I am excited to announce my collaboration with Dr. Erin Miga, DBT Certified Clinician and expert, in hosting DBT fellows and practicum students learning to develop mastery in DBT. At STAAR DBT, we offer comprehensive DBT for teens and adults, as well as DBT-oriented couples therapy and DBT-oriented parent training. Please contact us via our submission form if you are interested in working with someone from our team.
STAAR DBT Clinicians.
Adora Du, LMHCA
Fellow
adora@springdaytherapy.com
https://www.springdaytherapy.com
Adora Du completed her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Antioch University. She has treated adolescents across a variety of clinical settings (residential, IOP, PHP and outpatient) including working with teens with eating disorders at the Eating Recovery Center, as well as serving as research coordinator at the University of Washington for a study that reformulated DBT for autistic individuals (under Dr. Alana McVey).
Adora specializes in working with adolescents and adults experiencing such concerns as suicidality, self-harm, emotion dysregulation, anxiety, depression, trauma, and other major life stressors. She also specializes in supporting Asian clients and autistic clients. Adora utilizes CBT and DBT interventions, and works from a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens. Adora is able to offer Comprehensive DBT (individual DBT, DBT skills training, and phone coaching) to teens, adults, and their families. You can learn more about Adora’s practice here.
To inquire about working with Adora, please complete the submission form here.
Mahnoor Hyat, MS
Practicum Student
Mahnoor is a 4th-year clinical psychology PhD student at the University of Washington with experience delivering evidence-based interventions across outpatient, inpatient, and community settings. She has provided individual, group, and family-based treatment using approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and trauma-informed care. Mahnoor’s clinical experience spans diverse populations, including adults managing complex trauma, anxiety, and mood disorders, individuals with serious mental illness in inpatient settings, children with autism and behavioral challenges as well as youth experiencing OCD. Mahnoor is passionate about tailoring interventions to client needs, integrating cultural humility into therapy, and fostering collaborative, values-driven care. In addition to her clinical work, she conducts research on the genetic, neural, and behavioral mechanisms underlying serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, to inform early identification and preventive interventions.
To inquire about working with Mahnoor, please complete the submission form here.
Yuchen Zhao, MS
Practicum Student
Yuchen is a 5th-year PhD student in the Adult Clinical Psychology program at the University of Washington. She is currently participating in clinical training under supervision at STAAR DBT, the UW Training Clinic, and the CALM Clinic, where she utilizes CBT and DBT approaches to treat anxiety, OCD, PTSD-related disorders, and challenges associated with emotional and interpersonal dysregulation. Yuchen earned her M.S. in Neurobiology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, focusing on multisensory decision-making, and completed the Psychology post-baccalaureate program at UC Berkeley, researching ADHD-related neurocognitive deficits. Her research interests center around transdiagnostic mechanisms associated with negative self-focused attention, emotional dysregulation, and executive functioning deficits.
To inquire about working with Yuchen, please complete the submission form here.
Vanessa Lim, MA
Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate
Vanessa Lim completed her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University, in Chicago, and currently works for a non-profit counseling agency (Bell Tower Counseling). Vanessa is deeply invested in creating a therapeutic relationship with her clients that is characterized by mutual respect, curiosity, understanding, and warmth.
Vanessa’s clinical interests include depression, struggles with intense emotions, behavioral dysregulation, relationship conflict, addiction, trauma, and abuse. She also works with individuals who struggle with their religious or spiritual faith or who desire to integrate their faith in treatment. She is invested in furthering mental health internationally and takes a special interest in underserved communities around the world that have been affected by conflict and violence.
Vanessa is committed to delivering sound, evidence-based treatments to her clients that are tailored to their particular life experiences and cultural background. She approaches counseling holistically and draws particularly from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy, and psychodynamic theory. Vanessa completed rigorous training in DBT through The Seattle Clinic’s DBT practicum and is continuing her training in DBT with STAAR DBT.
Vanessa is a member of the American Counseling Association and the International Association for Counseling, where she also serves as the Global Membership Coordinator.
To inquire about working with Vanessa, please complete the submission form here.
Licensed Psychologist
laina@drlainakeim.com
https://www.theseattleclinic.com/laina-keim-phd
Laina Keim, PhD
Madelaine (Laina) Keim earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington (June 2023). Before making her way to the West Coast, she completed her undergraduate studies in Sociology and Psychology at The Ohio State University and worked as a research coordinator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Biobehavioral Health. During her six years of doctoral training in Seattle, she worked as a therapist for both children and adults at Seattle Children’s Hospital, The Evidence Based Treatment Center of Seattle, The Seattle Clinic, Child and Teen Solutions, and The King County Sexual Assault Resource Center. Currently, Laina is in the process of completing her clinical internship in General Child and Adolescent Psychology at the UCLA Semel Institute.
She remains committed to advancing scientific research and has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles on topics such as parent socialization of children’s emotions, parent-child interactions, family adjustment to pediatric illness, and post-traumatic growth. Additionally, Laina has taken special interests in the teaching and mentorship of junior clinicians, providing training and supervision to other masters- and doctoral-level students at the University of Washington while concurrently completing her own studies.
Laina treats individuals across the lifespan seeking support for challenges with mood, anxiety, OCD, emotion regulation, interpersonal relationships, and parenting. Her approach draws from a range of evidence-based cognitive behavioral and third wave treatments including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Behavioral Activation (BA), behavioral parent training, and exposure-based therapies (e.g., Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD, Prolonged Exposure for PTSD).
As a therapist, Laina blends a warm and compassionate interpersonal style with a commitment to challenging clients to confront unhelpful beliefs and change longstanding patterns of maladaptive behavior. She strives to lead with authenticity, bringing humor, playfulness, and her common humanity to each session. She works collaboratively with clients and families to craft individualized treatment plans tailored to each client’s unique goals and strengths. By improving the emotional literacy of the entire family and providing effective psychoeducation that makes principles of treatment transparent, she hopes to affect great and abiding change in the lives of her clients that persists beyond their time-limited sessions.
To inquire about working with Laina, please complete the submission form here or you may email her directly (laina@drlainakeim.com).
Penelope Seminario, MS
Practicum Student
Penelope is a 3rd-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Seattle Pacific University. She is currently participating in clinical training under supervision at STAAR DBT, where she provides individual therapy using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); at Wentworth Marriage & Family Therapy, where she utilizes a range of therapeutic interventions for adults; and at Orion Center for Integrative Medicine, where she facilitates group counseling for ovarian cancer survivors using web-enhanced lessons for living. Her clinical experience spans outpatient and community settings, supporting adults from diverse backgrounds managing depression, anxiety, suicidality, and emotional dysregulation. Penelope strives to individually tailor treatment plans to the particular needs of her clients, given their unique life histories and cultural backgrounds.
Penelope’s graduate research focuses on suicide prevention and mental health support in community settings, such as local churches and faith-based organizations. She is examining the role of community outreach, emotional support, and crisis intervention in reducing suicide risk, as well as the connection between spirituality and mental health in prevention efforts.
To inquire about working with Penelope, please complete the submission form here.