Get to Know Karen Yeh, Ed.M., PsyD

Karen Yeh, Ed.M., PsyD discovered TEAM-CBT back in January 2010 at a PESI course with Dr. David Burns and immediately sensed a great fit between her therapeutic leanings and David’s approach!

Let’s discover more about her experience…

TEAM-CBT Certified since…

I was in the first class of Level 3 since the inception of the certification program in 2013, Level 4 in 2014, and Level 5 in 2021.
 

How did you discover TEAM-CBT?

Back in January 2010 at a PESI course with Dr. David Burns and immediately sensed a great fit between my therapeutic leanings and David’s approach. I quickly got myself signed into a new Wednesday night class that was going to be led by Maor Katz, MD and Jacob Towery, MD at Stanford in February. That same year in August I also attended the 4-day TEAM Intensive in South San Francisco with David. I totally committed to TEAM by spring of 2010, utilizing the BMS/ETS with all my patients. After about a year and a half with Maor and Jacob, I transferred to Dr. Matt May’s class on Thursday nights due to my work schedule. I was so fortunate to have had an early opportunity to work with TEAM’s top tier practitioners and witness how the model evolved in real time.

What are your specialties / clients you love to work with?

Regarding my specialities, I’ve developed a holistic precursor to support the TEAM therapy that I offer my patients. At Feeling Good Whole Health, we include in our intake a process to assess the daily living practices of new clients. For example, all our therapists are certified in CBT-I to assess and work with sleep issues as appropriate. I address nutrition and mental health and physical activity with patients as these areas impact brain health and therapy potential. The biggest area of development has been working with Christian clients as I’ve been invested in uncovering the Biblical and gospel relevance in resistance and self-defeating beliefs. At FGWH, I have focused the last two years on deepening our work in resistance and furthering therapist skills prior to entering the Methods stage of the work. As a whole, we’ve witnessed our efforts in TEAM therapy become more effective, having a transformational impact on many individuals.

What is your favorite TEAM-CBT technique?

I don’t have a favorite TEAM technique, but I do appreciate the depth of the Five Secrets. I love the natural flow of the six skills as they make so much sense to me when I practice it and when I teach this foundational skill. The Disarm is the most sensational because it requires humility and commitment. There is literally a heart-shaking moment when the empathizer is willing to go to an almost sacred place, grab the horns and sacrifice pride and ego for the sake of the relationship. That moment is so powerful and in that humility, the true Disarm comes and the heart beats once again. For the empathizer and the receiver, there is a lovely release. It never loses its magic.

What are you reading or listening to?

I’m currently finishing up The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware and starting on A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. Tim Keller’s Walking with God through Pain and Suffering is next as we’re at the end of developing a grief curriculum for a church lay counseling program. Speaking of which, I’ve got a group of lay counselors who are amazing at the Five Secrets and addressing resistance. We put them through a 9-month training course and included an empathy module. The pre- and post-data has been exciting and positive.

Please share a fun fact about yourself.

I have been involved in Krav Maga and Escrima for over two years. First, I both love the challenge for my body and brain, and it’s great exposure work. Psychotherapy naturally suppresses aggression and even to some extent our primal impulses. The latter is programmed to save our lives. Therapy is about mind agility, not physical, but self-defense necessitates both. I am constantly a student of finding my balance and I have much to learn. The challenge is worth it though, plus there are numerous implications and applications of the techniques I learn in these martial arts for the TEAM therapy I practice. Work and play all the way!

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn. 

Karen Yeh, Ed.M., PsyD
 

Karen practices TEAM therapy, a framework for effective psychotherapy developed by Dr. David Burns. If you're interested in learning more, please reach out to Karen Yeh, Ed.M., PsyD to book a free consultation. 

You can learn more about Feeling Good Institute here, or here to find an Effective Therapist.