Rikki Bobchin, LCSW
In addition to her proficiency in DBT, Rikki is intensively trained in Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), Mentalization-Based Treatment for Families (MBT-F), and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She has also attained level II training in Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), further enriching her therapeutic capacity.
Rikki extends her experience by providing DBT training and consultation to clinicians, schools, and hospital programs, including adapting DBT for intensive outpatient settings. Additionally, Rikki is a NASW Board Approved Clinical Supervisor and a Field Supervisor for MSW graduate students.
Her extensive background encompasses a wide array of clinical settings, including in-patient substance abuse treatment, outpatient community mental health services, and child protective services. Notably, she played a pivotal role in adapting DBT for the NJ Juvenile Justice Commission’s first Juvenile Female Correctional Facility, highlighting her commitment to addressing diverse mental health needs.
Jennifer Celli, LPC, RPT
Jennifer Celli, is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified Clinician™ and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist with over two decades of experience working with children, adolescents, and their families. She earned her graduate degree at Monmouth University, specializing in Child Psychotherapy and Play Therapy.
At the DBT Center of NJ, Jennifer serves as a dedicated clinician within a comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program. She specializes in providing evidence-based treatment for suicidal/self-injurious children, adolescents, young adults, and their families, utilizing her expertise in DBT to foster emotional regulation and improve interpersonal skills.
Jennifer’s extensive training includes DBT Foundational Training and DBT-C with treatment developer Francheska Perepletchikova, Ph.D. As well as a range of specialized topics such as DBT with Multi-Problem Adolescents, DBT Validation Principles and Strategies, DBT Chain Analysis Training, and other empirically supported therapies for borderline personality disorder including Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT.)
Jennifer is certified in Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Play Therapy through the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy. Through Animal Assisted Therapy, Jennifer harnesses the unique ability of animals to provide comfort and create a non-judgmental environment, facilitating healing for clients with physical and emotional challenges.
Jennifer is an educator at The Animal Behavior Institute, where she developed the course Equine Mind and Emotions. Additionally, she also teaches courses on Animal Assisted Interventions, Working with People and Animals, The Human-Animal Bond, and Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities.
Jennifer has provided clinical treatment in diverse settings. She has worked in a residential treatment facility, as a primary clinician for an Adolescent Partial Hospital Program. Additionally, she has served as a clinician at a non-traditional private school. Jennifer’s dedication to evidence-based practice, ongoing professional development, and compassionate care underscores her commitment to empowering individuals and families to navigate life’s challenges and build fulfilling futures.
Kimberly McLaughlin, LPC
Psychotherapist Kimberly McLaughlin, a Licensed Professional Counselor with over two decades of clinical experience, is dedicated to empowering adults, adolescents, and their families. She holds a BA from TCNJ and an MS in Professional Counseling from Monmouth University, where she graduated with distinction and was inducted into Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society for counseling students.
Kimberly’s career began in community mental health centers and hospital programs, where her commitment to empirically based treatment flourished. Guided by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), she sees each session as an opportunity to foster growth and resilience in her clients’ lives.
In addition to blending her two specialties, Kimberly has made contributions to a research study by Behavioral Tech, focusing on exposure protocols in panic disorder treatment. She has received Foundational Training in DBT, Advanced Topics in DBT, Validation Principles and Strategies, Targeting, Assessing and Solving Problem Behaviors, and Skills Group Training. Expanding her expertise, she completed Intensive Training in Exposure and Response Prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at the Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kimberly offers individual exposure treatment to clients with anxiety disorders, including home visits, phone consultations, and off-site exposures. Her practice encompasses treating a variety of clinical disorders, including borderline personality disorder, OCD, panic disorder, specific phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Nicole Ortiz, LPC, LCADC
Nicole Ortiz is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the State of New Jersey. She has been providing therapy to individuals across the lifespan, including children, adolescents, adults, and their families, since 2001. Nicole earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Holistic Health from Georgian Court University. She furthered her education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Counseling and Clinical Health Psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Nicole specializes in treating substance use disorders and dual diagnoses, focusing on the impact on both the individual client and their family. She offers evidence-based treatment for substance use, incorporating both harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches, and in facilitating skill groups within a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)-informed framework. She completed the 5-Day DBT Core Training. Beyond her clinical practice as a psychotherapist, Nicole is an Approved Clinical Supervisor.
Nicole has made significant contributions to community education through various mediums such as articles, lectures, and panel discussions, drawing from her extensive clinical experience in the behavioral health field. Notably, she served as a panelist for NJBIZ: Mental Health in the Workplace, where she discussed the impact of the pandemic on workers’ mental health and strategies for businesses in New Jersey to better support their employees.
Additionally, Nicole hosted a two-part podcast for Mind on Mental Health titled “Healthcare Workers’ Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic.” This podcast highlighted her volunteer work providing therapy to frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic, offering insights and support to this vital population.
Nicole’s extensive experience in the behavioral health field covers a wide range of settings. She has provided therapy to adjudicated adolescents in a residential substance use treatment facility, offered individual counseling to both traditional and non-traditional students in a university setting, served as an in-home therapist, provided therapy in an inpatient substance and detox facility, and worked as a therapist in an acute partial hospital outpatient setting.
Nicole employs a client-centered approach to therapy characterized by collaboration and empathy. She provides supportive counseling her therapeutic style is anchored in instilling hope and fostering opportunities for clients to experience improvement and growth.
Amy Hiraldo, LCSW
Amy Hiraldo, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with extensive experience spanning close to three decades, brings a wealth of expertise in working with adults, adolescents, and their families. She pursued her undergraduate studies at SUNY New Paltz, majoring in Sociology. Following that, she obtained her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University, with a minor in Social Work Research.
Amy’s dedication to improving the well-being and communication skills of her clients is evident through her pursuit of advanced training and staying updated with the latest evidence-based practices. Specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), with a focus on trauma, emotional eating, substance use, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. Amy brings expertise gained from working in women’s treatment settings. She has undergone intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), treating adolescents in DBT, and Optimizing Eating Disorder Treatment. She received her training from Behavioral Tech and the Portland DBT Institute. Furthermore, she is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and is also a board-approved Clinical Supervisor.
Amy started her journey in community mental health centers back in 1996. Over the years, she has gained experience in a diverse range of environments, including hospital-based Partial Hospital Programs/Intensive Outpatient Programs, school-based settings, and individual treatment. Amy has extensive experience providing direct clinical care in both individual and group settings. Her leadership experience, particularly in her role as a Director overseeing clinical programs, underscores her capability to provide valuable oversight and guidance to ensure the delivery of high-quality care.