LCSW-C, 4 years of experience
Hello! My name is Douglas Starliper and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) licensed to practice psychotherapy in both Maryland and Virginia! Before becoming a licensed therapist, I spent a career as a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division where I deployed four times. The struggles many Veterans are facing today are what galvanized my interest and desire to begin my 2nd career as a therapist. I utilized my GI bill to complete my undergraduate degree at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD and my graduate degree at University of Maryland Baltimore. I recently completed the supervised portion of my career and am currently fully licensed to practice independently as a LCSW-C.
Your first session will fully cater to what we clinicians refer to as the "therapeutic alliance" or "rapport", while completing the bio-psycho-social assessment process (BPS).
My greatest strengths come from my lived experiences. I have the ability to place myself in the shoes of many of my clients and am able to empathize more deeply with them, and their experiences.
I work extremely well with military and veterans as a therapist with a prior career as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division who experienced four combat deployments. Furthermore, I have extensive experience in substance use disorder (SUD), trauma, depression, anxiety, and personality disorders.
CBT is my overall approach in changing harmful thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
I don't often use DBT, but it has been helpful with clients I have seen for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and troubles with emotional regulation.
I began utilizing Motivational Interviewing (MI) during my graduate school internship and use it currently in my client-centered, strengths-based approaches to therapy.
I utilize numerous trauma-focused therapies with first responders and veterans and am specifically trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy--and general exposure therapy--is my primary modality for helping those who suffer from anxiety and panic disorders.