Helen Valenstein-Mah, PhD, LP

Dr. Helen Valenstein-Mah is a clinical psychologist who specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and trauma-focused treatments for adolescents and adults. Dr. Valenstein-Mah co-leads the DBT Program in the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic, through which she provides training and supervision for psychiatry residents, psychology interns, and psychology practicum students.

Dr. Valenstein-Mah’s research interests include treatment development for individuals with PTSD and co-occurring disorders (e.g., substance use disorders, borderline personality disorder). She is also broadly interested in dissemination and implementation science, particularly improving the delivery of evidence-based mental health treatment in large healthcare systems and community settings. As part of this effort, Dr. Valenstein-Mah is interested in evidence-based training and supervision methods for mental health providers.

• American Psychological Association
• Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 
• Minnesota Psychological Association

Valenstein-Mah, H., Kehle-Forbes, S., Nelson, D., Danan, E. R., Vogt, D., & Spoont, M. (2019). Gender differences in rates and predictors of individual psychotherapy initiation and completion among Veterans Health Administration users recently diagnosed with PTSD. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.

Valenstein-Mah, H., Simpson, T. L., Bowen, S., Enkema, M. C., Bird, E. R., Cho, H. I. & Larimer, M. E. (2019). Feasibility pilot of a brief mindfulness intervention for college students with posttraumatic stress symptoms and problem drinking. Mindfulness, 10, 1255-1268.

Valenstein-Mah, H., Hagedorn, H., Kay, C. L., Christopher, M. L., & Gordon, A. J. (2018). Underutilization of the current clinical capacity to provide buprenorphine treatment for Opioid Use Disorders within the Veterans Health Administration. Substance Abuse, 39, 286-288.

Niles, A., Valenstein-Mah, H., Bedard-Gilligan, M., & Kaysen, D. (2017). Effects of Trauma and PTSD on Self-Reported Physical Functioning in Sexual Minority Women. Health Psychology, 36, 947-954.

Wilks, C. R., Valenstein-Mah, H., Tran, H., King, A. M. M., Lungu, A., & Linehan, M. M. (2017). Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for families of individuals with behavioral disorders: Initial feasibility and outcomes. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 24, 288-295.

Harned, M. S., Gallop, R. J., & Valenstein-Mah, H. (2016). What changes when? The course of improvement during a stage-based treatment for suicidal and self-injuring women with borderline personality disorder and PTSD. Psychotherapy Research, 28, 761-775.

Valenstein-Mah, H., Larimer, M., Zoellner, L., & Kaysen, D. (2015). Blackout drinking predicts sexual revictimization in a college sample of binge-drinking women. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28, 484-488.