Denise Ben-Porath, PhD

Biography

Denise D. Ben-Porath, Ph.D., completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the Ohio State University.  She earned her masters and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from Kent State University and completed her internship at the Cleveland VA where she treated veterans suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) and PTSD using various treatment modalities, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).  In 1997 she began a two-year clinical post-doc at Community Support Services in Akron, Ohio where she developed the first DBT program for those diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and a severe mental illness.  In 2000, she was hired into a tenure track position in the Department of Psychology at John Carroll University. She teaches a wide array of courses in the psychology department, including Introduction to Psychology (PS101), Eating Disorders (PS381), Adult Psychopathology (PS457), and the Senior Mental Health Seminar titled, Madness in the Movies (PS477).  She is also the coordinator for the mental health services concentration.  Her research combines her interest in psychopathology and treatment outcomes.  Specifically, she is interested in eating disorders, borderline personality disorder and the mechanisms of action in DBT used to treat these disorders. Her most recent research endeavor investigated the biases in attention and memory for body shape images in women diagnosed with an eating disorder.  She maintains a small private practice in Cleveland, Ohio where she continues to treat individuals with eating disorders and BPD and train clinicians in the treatment of DBT.  Her experience of applying DBT to various treatment settings extends to university counseling centers, inpatient hospitals, partial hospitalization programs, residential treatment centers, correctional settings, and private practice settings. As a former B-tech Trainer, she has trained thousands of clinicians in DBT both national and internationally.

Research Interests

• Personality disorders
• Effectiveness of empirically supported treatments
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Etiology and treatment of borderline personality disorder

Clinical Experience

• Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program, Clinical Psychologist, Consultant, 8/2009-present
• Bellefaire Jewish and Family Services in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program, Clinical Psychologist, Consultant, 10/2003-present

Fellowships, Grant Awards and Honors

• Distinguished Faculty Award winner (2018)
• Mandel Foundation Grant (December 2012)
• Entrepreneurial Teaching Grant (December 2012)
• Summer Research Fellowship, (October 2012) Targeting premeal anxiety in ED clients
• Summer Teaching Fellowship, “Kinestic Learning in the Classroom” (February 2011)
• Recognized in Ohio Magazine for “Excellence in Education” (December, 2011)
• Grauel Research Fellowship, Foster Care and DBT (September-December 2011)
• Distinguished Faculty Award, Nominee (March 2011; March 2012)
• Summer Teaching Fellowship, Incorporating lab activities in PS101 (February 2009)
• Honoree Inductee into Upsilon Rho Chapter Order of Omega (November 2009)
• Summer Research Fellowship, “Dialectical behavior parenting”(Summer 2008)
• Grauel Research Fellowship, “Differential treatment response in DBT” (Jan-May 2007)
• Summer Teaching Fellowship, (February, 2007) “Clicker technology in the classroom”
• Summer Research Fellowship, John Carroll University (October 2002)
• Summer Research Fellowship, John Carroll University (October 2001)
• Summer Research Fellowship, John Carroll University (October 2000)

Professional Societies

• Cognitive and Behavioral Practice Journal, Associate Editor, 2014-present
• American Psychological Association, Member, 1997-present
• Ohio Psychological Association, Member, 2002-present
• Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Member, 2001-present

Selected Publications

• Ben-Porath, D. D., Duthu, F., Luo, T.c, Gonidakis, F., Compte, E.J. & Wisniewski, L.         (2020). Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: An Update and Review of the Existing Treatment Models Adapted for Adults with Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention.
• Ben-Porath, D.D., Bhatnager, K, & Sedall, S.  (2019). Physical Health-Related Counseling Issues: Eating Disorders, Elimination Disorders, and Chronic Illness/Disability Counseling. In Kress, V. E., Paylo, M., & Stargell, N. A. (2018). Counseling children    and adolescents. Columbus, Ohio: Pearson.
• Pona, A., Jones, A.C., Masterson, T.,  Ben-Porath, D.D. (2017). Biases in Attention and Memory for Body Shape Images in Eating Disorders. Eating and Weight Disorders. http://dx.doi.org.jcu.ohionet.org/10.1007/s40519-017-0472-z 
• Ben-Porath, D.D. & Bhatnager, K. (2015). Feeding and Eating Disorders.  In V. E. Kress and M. J. Paylo’s (Eds.), Treating those with mental disorders: A strength-based, comprehensive approach to case conceptualization and treatment (Chapter 11). Columbus, Ohio: Pearson.  
• Ben-Porath, D.D., Federici, A., Wisniewski, L., & Warren, M. (2014). Dialectical behavior therapy: Does it bring about improvements in affect regulation in individuals with eating disorders? Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 44, 245-251.
• Ben-Porath, D.D. (2014). Orienting clients to dialectical behavior therapy.  Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 22, 407-414. 
• Marek, R.J., Ben-Porath, D.D., Federici, A., & Wisniewski, L. (2013).  Targeting premeal anxiety in eating disordered clients and normal controls: A preliminary investigation into the use of mindful eating vs. distraction during food exposure.  International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46 (6), 582-585.
• Federici, A., Wisniewski, L., Ben-Porath, D.D. (2012).  Description of an Intensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Multidiagnostic Clients with Eating Disorders,   Journal of Counseling and Development, 90, 330-338.
• Ben-Porath, D.D. & Wisniewski, L. (2010). Outcomes of a Day Treatment Program for Eating Disorders using Clinical and Statistical Significance, Journal of Contemporary   Psychotherapy, 40, 115-123.
• Ben-Porath, D.D., Wisniewski, L., & Warren, M. (2009).  Differential Treatment Response for   Eating Disordered Patients with and without a Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder     Diagnosis Using a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Informed Approach.  Eating       Disorders, 17, 225-241.