Rising Stars: Meet Desirae Allen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Desirae Allen.

Hi Desirae, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I was exposed to mental illness and substance abuse treatment early on through the lens of family members. I witnessed how difficult and often ineffective the system can be. It taught me that not only is evidence-based treatment vital to consumer success and improvement, but the importance of the person who is delivering the treatment. From an early age, I knew I wanted to help others and “improve” our mental health system.

I attended graduate school at Xavier University. There, I was first introduced to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I found it to be not only helpful for the clients I worked with but beneficial to use in my own life. I continued my training in DBT at my internship site in Kansas City, MO. I made the change to working at CCDBT to continue my training in and delivery of this therapy to better serve our community. I continue my journey with this therapy because of how I have seen it change people’s lives. People have come out of the depths of hell, so to speak, and build lives and relationships they are proud of.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is life ever a smooth road 🙂 A challenge has been to learn my own personal limits and how to balance those with my passion to help others. At times, I have had to sit back and take a look at the advice I am giving others. When I’m not living according to what is important to me (life work balance), I go back to my skills and make the necessary changes, some of those changes are difficult (e.g., deciding to leave a position that I originally strived to obtain most of my graduate career).

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a licensed clinical psychologist employed at Cincinnati Center for DBT, a group practice that provides adherent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

This means providing the treatment in its entirety (individual therapy, group skills training, coaching calls, being a member of a DBT consultation team), which is not often done not only in our community, but throughout the country. I work with individuals struggling with suicidal ideation, self-injurious behaviors, depression, anxiety, psychosis, problematic relationships, and substance use.

I am most proud of my ability to work alongside individuals struggling to build a life that is worth living according to their goals. I truly get to see humans do amazing things every single day!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have started to work out from home. This has been a major change for me since I did not prioritize my physical health throughout graduate school (again, this time of my life didn’t allow for a great work life balance). I use an app that structures strength-based training that can be done from home.

A podcast that I started listening to during graduate school is called The Mental Illness Happy Hour. The creator of the podcast is a consumer of mental health services himself. He interviews people within this world (e.g., other consumers, mental health professionals, researchers) on a variety of topics. I like this podcast as it is a raw discussion between people invested in the betterment of lives.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@cincinnaticenterfordbt.com
• Website: https://www.cincinnaticenterfordbt.com/ 
• Instagram: cincinnaticenterfordbt

Image Credits
Tasha Pinelo Photography
Google