561-245-7025 (voicemail); 561-834-9589 (live call)
561-245-7025 (voicemail); 561-834-9589 (live call)
Dr. Sara A. Hosn, ABPP, DBT-LBC
Dr. Sara A. Hosn is the founder and Clinical Director of DBT Center of South Florida. She is also the cofounder of the multisite initiative known as South Florida DBT Consortium; a program dedicated to elevating the practice and dissemination of adherent Dialectical Behavior Therapy that follows the Linehan model. She is a New York and Florida state licensed clinical psychologist specialized in the treatment of adolescent and adult survivors of trauma, chronic adversity, and significant life stressors. She attained her Masters of Science and Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She also completed board certification in the subspecialty of clinical psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Hosn pursued her clinical internship through the Department of Veteran Affairs at the Hudson Valley VA hospital in New York. She also completed her postdoctoral fellowship in a private hospital specialized in the treatment of dual diagnosis, mostly mood and anxiety disorders with comorbid substance use disorders.
Dr. Sara A. Hosn is a firm believer in the importance of the human connection in psychotherapy and building a treatment alliance that transcends dependency and fosters change and growth. Though rooted in humanistic and person-centered treatment approaches, Dr. Hosn has also received extensive training in several Evidence-Based Treatments. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and was the first in South Florida to receive the Linehan Board of Certification DBT certification credential (DBT-LBC). In addition, she has served on a couple of B-TECH intensively trained DBT consultation teams; she was a member of the Hudson Valley VA Medical Center consultation team and is currently on the South Florida DBT Consortium consultation team. Moreover, she is a certified provider of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD.
Dr. Alyssa Segal
Dr. Alyssa Segal, a Florida Licensed Psychologist and PsyPact approved practitioner, is deeply committed to helping individuals find peace, balance and enjoyment in their lives. Her therapeutic approach is firmly grounded in evidence-based practices, thoughtfully tailored to meet the unique needs of her clients.
Dr. Segal provides treatment to individuals who struggle with under-control (challenges with regulating their emotions, impulses, or behaviors) as well as individuals who struggle with over-control (challenges with relaxing, adapting to change, or expressing emotions). She treats individuals with mood and anxiety based disorders, eating disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder), obsessive compulsive disorder, and personality disorders.
Dr. Segal is foundationally trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Behavioral Tech and is a member of the DBT Center of South Florida’s consultation team and the South Florida DBT consortium. She provides comprehensive DBT services, guiding individuals toward emotional regulation and improved well-being. She also provides other evidence based treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy, depending on the needs of her clients.
Before joining DBT Center of South Florida, Dr. Segal gained valuable experience in diverse clinical settings, including community mental health facilities, private practice, and residential and outpatient eating disorder programs.
Dr. Segal earned a bachelors degree in psychology from Michigan State University’s Honors College, followed by the completion of her master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Nova Southeastern University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Park Center Inc. in Fort Wayne, IN, and her postdoctoral fellowship at National Alliance for Eating Disorders in West Palm Beach, FL.
Dr. Kelsey Sanner
Adolescent Program Coordinator
Dr. Kelsey Sanner received her doctoral degree with an emphasis in child and adolescent clinical psychology from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed her clinical internship at the University of Miami School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida where she worked with children, adolescents, and their families with emotional and behavioral difficulties, with a specific training experience in the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program for Adolescents. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at DBT Center of South Florida and continues to work with the center as a Licensed Psychologist.
Dr. Sanner has a passion for working with adolescents and young adults presenting with emotional and behavioral dysregulation, high-risk behaviors, and suicidality. Additionally, she has experience and interest in personality development and complex trauma as well as psychological assessment. She strongly believes in evidenced-based practices adapted for individual characteristics and was trained using a Cognitive Behavioral framework. Dr. Sanner has specific interest and passion for DBT and is in the process of completing her foundational DBT training through Behavioral Tech. She hopes to be a certified DBT provider in the future. Dr. Sanner strives to embody the core principles of acceptance and change within each therapeutic interaction and help individuals build a life worth living.
Dr. Amy Farrokh
Post Doctoral Fellow/ Child and Family Specialist
Dr. Amy Farrokh completed her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Wheaton College with a focus on children, adolescents and families. As a psychologist, Dr. Farrokh believes strongly in the value of the therapeutic relationship and pays particular attention to making you feel heard and safe. Dr. Farrokh strives to be a warm and genuine presence with you on your journey of navigating difficult experiences and the feelings that may accompany those experiences. At times, the past ways we have learned to manage our problems and feelings may no longer be effective in moving us toward our goals. Dr. Farrokh views it as a great honor to be able to join children, families, and adults in their journey toward making sense of their story and moving toward their life worth living goals.
Dr. Farrokh uses a client-centered lens while integrating specific evidence-based therapies. She is trained in ACT, DBT and play therapy models including ARC. She attended the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Foundational Training through Behavior Tech. Her training has primarily focused on partnering with children and families with trauma histories. Dr. Farrokh has also completed the Level 1 Gottman Method Couples Therapy training and the TF-CBT 2.0 training.
Dr. Madeline Locke (Telehealth Only)
Dr. Madeline Locke received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on child and adolescent psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her clinical internship was at the Institute for Child and Family Health, where she received specialized training to work with children, adolescents, adults and families with complex emotional and behavioral difficulties, including a focus on traumatic experiences, interpersonal difficulties, and emotional dysregulation. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Youth Opportunity Center, where she specialized in complex trauma, juvenile delinquency, as well as sexual exploitation and trafficking.
Dr. Locke has a passion for working with children, adolescents, and adults with a variety of emotional and behavioral difficulties, as well as histories of trauma and personality disorders. In particular, she specializes in children and adolescent who present with significant emotional and behavioral difficulties. She creates a nurturing and empathetic environment that provides a space of security and understanding for her clients. By working collaboratively and directly with her clients, she guides them in building a unique skill set to help improve their level of functioning. She has seen clients who have experienced aversive, traumatic, and challenging experiences from multiple backgrounds and settings across the country. She utilizes various approaches, adapting the most effective forms of treatment for the individual client’s needs. She believes that each client requires a therapeutic approach that is unique to his or her needs and provides them with the most effective form of care and support.
Her primary modality of treatment includes interpersonal and relationship based interventions from a psychodynamic perspective, while also integrating structured cognitive behavioral skills. Additional trainings comprise of psychological evaluations, including Developmental Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disorders, emotional and behavioral difficulties, as well as forensic assessments. She has additional therapeutic training and experience in providing Child Parent Psychotherapy for younger children, play therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Dr. Alina Yurkovsky
Hypnotherapy specialist, child and adolescent general practitioner, DBT Trainee
Dr. Alina Yurkovsky is licensed in clinical psychology in both Florida and New York. She began her training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at Bellevue Hospital in New York City beginning in 2003 and pursued more intensive training through the Behavioral Tech Institute from 2019 through 2021. Dr. Yurkovsky is currently completing her DBT foundational clinical training requirement at DBT Center of South Florida and SoFla DBT Consortium under the direct supervision of Dr. Kelsey Sanner and Dr. Lydia Kalsner.
Dr. Yurkovsky has an M.A. in Special Education/Learning Disabilities from American University and a Psy.D from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology (Yeshiva University) in School-Child Clinical Psychology. Dr. Yurkovsky served as School Counselor in elite private schools in New York City (extern at Dalton School), New Jersey (The Dwight Englewood School and Montclair Kimberley Academy) and served as Director of Student Support at Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton. All the while, she pursued a variety of additional post-doctoral training programs and uses evidence-based approaches in her clinical work such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), DBT as well as Hypnotherapy.
Dr. Yurkovsky’s background in working with students with learning and attention disorders provided the foundation for understanding that everyone learns differently and everyone absorbs skills for emotional regulation differently. She uses creativity, humor and multi-sensory approaches in therapy, to suit whatever modality works best for her clients. Dr. Yurkovsky is deeply invested in helping children, teens and adults to develop the skills necessary for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and most importantly, intrapersonal effectiveness — the ability to have a better relationship internally, within the self, so that they ultimately learn how to approach life’s challenges from a place of security and confidence.
