Teresa Susmaras - Benefits of Dialiectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches patients to control self-destructive thoughts, increase self-awareness and deal with conflict and stress through a combination of behavior and cognitive therapies. DBT was first used in the 1970s to treat patients with borderline personality disorders and today is used to treat a wide array of emotional and behavioral disorders. Dr. Teresa Susmaras has used DBT throughout the course of her career as a clinical neuropsychologist.

The practice of DBT involves going through four stages of treatment modules—mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. During DBT, treatment is organized into these phases, with a strict order as to how problems are addressed.

Through DBT, patients focus on changing and controlling harmful behaviors. Benefits of DBT include learning ways to decrease high risk and self-destructive behavior, decreased symptoms related to anxiety and depression and enhanced self-respect. These benefits are achieved through focusing on facts over emotions, enabling patients to react in positive and productive manners without spiraling into destructive behaviors and thoughts.

Doctors have found success in treating a wide range of emotional disorders with DBT including bipolar disorder, depression disorders, chemical dependency and addiction, anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Eating disorders such as bulimia, binge eating, anorexia and emotional eating are increasingly being treated with DBT as well due to the emphasis this type of therapy puts on emotional regulation and incorporating healthy coping strategies.

Dr. Teresa Susmaras currently practices clinical neuropsychology in Wisconsin. She has also practiced at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Rush University Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
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Teresa Susmaras - American Psychological Association - A Resource for All Psychologists

American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest professional and scientific organization in the United States devoted to serving psychologists in all fields. The Association represents more than 122,500 members including psychologists, educators, clinicians, researchers and students while striving to further the field of psychology. Teresa Susmaras, a licensed neuropsychologist, has been a member of APA since 2006.

APA strives to support the advancement of psychology as a science and promote psychology as a way to improve health. APA promotes research, improvements in research methods and the use of those findings in psychological care. The association also follows trends in the field, creates educational material to inform the public about mental health issues, and publishes peer reviewed books and journals. APA also aims to elevate the standards in the field of psychology by establishing standards of ethics, education and conduct.

APA is comprised of 54 different interest groups, or divisions, representing different areas of psychological care. Divisions are organized by members and represent both sub disciplines in the field such as clinical, experimental and social, while others spotlight topics such as women, aging or trauma. Each group serves as its own entity within APA; examples of interest groups include Rehabilitation Psychology, Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse, Behavior Analysis and Society for the Psychology of Women.

Teresa Susmaras began her studies in psychology at the University of Chicago where she earned a degree Psychology. She went on the earn both a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Suffolk University in Boston and currently practices in Wisconsin as a clinical neuropsychologist.
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