Dr. Lauren Bonavitacola

Dr. Lauren Bonavitacola is a co-director of the DBT-RU clinic, providing training and supervision for the DBT-RU clinicians. She is a clinical psychologist who is an alumna of Rutgers GSAPP and of the DBT-RU Clinic, under the supervision of its founder, Dr. Shireen Rizvi. Dr. Bonavitacola has expertise and specialized training in the delivery of evidence-based treatments for trauma, anxiety, mood, substance use, eating, and personality disorders across the lifespan. She specializes in the implementation of DBT for Borderline Personality Disorder and associated conditions, as well as CBT for anxiety and mood disorders, particularly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She is a board-certified DBT clinician by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification and a Prolonged Exposure Consultant. Prior to DBT-RU, she was the founder and director of the Trauma Program at Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants of Westchester and Manhattan (CBC) where she provided individual and group therapy, supervision, training, and school consultation in CBT and DBT modalities. Dr. Bonavitacola has published several peer-reviewed journal articles, books and book chapters, and has presented at numerous professional conferences. She is an active member and on the program committee of the International Society for the Implementation and Teaching of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (ISITDBT), is on the editorial board for the DBT Bulletin, and serves as a peer reviewer for various journals including Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. Dr. Bonavitacola also operates a small, private practice.