Nancy Gordon
- Florida Licensed Social Worker SW 7952
- Qualified Supervisor for Florida Registered Interns and MSW students.
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Cum Laude University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass. 1980
- Simmons College School of Social Work, Boston, Mass. 1984
- Intensively trained in DBT 1998
- DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™ 2015
Nancy Gordon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Qualified Supervisor who has over 35 of experience working with children, teens, adults and families in hospital, DJJ, residential and Community Mental Health Center outpatient settings. She received her MSW in Boston, lived and worked in Vermont for 30 years and was recruited to the Tampa Bay Area in 2005. For the majority of the last 21 years, Nancy served as Clinical Director to several programs in Vermont and Florida. She has been supervising and training staff and students for over 30 years. Nancy is an accomplished speaker, presenter and trainer locally and nationally on a wide range of clinical topics.
Nancy completed the Intensive Training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy in 1998, was the first Linehan Board Certified Clinician in Florida in 2015 and has helped train and implement DBT programs in many settings. She is nationally known for her work in adapting DBT to adolescents and had input into the adaptation of DBT to Adolescents, published by Alec Miller and Jill Rathus. She is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist who has specialized in treating the most seriously disturbed adolescents and their families on all types of issues, including suicidal and self-harming behaviors, anger and behavioral problems, substance abuse, eating disorders, anxiety and social problems, mood disorders, school problems, ADHD, and parent training and she is trained in an array of evidence-based therapy models, such as Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD, Exposure Response Psychotherapy for anxiety disorders, and Behavioral Activation for Depressive disorders, Compassion Focused Therapy and others.
In 2010 Nancy founded Tampa Bay Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TBCforCBT) which is a private practice and training center for new therapists, that provides outpatient evidence-based CBT and DBT therapy for adults and adolescents. She also provides clinical supervision for registered interns and MSW students, and agency or community consultations and trainings. Her mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals and their families by providing access to effective, evidence-based behavioral health treatment. Her vision is to provide exceptional training, consultation and therapy to clients, therapists and agencies. TBCforCBT offers one of the only fully adherent DBT programs in the Tampa Bay area.
Valerie Siegman
DBT®-Linehan Board Certified Clinician
We are lucky to have had Valerie with us at TBC for CBT since 2016. Valerie received her B.S. in Occupational Therapy in 1986 from the University of Buffalo, NY. She worked for 8 years providing rehabilitation services to clients suffering from neurological injuries at places like the Rusk Rehabilitation Center and NY Hospital. She received her MA in Mental Health Counseling with a Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of South Florida in May 2016. During her graduate studies, she did her practicum and internship at TBC for CBT and is now a Licensed therapist. She has been involved in many professional trainings including: Emotionally Focused Couples therapy and the Gottman Couples Therapy Trainings, Levels 1 and 2. She has been trained in DBT and other evidenced-based treatments at TBC for CBT and is an active member of Practice Ground DBT learning community. Valerie has has also done intensive trauma training in Prolonged Exposure with DBT with Melanie Harned and also DBT for Complex PTSD with Martin Bohus. Valerie is the proud mother of three young adults. She enjoys traveling on hiking trips with her husband of over twenty five years.
Christine Barker
DBT®-Linehan Board Certified Clinician
Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Qualified Supervisor, State of Florida, SW3608
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York State, License Number 087305-1
Christine V. Barker is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Florida and New York with specialized training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She has over 20 years in clinical social work and management in New York City and Florida in settings that include outpatient and emergency mental health; day treatment; foster care; juvenile justice; residential treatment; and runaway and homeless youth programs. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, she has a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College and a master’s degree in social work (MSW) from Hunter College in New York City.
Christine was trained in DBT as a therapist with the New York State Office of Mental Health Intensive Day Treatment program in Brooklyn, NY, completing the 10-Day Core DBT Clinical Training in 2014. She was part of a team that implemented DBT skills training in the daily community meetings with youth ages 8 to 18 with serious mental health problems including anxiety, depression, aggressive behaviors, hyperactivity, emotion dysregulation, and difficult family situations.
Christine joined TBC for CBT in April 2017. She is committed to ongoing professional education and development, and has recently completed the following trainings: Intensive Training in the DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol for PTSD (Melanie Harned, PhD) in October 2018; Working with Emotion Dysregulation in Families (Alan E. Fruzzetti, PhD) in March 2019; DBT Skills online course (Marsha M. Linehan, PHD) in September – October 2019; and DBT Advanced Training (Nancy Gordon, LCSW) in October 2019.
Alexandra Pellot
Alex is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been working and training at TBC for CBT since January 2019. She began her MSW internship under the supervision of Sarah Coker, LCSW. After graduating, Alex stayed with TBC for CBT to continue supervision with DBT®-Linehan Board Certified Clinician Nancy Gordon, LCSW. Alex has received her Master of Social Work degree in 2020 and undergraduate degree in Psychology and Criminology in 2019. She achieved her license in July 2022.
During her time at TBC, she has been intensively trained in DBT and other evidenced based treatments, such as: CPT for PTSD and CBT. She is actively working towards DBT-LBC Certification.
Prior to being at TBC for CBT, Alex had over 2 years of experience as a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate and On-Call Advocate at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and USF Victim Advocacy where she provided crisis intervention, safety planning, psychoeducation, community referrals, emotional support and responded to forensic medical exams 24/7 for survivors of sexual violence. Alex has worked with adolescents in DJJ (Department of Juvenile Justice) by providing CBT, TF-CBT, and Family Therapy to help reduce recidivism and aid in reintegration. She also has experience working with children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or abandonment through Guardian Ad Litem.
This experience, plus her training at TBC for CBT has made her an amazingly competent therapist who can work with teens and adults with just about any complex clinical needs.
Alex’s interests include roller skating, traveling, her two cats, and spending time in nature. She is passionate about helping others, DBT, and continuing her work with people to achieve their “Life Worth Living Goals”.
Charlie O’Neil
Charlie is our office manager, building manager, and whatever-we-need manager for TBC. Feel free to contact him if you have any Valant or Billing questions.
Tiffany Peless
Tiffany graduated with a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2021 and is a registered mental health counselor intern working towards state licensure. During her Master’s program, she began working as an intern for Rogers Behavioral Health Tampa where she was trained in CBT and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) protocols. After graduation, Tiffany was hired at Rogers Behavioral Health as a behavior specialist. During this time, Tiffany specialized in treating adults with anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, and panic disorders. She later transitioned to the Trauma Recovery program where she gained experience implementing Prolonged Exposure (PE) for those diagnosed with PTSD. Tiffany is now very excited to expand her evidence-based training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Training at TBC for CBT and we are excited to have her.
Tiffany is passionate about helping others through a culturally aware and trauma-informed perspective. She is committed to continuous personal and professional growth. She enjoys reading, warm beverages, and salsa dancing.
Kaelyn Myers
Kaelyn is our Intake Coordinator here at TBC for CBT. She received her Bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology in May 2022. As an undergraduate student, Kaelyn gained experience as a teaching assistant for two of her professors while being a member of a few student organizations, including Project HEAL (an eating disorder awareness organization) and the Women’s Student Union. Kaelyn researched and sought out employment at TBC for CBT to get firsthand experience working in a mental health clinic because, in a couple of years or so, she wishes to attend graduate school to pursue a Master’s degree in the Mental Health Field.
Kaelyn’s passions and interests include trying new things (food, activities, skills), house plants, making candles as a new hobby, focusing on health and fitness, spending time with friends and family (fun fact: she’s a triplet), and discovering new ways to best help people with their needs.
Liz Paonessa
Liz earned her BA in Early Childhood Education from Florida Gulf Coast University and is currently pursuing her MSW at the University of South Florida. She has over 20 years of experience teaching dance and group fitness to all ages, and strongly believes in a holistic approach to living and thriving. Liz is excited to learn and grow with the TBC for CBT!
Lisa Heuer
Lisa earned her BA in Psychology from the University of South Florida, her MBA from the University of Phoenix, and is currently earning her MSW at the University of South Florida. Lisa has 13 years of experience working in behavioral health in various settings with a primary focus on case management.
Lisa is also an experienced yoga instructor, avid meditator, and teaches an undergraduate course in self-care.