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Discover how starting dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
Dena Wentz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 17 years of social work experience where she has helped individua...
About
Dena Wentz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 17 years of social work experience where she has helped individuals with coping and adjustment to chronic and acute illnesses and barriers to overall health and wellness. Areas of focus in other areas of clinical practice include anxiety, stress management, self-esteem, life transitions, relationship issues, parenting, grief and loss, depression, and coping with chronic illness.
Dena applies techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, humanistic modalities, acceptance and commitment theories, person-centered, and strength-based approaches to therapy. She uses solution-focused and mindfulness-based methods to help her clients meet their therapy goals. Because of her experience in the health care setting, she meets clients where they are at and is able to build rapport quickly with genuine concern. She helps clients to look at patterns of behaviors and increase awareness of emotions and stressors. She will help you explore barriers to connection in relationships.
Dena completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from Millersville University and received her Master of Social Work from Temple University, both from Council of Social Work Education accredited programs. Dena is passionate about helping to provide individuals with tools for coping with life’s transitions and challenges, all the while helping you to grow so that you can live your best life today.
Education and training
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Having lived with anxiety since childhood, I deeply understand how overwhelming it can feel just getting through the day. I also k...
Having lived with anxiety since childhood, I deeply understand how overwhelming it can feel just getting through the day. I also know that with the right support and tools, it’s absolutely possible to thrive, build confidence, and find lasting peace through life’s changing stages.
I am a Resident in Counseling with 3 years of experience, supporting women and children navigating anxiety, intrusive thoughts, depression, and major life transitions. Whether adjusting to motherhood, shifting roles, or emotional overwhelm, I help clients feel grounded, confident, and connected to themselves again. My approach centers on creating a safe, compassionate space where healing feels manageable and growth feels possible, allowing clients to reconnect with clarity and balance in their everyday lives.
I have a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University and integrate evidence-based modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and behavioral activation. These approaches help me tailor support to each client’s unique experiences and goals, fostering emotional awareness, self-compassion, and lasting resilience.
I know how overwhelming life’s changes can feel, and I strive to help clients discover strength and confidence through practical coping tools and self-discovery. You don’t have to have everything figured out to begin therapy, just a willingness to start. I’m here to walk alongside you as you take that first step toward healing, growth, and renewed hope.
You matter. Your problems matter. Whatever you're dealing with, let's face it together....
You matter. Your problems matter. Whatever you're dealing with, let's face it together.
Hokunani Womack is a Resident in Counseling with over 2 years of experience working with adults dealing with trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder. She comes from a diverse background and is LGBTQIA+-affirming, passionate about women's issues, and culturally sensitive. Hokunani has worked in community mental health with people experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness, as well as in inpatient and outpatient hospital settings treating a wide range of diagnoses. She has developed an eclectic trauma-informed approach to counseling and tailors care to the individual needs of her clients.
Hokunani graduated with a Master of Science in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. Some approaches she uses include dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, narrative therapy, motivational interviewing, internal family systems, and attachment theory.
As a queer multicultural woman and mother, Hokunani understands what it is like to hold multiple identities and the unique challenges one faces at the intersection of those identities. Healing takes work, but she believes in the power of therapy and that it is absolutely worth the time and effort. Book an appointment with Hokunani today!
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Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Lisette: My go-to approach for helping people using dialectical behavior therapy is to follow the four main tenets of DBT (mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance). What I love about this type of therapy is that it brings two seemingly opposing thoughts or ideas together and allows them to exist in the same space. For example, a client can bring the emotional and rational sides of their mind together and have them work together in harmony, which we call “Wise Mind.” This allows a client to find a lot more inner harmony and reduce that feeling of internal discord. It also teaches clients a lot of tangible skills, which they can practice and master through this type of therapy.
Jasmine: I prefer to utilize a DBT approach for individuals struggling with emotional regulation. When using this approach, we focus on practicing self-awareness and validating one's own emotions, learning distress tolerance techniques, and developing skills to manage those emotions in various situations.
Lisette: The main tenets of DBT are emotion regulation, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. I start with teaching clients mindfulness, and then we move on to other topics that would be most helpful based on their needs. Examples of specific skills are calming skills, self-advocacy, crisis survival skills, and de-escalation. DBT offers a lot of strategies and skills that a client will develop and master during their work in counseling.
Jasmine: When using a DBT approach, I teach my clients a whole lot of mindfulness and grounding techniques, such as body scans to raise awareness of both mental and physical symptoms in response to stressors, utilizing all 5 senses for grounding, using the feelings wheel to explore and name various emotions, and developing an imaginary “toolbox” to store all healthy coping skills for self-soothing.
Lisette: I know a client is making meaningful progress in dialectical behavior therapy when they feel more in control of their emotions and are able to use their Wise Mind (bringing together rational and emotional minds). They will feel better able to handle distressing situations and will put the skills they learned into practice. They will also be more mindful and present with themselves.
Jasmine: One of the ways that I see progress in treatment with DBT is when my clients start to develop a wide vocabulary for their emotions and take effective and necessary steps to manage those emotions.
Lisette: Clients can supplement their time in dialectical behavior therapy with take-home exercises which can help them put these skills into practice in their lives. One of the best parts of this type of therapy is that there is a lot of real-world application of these skills and the therapist can send the client home with tasks and skills to practice on their own.
Jasmine: When using a DBT approach in treatment, I encourage my clients to practice mindfulness techniques and self-care on their own time.
Lisette: To prepare for their first dialectical behavior therapy session, an individual can reflect on patterns in their lives and identify ways in which they have not been mindful of their lives or how their emotions have controlled their lives. The most effective way for this therapy to work is for the client to practice the skills outside of the session.
Jasmine: For someone interested in DBT, I encourage them to come to the session with openness and a good amount of motivation for personal growth.
At Thriveworks, Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) primarily concentrates on assisting individuals in emotion regulation, enhancing interpersonal relationships, and acquiring effective coping strategies for managing stress and emotional difficulties.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) targets your personal challenges. You may work with your DBT therapist to maintain diary cards to monitor progress, emphasizing validation and support in the therapeutic relationship. DBT follows a stage-based approach, prioritizing crisis reduction initially and life satisfaction.
DBT was initially developed to address the needs of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, its versatile approach has enabled its application to a wide range of mental health conditions, including but not limited to, anxiety, depression, stress, and anger issues.
The 4 pillars of DBT are mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) have distinct purposes and aren’t inherently superior or inferior to one another. DBT is most effective for managing emotional regulation, personality disorders, and interpersonal challenges, while EMDR is specifically tailored for individuals with trauma-related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) with therapists at Thriveworks in Midlothian, VA is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
The duration of a standard DBT program is typically around 24 weeks, which is roughly six months. The actual number of sessions will vary depending on the issues you wish to address.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Midlothian is located near Village Mill Dr and Charter Colony Pkwy, off Midlothian Turnpike. It is situated right by Midlothian Middle School and Midlothian Mines Park.
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175 therapists available in Virginia, including 8 in Midlothian
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