Meet Our Team

Trinitas Institute for Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Allied Treatments

Our multidisciplinary DBT adult and adolescent teams are dedicated to providing the highest quality of services to our clientele. In addition to our permanent staff who are listed below, we have several trainees from different disciplines who are undergoing the extensive training and supervision necessary for them to provide comprehensive DBT in line with the original model created by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., ABPP.

Masha Belova, LCSWCertified DBT Clinician seal
Masha Belova, LCSW

Masha Belova is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Masha completed the 10-day DBT Intensive Training in March, 2011 with Adam Payne, Ph.D. and Haleh Ghanizadeh, M.D., M.P.H. She is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. Masha is also interested in helping clients cope with trauma symptoms and she is trained in using Prolonged Exposure to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and related problems. Masha is enjoying working with the Trinitas DBT institute, as well as in her private practice. "I love DBT".


Victoria Blom, LCSW
Victoria Blom, LCSW

Victoria Blom is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with the Adult DBT Program at Trinitas. Victoria completed the Behavioral Tech DBT Foundational Training in 2016, led by Shireen Rizvi, PhD and David Pantalone, PhD. She is an EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) Certified Therapist and Consultant-in-Training. Her areas of interest include complex trauma, dissociation, evidence-based practices and innovative interventions for underserved populations.


Atara Hiller, Psy.D.Certified DBT Clinician seal
Atara Hiller, Psy.D.

Atara Hiller is a licensed psychologist and the Co-Director of the Trinitas Institute for DBT and Allied Treatments and Team Leader of the Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Programs. Dr. Hiller is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified Clinician™, and she supervises fellow clinicians and psychology interns in the practice of DBT, as well as provides individual DBT and co-leads DBT multi-family skills groups. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and English from Barnard College at Columbia University, and her master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. At Rutgers, she conducted DBT for two years under the mentorship of Shireen Rizvi, Ph.D., who was a student of Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., the developer of DBT. She has also attended an advanced intensive training with DBT experts, Charles Swenson, MD and Kelly Koerner, PhD, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in DBT at Trinitas, under the supervision of Essie Larson, PhD.

Dr. Hiller has extensive experience providing evidence-based treatments to children, adolescents, and adults with trauma, depression, anxiety, and disruptive behavior, as well as complex psychosocial stressors. She is devoted to providing exceptional treatment to children, adolescents, and families in order to empower them with tools to enhance their relationships and navigate life's challenges effectively. She has frequently written about and presented on DBT, borderline personality disorder, and treatment for child sexual abuse.


Essie Larson, Ph.D.Certified DBT Clinician seal
Essie Larson, Ph.D.

Essie Larson is a Clinical Psychologist and the Co-Director of the Trinitas Institute for DBT and Allied Treatments and Team Leader of the Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program. Dr. Larson received her doctoral degree from Fordham University's Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program in the Bronx, NY with a specialization in neuropsychology. She assisted Dr. Brian Gallagher in launching the DBT program on the Adult Outpatient Unit at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in 2007 under the training, consultation and supervision of Dr. Lisa Lyons, a DBT Intensively-Trained psychologist who helped establish other DBT programs in the tri-state area. Since 2008, Dr. Larson has been coordinating the Adult DBT program, running skills training groups, seeing individual clients and supervising the psychology interns, post-doctoral students and other staff who work in DBT. She completed the 10-day DBT Intensive Training in March, 2011 with Adam Payne, Ph.D. and Haleh Ghanizadeh, M.D., M.P.H. and is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. In addition, Dr. Larson has a small private practice in Bergen County where she provides individual DBT-informed therapy. She has consulted with several other programs and practices in NJ who have integrated aspects of DBT into their services. Dr. Larson is especially dedicated to making high-quality comprehensive DBT services available to underserved populations who may not be able to afford these services in private practice settings.


Maria A. Santiago, MSW, LCSW
Maria A. Santiago, MSW, LCSW

Maria A. Santiago is a licensed clinical social worker and the clinical coordinator of the Adult DBT Program. She believes clients have the ability to excel when surrounded by a compassionate therapeutic environment. Maria provides individual DBT therapy and co-leads two of our Adult DBT groups. She received her bachelor's degree in social work in 2010 and master's degree in Social work in 2011 from Kean University. Maria began to work in the DBT team as an MSW intern in 2011 while she was obtaining her Master's Degree. She completed the Behavioral Tech DBT Intensive Training in 2013, led by Shireen Rizvi, Ph. D and Adam Payne, Ph. D. Maria has experience in treating PTSD and trauma related diagnoses. She has completed the Intensive Training in Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD provided by the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. She is experienced in providing Prolonged Exposure Therapy at the TRMC Adult Outpatient Department of Behavioral Health and Psychiatry, as well as providing this treatment for clients in the DBT program. Maria has 10 years of experience in the field of clinical social work and has worked in various levels of care and different treatment modalities including partial hospital and in-home family therapy. She is skillful in providing psychoeducational groups for adults addressing issues such as mindfulness, stress management, and independent living skills. Maria continues to be a dedicated team member devoted to providing DBT therapy. She believes DBT to be "life skills from which everyone can benefit." Maria enjoys watching her clients progress in both individual and group therapy and feels privileged to be part of their journey of building a life worth living.