Kim Sullivan, LMFT
Kim Sullivan has a broad range of experience working as a psychotherapist and case manager in a variety of settings. Prior work settings include residential treatment, a psychiatric hospital setting, and counseling families engaged in the child welfare system.
Kim Sullivan graduated from UC Davis in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Education. She pursued a CA Teaching Credential and taught in the public school system.
In 2004, she graduated from National University with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 2007.
Kim Sullivan had some exposure to Dialectical Behavior Therapy while in school. In 2008, she received a more comprehensive 2-day training of the key elements of the DBT program, which was implemented shortly thereafter. In 2009, Ms. Sullivan attended a conference with the founder of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Marsha Linehan, which further reinforced the value of the skills-based program.
Kim Sullivan continued to implement elements of DBT both in residential treatment and in the psychiatric hospital and found success with the concepts. One telling moment was when a patient in the hospital voiced, “If I knew this on Tuesday, I wouldn’t be here today.”
In 2014, Kim Sullivan attended a comprehensive 4-day program for Dialectical Behavior Therapy and passed a subsequent examination to receive the certificate. She continues to hone her skills in DBT and participates in DBT trainings on a regular basis.
In 2019 Kim Sullivan was introduced to to revolutionary new therapy from David Burns, MD: TEAM CBT. This therapy blends well with DBT and has many elements that are the same as DBT. There are also some strategies that surpass the traditional DBT practice. Kim Sullivan has effectively blended this two models of therapy. Dr. David Burns is a prominent psychiatrist, professor, and author from Standford University (ret.). Dr. Burns has augmented the standard cognitive behavioral model (CBT) of therapy with a system of tools that he calls TEAM CBT. These powerful methods and interventions promote change for clients who have been in therapy and “stuck” for years. Kim Sullivan is a Certified TEAM CBT therapist.
Kimberly Ann Sullivan
MFT45203