Suzanne M. Wallach
PsyD, LMFT
Executive Director
Dr. Wallach is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the owner and Clinical Director of Suzanne Wallach & Associates and SoCal DBT. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Ottawa University in 2002, her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Phillips Graduate University in 2008, and her Doctorate in Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2014.
Dr. Wallach works mainly from both behavioral and psychodynamic perspectives, using Object Relations and Attachment Theory as well as existential, dialectical behavior and cognitive behavioral interventions as needed to help patients dealing with substance abuse, behavioral addictions, eating disorders, complex trauma and personality disorders. Her pre-licensure training was completed at the LA Free Clinic and at CalFAM Counseling Center in Encino as an MFT Trainee, followed up by three years as an MFT intern at The Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills, a regionally recognized and respected psychodynamic training center. In 2014, Dr. Wallach completed the Psychoanalytic Center of California’s Adult Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program.
Dr. Wallach is extensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and serves as the team leader for SoCal DBT. She has completed a 2 year intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for independent practitioners at Dr. Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech in Seattle, Washington with Lizz Dexter-Mazza PhD and Jennifer Sayrs, PhD. This training is the only comprehensive DBT training in the nation supervised by Marsha Linehan, PhD, the original developer of DBT. In addition to being intensively trained in DBT, Dr. Wallach has also completed trainings in Providing Effective DBT Skills Groups by Patricia Gieselman, LMFT, Optimizing Eating Disorder Treatments with DBT with Amy Kalasunas, LPCC, and DBT for Parents, Couples, and Families by Dr. Alan Fruzzetti of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2021 Dr. Wallach was intensively trained in DBT for Children with Francheska Perepletchikova, PhD and Kimberly Vale, LCSW-R. Dr. Wallach is currently in the process of obtaining DBT Clinician Certification through the DBT Linehan Board of Certification. This certification is considered the gold standard for DBT providers and signifies that the highest standards of clinical excellence in the practice of DBT have been achieved.
Dr. Wallach is also a seasoned trauma therapist, and was trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in 2012 by one of the world’s leading EMDR clinicians, Andrew Leeds of Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute. She is an EMDRIA certified EMDR therapist, which means that she has completed an EMDRIA approved training in EMDR, and completed hundreds of hours in sessions and consultations beyond what is required for basic training in EMDR. In addition, in 2020 Dr. Wallach completed a training in Prolonged Exposure for PTSD & Trauma with Drs. Lata McGinn and Lauren Bonavitacola of Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants. Dr. Wallach is also trained in Trauma Resiliency Model, Levels 1 and 2.
Prior to working in her own private practice, she served as a Staff Therapist at an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center in Beverly Hills and as a staff therapist at Mental Health Center at Cedars Sinai Hospital. While at these facilities, Dr. Wallach worked on a number of highly complex cases, treating high acuity addicts of all kinds as well as clients with behavioral addictions and treatment refractory mood and personality disorders. She also ran Relapse Prevention, Sobriety Maintenance and Client Process groups. Dr. Wallach is an active member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).
