Brian Hanson, Ph.D., has extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy and applied that training while working with children, adolescents, and adults in outpatient settings. Dr. Hanson earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Joseph’s University and completed his Master’s Degree and Doctorate in clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University.
Prior to working at DBT Psychological Services of Long Island, Dr. Hanson completed psychology externships at several different facilities, including Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center and the Yale Child Study Center. While at Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center, Dr. Hanson co-led therapy groups that focused on providing social and coping skills to adolescents and adults who were experiencing a range of psychological difficulties including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, and substance abuse disorders. At the Yale Child Study Center, Dr. Hanson provided psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessments for children and adolescents presenting with neurodevelopmental, learning, emotional, and behavioral disorders. He also provided skills training for children and adolescents who were experiencing difficulties with executive functioning and guided adult caregivers in the application of interventions at home and in the learning environment.
More recently, Dr. Hanson provided evidenced-based treatments at Suffolk DBT Psychological Services to children, adolescents, and adults under the direct supervision of Dr. Kim Lehnert. Prior to becoming a clinician there, Dr. Hanson was required to attend several inclusive trainings that focused on dialectical behavior therapy including the DBT foundational training, DBT with adolescents, and DBT for PTSD. He has since delivered comprehensive DBT to children, adolescents, and adults suffering from anxiety, depression, emotion dysregulation, trauma, personality disorders, eating disorders, ADHD, OCD, and interpersonal conflict. Many of these individuals experienced severe hopelessness, were suicidal, and engaged in self-harm behaviors, thus requiring extensive skills coaching. While providing pre-teen and teen counseling, Dr. Hanson has also worked with parents to help their children manage challenging life circumstances that may be difficult to address. Some of the specific issues he has experience which includes those related to bullying, adoption, gender identity or sexual orientation, learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder. While at Suffolk DBT, Dr. Hanson also served as the co-leader during the weekly DBT skills groups for adolescents, college-age youth, and adults.
Dr. Hanson is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) including Division 53: Society for Child and Adolescent Psychology, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), and the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA). His research interests involve understanding the complex interplay between adoption, family environment, and emotion dysregulation.
