Kari Barker, LMFT is a DBT-Linehan Board Certification, Certified Clinician™. She is the founder and Director of the DBT Center of the South Bay. Kari is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist who has been working with adults, adolescences, couples, families, and groups for more than 19 years.
Her experience includes working on a specialty program in an in-patient hospital setting, in a school-based setting, a non-profit outpatient community counseling center, and in private practice. Kari is an intensively trained DBT therapist, has had advanced intensive DBT training along with advanced DBT training in treating trauma with Prolonged Exposure therapy by Melanie Harned, PhD, DBT PE Treatment Developer. She has also completed training for the DBT-ACES program with the creator of DBT-ACES, Kate Comtois, Ph.D., MPH. Kari has participated in a 5-day silent mindfulness retreat with Zen Master (Roshi), Marsha Linehan and continues to maintain a daily Mindfulness practice. Kari also has experience and extensive training in working with trauma survivors and dissociation. In addition to providing individual therapy, family therapy, and DBT skills training, Kari offers training, supervision, and consultation to mental health professionals. She has been an invited presenter at local professional organizations, local colleges, and was on a panel of speakers for the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists Annual Conference to discuss her experiences with DBT-LA Network, a consortium of DBT private practitioners, in “DBT in Private Practice: Lessons Learned.” Kari is passionate about DBT and her clients. She approaches treatment with a focus on validating the client’s strengths and helping them to fulfill their potential and to create a life worth living.
