Lavina Jo Miller (she/her), LLP

Ages Seen: 13+

Treatment Focus: Suicidal/Parasuicidal Behaviors, Borderline Personality Disorder, Severe Emotion Dysregulation Disorders, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, ADHD

Are you struggling with having the kind of life it seems others have and no matter what you’ve tried, you can only wish to have? Are certain emotions, thoughts, or behaviors getting in the way of your happiness? All behavior serves a function. Often that function is to help cope with uncomfortable emotions. Sometimes those behaviors are helpful and sometimes those behaviors, while helpful in the moment, only cause us more problems.

Hi! I’m Jo. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Madonna University, a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University, and I have extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I am licensed as a Masters Limited Psychologist in the State of Michigan with over 30 years experience providing individual, couples and family therapy to children, adolescents, and adults. My first approach to approach to working with clients is to establish and maintain a safe and empowering connection, one in which clients feel heard, seen, and understood without judgment. Next, we work collaboratively to identify those feelings (e.g., depression, anxiety, low self-worth, self-doubt) and behaviors (e.g., suicidal or self-injurious behaviors, substance use, anger outbursts, school refusal) that are getting in the way of people having the kind of life they want to have while teaching skills in the areas of mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. When clients learn skills to effectively get their needs met and improve the quality of their relationships, the maladaptive behaviors are no longer needed and that’s where change happens and clients can develop their most meaningful life!