Ethan Sapienza (ACSW/LMSW) is a part of BPS’s team in California as an ACSW, while also seeing clients virtually in New York and New Jersey as an LMSW. Ethan values a validating, compassionate approach to therapeutic work, prioritizing the relationship between therapist and client. He is a part of the DBT team at BPS, offering consultation during weekly team meetings, co-leading DBT groups, and working with adults and adolescents on improving emotion regulation, increasing impulse control, and developing effective and productive coping mechanisms. He greatly enjoys the work of DBT, utilizing the balance of acceptance and change to help clients achieve their goals. Ethan also specializes in working with clients with trauma histories, utilizing treatments such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and DBT-PTSD for Complex PTSD. Additionally, he has experience working with those struggling with anxiety and depression, as well clients who are struggling with OCD, as he is trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (Ex/RP).

Ethan completed his Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University, where he was selected to be a part of the DBT Intensive Training Program and Lab, under the supervision of Dr. André Ivanoff. While at Columbia, Ethan completed Behavioral Tech’s Intensive Training in DBT with Randy Wolbert and Gwen Abney-Cunningham. Prior to joining BPS, Ethan gained experience providing DBT at comprehensive practices in Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

In addition, Ethan has also completed trainings on suicide risk assessment, the fundamentals of Motivational Interviewing, utilizing DBT for eating disorders, and how to use functional analyses with individuals and families. Ethan also serves as BPS’s Outreach Coordinator, connecting with other practices and providers in California to better establish referral networks for clients in need of alternative forms of care.

Prior to practicing DBT, Ethan worked as an in-school counselor to high schoolers, taught kindergarteners and first graders evidence based social and emotional learning curricula, and co-lead a middle school boys mentorship group. He also assisted on a research program at NYU that studied the efficacy of an advocacy-based alternative to incarceration for girls in New York City.

In his free time, Ethan enjoys frequenting his local movie theater with his partner and defending his home state of New Jersey (which does have the best bagels and pizza).