Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Therapists in Atlanta

My name is Michael Venezia. I was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. I began my career as a therapist in Huntsville 10 years ago and then moved to Atlanta 6 years ago to continue my counseling career. In my time here, I have engaged in intensive trainings for EMDR for my trauma clients as well as EFT for couples counseling. I have also completed trainings to incorporate IFS, DBT, Gottman, and other therapy models so that I could provide my clients with whatever therapy best suits their needs. I have really enjoyed working with clients using different modalities and seeing which ones work best for them to provide them the relief they are seeking. I am continuing to explore different modalities to learn and clients I could better serve to bring clients quality care. In my free time, I enjoy watching and playing sports when I can, trying new cooking recipes, binge watching tv shows, and exploring new places to travel to. If you have any questions about my background you’d like to know more about, we could always discuss that in a consultation.

When I was a child, my mother taught me a poem called “Children Learn What They Live.” It had a big influence on me – so much so that I knew at age 15 that I wanted to work with kids. Then, when I was 20, my brother died. I was a junior in college, coming home for Christmas break, when the unimaginable happened. That tragedy affected me profoundly, igniting a passion for turning life’s lemons into lemonade. So, I changed my major from education to psychology. I had a mission: to help people who are suffering but don’t know how to change it. After earning my undergraduate degree in psychology, I was accepted to the University of Florida Graduate College of Education. I decided to focus on mental health counseling because of my experiences with those struggling with mental health. Eventually, my family and I moved to Atlanta. There, I began counseling children, teens, and families, first in an inpatient and then in a partial-hospitalization setting. I became licensed as a Professional Counselor in Georgia; I was promoted to Lead Therapist and then to Program Manager. I later shifted my career to school counseling, and school became my home for 15 years! I honed my career counseling skills to guide my students through the most difficult part of life: high school. Outside the office… I’m married to the love of my life, and we’ve been blessed to have raised two daughters. We’re now empty-nesters, enjoying travel, nature, and activities with our dog, October.

Dr. Kimberly Vay, EdD, LPC, CPCS is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor in Atlanta, Georgia. She serves as President of the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification and is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. Dr. Vay specializes in the trauma-informed treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and provides postvention care following high-impact traumatic events, including suicide loss. Her work is grounded in evidence-based practice and focused on fostering healing, resilience, and long-term recovery. She is proficient in adherent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and has completed intensive training in Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT), Prolonged Exposure-DBT (DBT-PE), DBT-PTSD, DBT for children (DBT-C), and Level I and II Theraplay® and Group Theraplay®. Dr. Vay provides clinical supervision and DBT consultation to clinicians seeking certification or strengthening fidelity to the DBT model. Dr. Vay is currently a Trainer-in-Training (TnT) for Behavioral Tech Institute. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Vay has held leadership roles across educational, residential, and outpatient settings and has worked extensively with complex and high-risk populations. She is also a nationally recognized speaker and trainer, providing education and consultation to clinicians, organizations, educators, and families. Dr. Vay is licensed in Georgia (LPC008618) and Telehealth in Florida (#7282)