Angela Van Berkel, PsyD

Practice Philosophy:

Dr. Van Berkel is a licensed clinical psychologist who works with adults struggling with a wide range of mental health concerns. She pivoted to a career in mental health after working in emergency management where she worked with survivors of disasters around the world. Her approach to treatment is informed by these experiences, which helps her relate to people across cultures and occupations.

Easy to connect with, Dr. Van Berkel creates a friendly, safe environment for clients, using culturally sensitive, evidence-based treatments that foster collaboration and trust. With humor and compassion, she encourages clients to accept themselves as they are while helping them to identify what is getting in the way of constructing the life they want to live. She individualizes treatment to each client’s unique needs, values, goals, and personality. She also helps clients improve their self-efficacy, develop healthier relationships, and practice skills to regulate their emotions and tolerate uncertainty. Clients learn new ways to think about their past, present, and future while processing painful experiences that have interfered with their current functioning.

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Van Berkel specializes in treating adults with complex psychiatric and comorbid conditions such as trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mood disorders, suicidal thoughts, phobias, and anxiety and depression. These issues often present as struggles with work concerns, relationship conflicts, career and life transitions, substance use, and cross-cultural adjustment. Dr. Van Berkel has been intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and is the lead facilitator of the Adult DBT Comprehensive Program. She has also completed advanced training in trauma interventions such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). She frequently utilizes Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approaches in treatment. Dr. Van Berkel also provides ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder psychological assessments for teens and adults.

Experience and Training:

Dr. Van Berkel earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Eastern Kentucky University, where she focused her research on the cross-cultural efficacy of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and trauma interventions. She completed her clinical internship at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry, in New Orleans. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute, treating culturally diverse adults experiencing a wide variety of clinical concerns. She has experience treating veterans, physicians, first responders, and those in the aviation community. Dr. Van Berkel has provided inpatient and outpatient services in community hospitals, university clinics, academic medicine, and private practice. She has a particular interest in the integration of mental health care within medical treatment. She has been appointed by the American Psychological Association (APA) to the position of Federal Advocacy Coordinator, where she is an integral part of the team responsible for APA’s public policy, lobbying, and advocacy. In this role, she also helps to educate Congress about issues that impact mental health.