Dr. Karyn Hall

Dr. Karyn Hall is the director of the DBT Center in Houston, Texas, which she founded more than two decades ago. She is the creator and director of an internship program for pre-doctoral and master’s-level students. She provides supervision to individuals who wish to learn DBT. She is also the creator of an online skills program (www.DBTSkillsCoaching.com). 

Karyn is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). As part of her work with NEA BPD, she focuses on early intervention and identification of BPD, and she created a video educational series called “Dealing With Emotions” for use by peer counselors. She is on the Advisory Board for NAMI Houston and the founder of Healing Hearts of Families, an annual conference held in Houston since 2012. The conference is primarily for family members of those with emotion dysregulation disorder. 

Karyn blogs for Psychology Today and PsychCentral and is the author of Mindfulness Exercises for DBT Therapists, SAVVY, and The Emotionally Sensitive Person. She is the co-author of The Power of Validation.  Her podcast The Emotionally Sensitive Person is available on iTunes. In her practice, she specializes in treatment-resistant depression, borderline personality disorder, and trauma. She is certified as a prolonged exposure therapist and is trained in Solution Focused Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

Karyn is currently working with the University of Washington on a research study on the use of virtual reality in the treatment of trauma. She is also working with Dr. Carla Sharp at the University of Houston on a study comparing emotionally sensitive people with emotionally sensitive people who are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. 

Joe Pentony, LPC

Joe Pentony, LPC is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician.  Joe received his Master’s in Counseling from The Houston Graduate School of Theology in 2007, where he learned the role of healthy, balanced spirituality in mental wellness. During his last year studying for his master’s degree, he volunteered at American Hospice where he used his knowledge of scripture and spirituality to help those facing death and dying. He then began working at MHMRA and Westbury Community Hospital with a population of patients with severe schizophrenia, bipolar, high suicidality and hospitalization rates.

Joe received his training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy in 2009 and receives ongoing training. He was pleased to put his interest in mindfulness-based therapies to use at the Houston DBT Center, where led the adult and adolescent intensive outpatient programs (IOP) for 8 years. Joe continues to lead DBT and RO-DBT outpatient groups and the adolescent summer intensive programs at the Katy DBT Center.

In the summer of 2016, Joe led a team of DBT therapists to start the Katy DBT Center to provide high-quality and adherent DBT and RO-DBT to individuals in Katy, TX. Since then, the practice has grown to serve people across Texas. Joe works collaboratively with a team of therapists and psychiatrists to ensure the best possible care for his clients.

Elizabeth Marcum, MS, LPC, CEDS, NCC

Elizabeth Marcum, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor in good standing, licensed in both Texas and Oklahoma. Elizabeth earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, and a master’s degree in counseling from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. Elizabeth is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorders (iaedp™). Elizabeth is a National Board Certified Counselor (NCC) and member in good standing with The International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp™), American Counseling Association (ACA), Houston Eating Disorder Specialists (HEDS) and Bay Area Mental Health Providers Net.

Elizabeth is actively working towards pursuing her professional certification in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – Linehan Board Certification. Elizabeth works at the DBT Center providing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Elizabeth is also actively working towards becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S) and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Supervisor (CEDS-S).

Elizabeth has ten years of clinical experience conducting individual and group therapy with adults, adolescents, couples, and families. She has worked and volunteered in a variety of settings, including university counseling centers, psychiatric hospitals, community based programs in community mental health settings and private practice. Elizabeth has provided treatment, conducted assessments, intakes, and on-going service plan reviews with a diverse client population, in addition to presenting and leading outreach events. 

Elizabeth has worked in various settings (including inpatient, outpatient, and residential) for eating disorder treatment for several years. Elizabeth worked as a primary therapist for three years at Center for Discovery Houston Residential Treatment Center (RTC), an eating disorder program in Cypress, TX where she helped clients and their families navigate through the road of recovery, from admission through discharge to aftercare treatment. With the use of multiple modalities of treatment, Elizabeth contributed to the professional multidisciplinary team at the Residential Treatment facility, to contribute to client care, treatment team meetings, individual therapy sessions, conjoint family sessions, among other interventions, to assist many clients in their recovery and through discharge. Elizabeth used her 10+ years of being a therapist and years of experience being a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) to provide education to each client, family member, and support staff at the facility. Elizabeth passionately advocated and disputed insurance claims to obtain insurance coverage for clients and acknowledged for having the longest length of stay and coverage – evidence of Elizabeth’s passion for advocating for clients’ well-being and needs.  In addition, Elizabeth spent several years advocating and assisting with spreading awareness and education about eating disorders with the Oklahoma Eating Disorder Association (OEDA). While working at the University of Houston, Elizabeth developed a curriculum and facilitated a Peace with Food and Body Group each semester, in addition to mentoring and supporting “I am Enough because…” body image project. In 2018, Elizabeth collaborated with the Body Project to implement a Peer Lead Body Project study, an Evidence-Based Body-Acceptance Program, at the University of Houston.

Elizabeth is a certified and trained QPR (Question Persuade Refer) Gatekeeper who has provided numerous trainings to aid in suicide prevention. Elizabeth worked for two years as a therapist on the PACT multidisciplinary team with clients struggling with chronic severe mental illness and co-morbid issues involving substance abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among others. Elizabeth has worked with a diverse population and assisted clients with self esteem, anger management, eating disorders, substance abuse issues, social skills training, anxiety, depression, and crisis intervention, among others. Elizabeth believes in a holistic approach to therapy utilizing an eclectic counseling technique and individualizing it for each client. Her preferred approaches in counseling include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with elements of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Solution Focused, Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

Elizabeth’s professional license, certifications and memberships of professional organizations, include: 

• Licensed Professional Counselor in good standing, licensed in both Texas and Oklahoma. 
• Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorders (iaedp™). 
• National Board Certified Counselor (NCC) and member in good standing with The International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp™), American Counseling Association (ACA), Houston Eating Disorder Specialists (HEDS) and Bay Area Mental Health Providers Net.
• Elizabeth is actively working towards obtaining her professional certification in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – Linehan Board Certification.
• Elizabeth is also actively working towards becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S) and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Supervisor (CEDS-S).