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ANTI-RACISM STATEMENT FROM CLEARWATER CLINIC

Dear Clearwater Clinic Community,

As a team of white-identified clinicians, we recognize that we each have inherited the legacy of toxic conditioning, culturally and personally, of white supremacy. We strive to undo this toxic legacy in order to provide the most radically honest and compassionate service that we can to all of our clients. Following are some of the ways we are doing this work, as individuals and as a team. We offer this information so that our community is aware of where we are, and what we are doing to embody our values of creating a just, safe, and equitable society.

We are:

Engaging in an ongoing examination of the roots of privilege and unconscious oppression of others in our own personal histories, seeking to understand how this impacts our clinical work, and accessing anti-racist clinical consultation and training.
Learning new means of healing racism and racialized trauma on the somatic level, such as the work of Resmaa Menakem and his book My Grandmother’s Hands.
Supporting the work of Black Lives Matter and Standing up for Racial Justice (SURJ).
Participating in local community organizations that create fair and equal access to resources, such as the East Oakland Collective.
Learning about larger systems of institutionalized racism, such as our prison system and justice system, so that we can use our power as educated citizens in a democracy to bring about changes in laws and policy at all levels of government.
Speaking up and making ourselves heard when witnessing racist acts and acts of brutality and violence against people of color and the most vulnerable of those in our community.

We welcome any questions or comments you may have about how we are doing in our commitment to anti-racism at Clearwater. For additional information about combatting racism, please see our list of resources.

The Clearwater DBT Team

View Anti-Racism Resources

PLEASE NOTE

*Effective March 16th, 2020*

All existing and new individual therapy clients will meet with their therapist on-line due to Shelter In Place restrictions in the Bay Area. We are currently accepting a limited number of new clients to begin DBT therapy on-line. Additionally, all DBT Skills classes are being held on Zoom. We are currently enrolling new clients and families into these live, on-line classes. Please make an appointment with our Intake Director, Dr. Erika Swanson, for more information.

Clearwater is a diagnostic and treatment center where the staff values empathy, rigorous thinking, community, teamwork, and respect. Our staff are extensively trained in their areas of speciality, with all DBT therapists having completed the Intensive Training program through Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech workshops. Assessments are conducted using a collaborative assessment model whenever possible. At Clearwater, we pride ourselves on being flexible, mindful and thorough as we attempt to provide everyone who walks through the door the best possible care.

Our Services

Clearwater offers a range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for people ages 3 to 80. Our DBT clinic is most often utilized by clients with difficulties regulating their emotions and/or managing significant psychological distress, but we are committed to providing appropriate services for people with a wide variety of difficulties and diagnoses.

DBT for Adults

Clearwater offers a comprehensive array of DBT services for adults struggling with problems of emotion regulation and/or significant psychological distress. DBT services include individual therapy, skills classes, phone coaching, tutoring in DBT skills, and DBT informed therapy. All clients meet with an individual therapist before beginning any DBT services at Clearwater to ensure a good fit between the client and their therapist.

DBT for Young Adults

At Clearwater, we believe that young adults who have graduated from high school but are not yet settled into sustaining careers and/or partnerships have particular issues that are best treated in groups of peers. We therefore offer to this age group all the DBT services we offer for adults, plus we offer skills classes specifically tailored to the needs and interests of the young adult.

DBT for Adolescents

Adolescents (ages 13 to 18) need both family support as well as increased individuation and differentiation. Clearwater has therapists who specialize in providing therapy to this age group, helping the teens balance and move forward with their developmental tasks. We require parental involvement, and offer both separate parenting classes as well as joint skills classes for teens and their parents.

DBT Informed Therapy for Children

Clearwater has just launched a CAMMP program for children in fourth, fifth and sixth grades, providing DBT informed therapy for children. The curriculum is unique to Clearwater, and is appropriate for children who are having trouble conforming their behaviors to classroom and/or family expectations, and/or are in significant psychological distress.

Other Services

Clearwater offers therapy for clients wanting to integrate mindfulness into their therapeutic work; for traumatized individuals; and for clients seeking eclectic therapy for depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological distress. In addition, we offer consultation to professionals interested in integrating DBT skills into their own therapeutic work.

Psychological Testing

Clearwater offers high quality psychological assessments for people of all ages and with a wide range of diagnostic questions. We address educational questions and assess for learning disabilities; we clarify psychiatric diagnoses; and we undertake neuropsychological screenings. Whenever possible, we use the Therapeutic Assessment model, maximizing what the client can learn from the testing process.