Sanare King of Prussia

“I participated in an 8-week DBT IOP, where Allison facilitated both group and individual therapy sessions. Throughout my time in the program, Allison was incredibly patient, empathetic, and knowledgeable. I always felt safe and respected under her care. She had a strong grasp of DBT principles and provided me with practical, personalized strategies that were truly helpful. She also shared many valuable resources, including access to an online database for self-exploration and review, all of which left me feeling well-prepared to reenter “normal life” after the program. Based on my experience, here are some considerations to make before enrolling: 1) The program operates on a 4-week rotating cycle, meaning new participants might join mid-cycle. I felt somewhat lost initially, as many skills build on each other. It would have been helpful to start at the "beginning" of the program if that exists. 2) If CBT hasn’t worked for you, DBT’s practical, actionable strategies may be a good fit. Although it took time to understand and apply these skills, I’ve noticed significant improvements in my emotional regulation and self-awareness around my body, boundaries, and values. 3) DBT groups seem to generally focus on skill-building rather than open processing of personal issues. However, some group members frequently shared lengthy personal stories and suggestions, occasionally dominating the session. If you find such open processing difficult or distracting, this could be a challenge. 4) For anyone feeling isolated in their struggles, this program can be supportive. While the open processing by others was sometimes frustrating, I felt less alone hearing others share similar emotional experiences. The shared understanding within the group helped reduce feelings of loneliness. 5) Like most therapy, this program doesn’t offer "immediate relief." I found the process involved trial and error, some setbacks, and a lot of independent review and processing. Active participation was essential to my progress, so this group may not be ideal if you’re not ready to commit to that level of involvement. While the rotating cycle and occasional over-sharing by some group members posed challenges, the quality of Allison’s guidance and the effectiveness of the resources make this program well worth more than 3 stars, even if not quite a 5.”

“While they do have some good people that work there, be wary of the DBT program with Fatima. She doesn’t listen fully to what you say and is extremely defensive if you say anything she doesn’t like. She’ll teach incorrect items and constantly changes what’s in the program. She’s also made inappropriate jokes about the I-95 crash during a group, which is concerning that she would find that humorous.”

“Claudia is wonderful. Everyone is engaged in group. Nice balance of psychoeducation and processing. Impecable with paperwork.”