Meet our team:
Charese Allen, LCSW
Charese is the founder and owner of Pacific DBT Collaborative. She is a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCS 28694) and DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™ who has worked in the mental health field since 2003; in various settings including Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at UCSF, University of Washington in Seattle, and Kaiser Permanente in Richmond. She obtained both her undergraduate degree in psychology and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Washington in Seattle. During her time at the University of Washington, Charese had the unique opportunity to work with Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT, as a research assistant and clinical assessor on multiple studies on the efficacy of DBT.
Charese received her training as both a skills trainer and an individual DBT therapist during her graduate school internship at Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie, Washington. In addition to DBT, Charese is trained in multiple other evidence-based therapies including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Prolonged Exposure, (PE) Functional Analytic Therapy (FAP), Cognitive Processing Therapy, (CPT) Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention. Charese currently works out of Santa Cruz, California.
Alisa Birgy, LMFT
Alisa is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and has worked in mental health for over 20 years. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and a Master's in Psychology from the University of San Francisco. Alisa has been a DBT clinician working in private practice since 2013 and has completed intensive training in DBT through Behavioral Tech. Prior to private practice, Alisa was the program director of a residential mental health program for mothers with psychiatric disorders and their children in San Francisco for 12 years.
Alisa has an expertise in pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting with mental health issues as well as experience working with women with addiction, PTSD related issues, Bipolar Disorder, and psychotic symptoms. In addition to DBT, she is trained in a dyadic, child-parent therapy for families exposed to trauma, created by Alicia Lieberman, PhD and experienced in attachment-focused parenting. Alisa currently works out of Oakland, California.
Patrik Karlsson, LCSW
Patrik is Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has been providing mental health treatment since 1999 and has held a variety of leadership and clinical roles. Patrik graduated from the University of California, Irvine, in 1995 with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Social Behavior with a specialization in Behavioral Medicine, and from the University of Southern California in 1999 with a Master’s in Social Work. Patrik was intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in 2012 by Behavioral Tech and part of a DBT team since 2012.
Patrik has also been trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Prolonged Exposure Treatment for Trauma (PE), and DBT based Couples Therapy. Patrik has experience working with individuals, couples, and families navigating treatment for mental health and/or substance misuse disorders. Patrik is a meditation practitioner and highly values mindfulness in his life. Patrik is a father of two, an amateur dancer and musician. Patrik currently works out of Albany, California.
Meredith Meyer, LMFT
Meredith is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™ who has worked on comprehensive DBT teams since 2012. Meredith received her undergraduate degree from the University of San Francisco and her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego. Meredith has received formal training in DBT through Behavioral Tech and as a clinician at the DBT Center of San Diego before transitioning to Pacific DBT in 2017.
In addition to CBT and DBT, Meredith is trained in Exposure Therapy including Prolonged Exposure (PE), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness based interventions. Meredith has experience working with individuals across the life span and enjoys working with family members and loved ones of someone with BPD or other emotion dysregulation disorders. Meredith currently works out of San Diego, California.
Sarah Moxon, LCSW
Sarah is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with experience working with adults, adolescents, and their families with problems related to mood disorders, PTSD, and psychotic symptoms. Sarah received both her undergraduate degree and her Master of Social Welfare degree at University of California, Berkeley. She has worked in inpatient and outpatient mental health settings, including Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs (PHP/IOP) at Marin Health Medical Center (formerly Marin General Hospital), and the Adolescent PHP/IOP at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley.
In addition to receiving intensive training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Behavioral Tech, Sarah has been trained in DBT for Adolescents, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). She has a long history of mindfulness and self-compassion practices which inform her work and life. Sarah firmly believes in a compassionate, collaborative approach to help clients clarify and move toward their own goals. Sarah currently works out of Oakland, California.
Hannah Raiden-Wright, LCSW, MPH
Hannah is a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 20 years of experience working in mental health, medical, and substance abuse settings. Hannah completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon and received her MSW and MPH degrees at the University of California at Berkeley. Hannah has completed DBT foundational training; DBT Prolonged Exposure training; DBT for Substance Use Disorders; and, Postpartum Support International certificate training. She also has significant experience working in hospitals, assisting patients and families to navigate the crisis and stressors of an unexpected hospitalization and medical complications.
Hannah works with adults throughout the lifespan and has specialized knowledge and skills supporting new parents, parents experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and parents of children with special needs or who are experiencing medical crises. Hannah highly values the non-judgmental approach of DBT with its fusion of acceptance and change techniques. Hannah has found the skills and mindfulness practice of DBT to be life changing for her clients, as well for herself on a personal level as the mother of two young adults. Hannah currently works out of Oakland, California.