelming. She creates a warm, non-judgmental space to help you untangle difficult emotions, quiet self-doubt, and rediscover your strength. Whether you're facing life transitions or persistent worry, she'll work with you to build coping skills and meaningful change. Your healing journey starts here.

Betsy Ibsen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor with over 40 years of working in both the mental health and addiction fields. She has treated adolescents and adults in outpatient, inpatient, and long-term residential settings. Betsy has studied how the effects of early childhood trauma have caused both physical and emotional effects on adults. What has impressed her the most over the years is that the human mind is creative, complex, and, above all, flexible. With appropriate treatment and life changes, people can heal, move forward, relearn old skills, develop new ones, rebuild support systems, or discover a network unique to their specific needs. Therapeutic tools and strategies will depend on where the client is on their life journey. She has two tenets of her philosophy that focus her work with clients: "Life is not fair," and "There is never enough time."

Betsy completed her master's degree in Social Work at Boston University and lived in Boston for 20 years before relocating to Connecticut and the greater Hartford area. She also worked as a kindergarten teacher in Italy for a year, spent two summers camping in the Soviet Union, and embraces multiculturalism as a way to connect with, recognize, and respect the strengths and needs of people with differing customs and beliefs. Treatment is only as good as the relationship developed with the client.

Life doesn’t much resemble a Hallmark movie with things falling into perfect place at the end of two hours. It’s messier and more random, and at times unpleasantly chaotic. Recognizing that you need some sense of order, safety, and calmness is the first step. Asking for help is the second. Betsy can offer you the space to start this personal journey, to process what is and isn't working for you and why, what belongs to someone else, and what needs to be given away. Who doesn’t want to feel better?

Becky Hafford is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. She specializes in treating concerns and conditions related to PTSD, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, and trauma. Her clients have all dealt with major tragedies and struggles. She is also fiercely devoted to her field and her clients.

Becky earned her Master's degree in Social Work from Alabama A&M University. In sessions, she utilizes methods including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), attachment-based therapy (ABT), emotionally-focused therapy (EFT), and reality therapy (RT).

Becky works with her clients at their pace. Becky is open, honest, and sincere. She is a seasoned clinician who has dealt with thousands of clients. She is pleasant and easy to talk to and she has a good sense of humor. If you're ready to begin, schedule an appointment with Becky today.

Melody Poitras is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 5 years of experience. She has worked in a variety of settings including residential group homes, court programs and adult outpatient clinics. She is passionate about helping adult clients to navigate the many challenges they experience. Melody specializes in depression, anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, substance use and major life transitions.

Melody completed her Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) at the University of Saint Joseph. Melody uses multiple treatment modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, solution-focused therapy (SFT), and more.

Melody is confident she would be able to support you while you navigate change and provide a safe space to explore your options. Kindness, compassion and collaboration are at the root of her practice. If you are ready to take the first steps, schedule an appointment with her today.

Alexis Jelm is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with years of experience. She specializes in supporting clients with attachment needs, family relationship issues, trauma, depression and anxiety. Her passion is rooted in supporting others unfold their personal life stories and identify tools to grow and learn about themselves.

Alexis completed her Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from Springfield College in 2019. After completing her graduate degree she served as a Health Education Volunteer in the Peace Corps for a period of time. This experience affirmed her passion for supporting others, ultimately leading to her return back to the U.S. to begin her career as a therapist in the mental health field. In practice, she utilizes a variation of approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Gottman Level One.

We spend our lives learning who we are and what we want as individuals and families. Many times we need the support of others to gauge our perspective, learn internal and external resources, and work through challenges that arise. Alexis believes strongly in her ability to support you in learning to understand, cope with, and process life’s current challenges, whether it be in your relationship or with individual mental health needs. When you are ready, Alexis is happy to hear from you and book an appointment to get started.