Dr. Jesus A. Salas, Psy.D. ABPP ACT
Board Certified Psychologist
Director of Center for Integrative Psychotherapy, PC.
Philosophy of Care
We all go through difficult experiences in life. For many people, the anxiety and/or depression triggered by those adversities become overwhelming and difficult to cope with. Sometimes, however, the distress seems to come on for no apparent reason, which makes it even more difficult for patients to understand why they are feeling that way and what they can do manage it effectively. The therapeutic approach I use, called Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT), has proven to be very effective to help in most of those cases. CBT is a structured and goal-oriented treatment approach that focuses on problem-solving, skill-building and monitoring progress. The general goal is to challenge patterns of unhelpful thinking and behavioral habits that maintain anxiety and depressive disorders, and substitute them for more useful and realistic ones. I seek to offer the best empirically based cognitive-behavioral treatment available, adjusted to the unique circumstances of each patient. For me, to practice psychotherapy represents the privilege of helping people go through the learning process of transforming their adversities, psychological problems and distress into opportunities to feel better, increase their resilience and improve the quality of their lives.
Education
- BS - Psychology, 1977 Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas, Venezuela
- MA - Social Psychology, 1986 Carleton University Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Psy.D. - Clinical Psychology, 2002 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Philadelphia, PA
Training
- Pre-doctoral Psychology Intern, 1999 Center for Brief Therapy Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Philadelphia, PA
- Post-doctoral Psychology Resident 2000-02 Clinical Psychology Center for Integrative Psychotherapy Allentown, PA
Additional Specialized Training
- Cognitive Therapy and Supervision in Cognitive Therapy at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Philadelphia.
- Exposure and Response Prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder at the Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
- Prolonged Exposure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at the Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Competency-Based Certifications
- Diplomate, American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) - Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology
- Diplomate, Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT) - Cognitive Therapist
- Diplomate, Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT) - Consultant and Trainer in Cognitive Therapy
Psychology Licenses
PA Board of Psychology, License # PS 015605
Specialties
Individual and group therapy for anxiety and stress related disorders and depressive disorders in adolescents, adults and seniors.
Languages
English, Spanish
Books by Dr. Jesus Salas Psy. D. ABPP ACT
Inteligencia Social (1986). Caracas, Venezuela: Editorial Planeta
Panic Disorder. Assessment and Treatment Through a Wide-Angle Lens (with F.M. Dattilio) (2000). Phoenix, Arizona: Zeig, Tucker & Co.
Recently Conducted Workshops
- Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, Suicidal Behavior, and Anxiety Disorders. A 2-day workshop representing the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, at San Jose, Costa Rica, April 21-22, 2018
- Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, Suicidal Behavior, and Anxiety Disorders. A 6-day workshop representing the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, at Quito, Ecuador, April 17-22, 2017
- Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, Suicidal Behavior, And Anxiety Disorders (Representing the Beck Institute), Mental Health Research Group in Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October, 2016
- Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, XVI Latin American Congress of Behavior Modification (CLAMOC), Panama City, Panama, July 2016
- Fundamentals of CBT for Depression, Suicidal Behavior and Anxiety Disorders (Representing the Beck Institute), Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, March, 2016
- Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Mood Disorders, Instituto Panameño de Terapia Cognitiva Conductual, Panama City, Panama, July 2015
- Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Anxiety Disorders (Representing the Beck Institute), Instituto Mexicano de Terapia Cognitiva Conductual, Mexico City, Mexico, 2015
Current Additional Professional Work
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
- Clinical Supervisor and Adjunct Faculty Instructor, Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Bala Cynwyd, PA
- Credentialing committee, Academy of Cognitive Therapy, Philadelphia, PA
Recent Presentations in International and National Meetings
Optimizing the Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Anxiety Disorders at the XVI Latin American Congress of Behavior Modification (CLAMOC), Panama City, Panama, July 2016
Future Workshops
Coming Soon...
Dr. Robin L. Carosella, Psy.D.
Assistant Director of Center for Integrative Psychotherapy, PC.
Dr. Robin L. Carosella is a licensed psychologist, specializing in the area of clinical health psychology, mood and anxiety disorders, and couples therapy. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a Post Doctoral Residency at the Center for Brief Therapy on the Campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, specializing in clinical health psychology and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Dr. Carosella also holds a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Chestnut Hill College and a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has extensive training and experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that has included services delivered in a hospital, rehabilitation centers, and various outpatient settings. Dr. Carosella offers consultation and treatment across the lifespan and has experience working with both young people and adults of all ages.
Dr. Carosella completed her pre‐doctoral internship at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. During her time at the VA Medical Center, Dr. Carosella demonstrated her clinical proficiencies as a member of several diverse treatment teams. As a member of the Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder team, Dr. Carosella became proficient in empirically validated prolonged exposure treatment for PTSD. As a member of the Primary Care Integration team, Dr. Carosella was assimilated into the primary care clinic and provided exam room consults with physicians. On site, she conducted brief treatments for pain management and facilitated stress management groups. Dr. Carosella was also trained in Integrated Behavioral Couples Therapy with experience in couples and family treatments.
Dr. Carosella believes that providing integrated health care services and collaborating with the medical community provides the best possible care for all individuals. Mental health and physical health are not separate, unique entities. As an ardent advocate of integrating health care, Dr. Carosella has a passion for assimilating the biological, psychological and social aspects of each individual to develop a comprehensive conceptualization of presenting difficulties. She believes in the mind‐body connection, hence her passion for the specialty of clinical health psychology. In addition to the above experiences with integrated care, pain treatments and working within the brief medical model, Dr. Carosella has had experience conducting bariatric evaluations, pain management surgical evaluations, memory disorders evaluations, and hospital bedside evaluations.
In addition to her work at Center for Integrated Psychotherapy, Dr. Carosella is an adjunct professor at Cedar Crest College in Allentown.
Dr. Einat DeLong, Psy.D.
Dr. DeLong is a licensed psychologist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York, and a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Neuropsychology from Touro College. Dr. DeLong also holds a Master of Science and Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Philadelphia, PA. She has also completed the Certificate Series in Cognitive Behavior Therapy at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).
Dr. DeLong has specialized training in providing empirically supported treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and motivational interviewing. She has provided psychotherapeutic services at different levels of care among the mental health continuum. Dr. DeLong has worked in inpatient hospital, residential treatment facility, and outpatient facility. She has also worked with many diverse clinical populations including: children, adolescents, post-adolescents and adults. Dr. DeLong’s specialty areas include: Anxiety based disorders, Mood Disorders, Adjustment Disorders, Transition to college, stress management, Traumatic Brain Injuries, sports concussions, and grief.
Dr. DeLong is committed to providing evidenced based treatment in a collaborative and integrative manner to help clients meet their goals.
Dr. Karen Gentis, Psy. D.
Dr. Karen Gentis is a licensed psychologist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gentis earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). In addition she earned a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine as well as a Master’s degree in Family Therapy from Drexel University. She attended Pennsylvania State University, University Park, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies.
Dr. Gentis' practicum experience included interning as a Marriage and Family Therapist at Northeast Treatment Center in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, where she provided in-home family therapy. Other practicum clinical experience include working as a Marriage and Family Therapy intern at Hahnemann Hospital in the Radiation Oncology Unit, where she ran support groups for cancer patients, and cancer survivors, as well as providing individual therapy and family therapy. Dr. Gentis also completed a practicum experience at PCOM’s Center for Brief Therapy where she provided individual and couple therapy as well as provided behavioral health consultation at a medical clinic at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. In this role, she worked with individuals adjusting to the diagnosis of a chronic disease and/or depression, and anxiety. Dr. Gentis also completed a practicum at the Center for Integrated Behavioral Health where she provided individual therapy.
Dr. Gentis completed her pre-doctoral internship at the APA accredited Center for Brief Therapy, which provides comprehensive outpatient services such as assessment, therapy, and consultation to the Philadelphia area. In this role she received intensive training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for outpatient populations, as well as brief models for patients presenting in a primary care setting. She completed her post-doctoral residency at the Center for Integrative Psychotherapy under the supervision of Dr. Jesus Salas and Dr. Robin Carosella.
Dr. Gentis is committed to providing evidence based treatment and has experience working with adult patients presenting for treatment of anxiety and mood disorders, relationship concerns, adjustment disorders, and individuals adjusting to the diagnosis of a chronic illness.
Dr. Allison Blechschmidt, Psy. D.
Dr. Blechschmidt is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania. She specializes in assessment of students struggling to meet educational, social, or behavioral expectations, as well as adults facing occupational and emotional difficulties. She also provides psychotherapy for children, adolescents and adults with oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD, school refusal, separation anxiety disorder, anxiety disorder due to a medical condition, illness anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and adjustment disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, somatic symptom disorder with pain, bariatric evaluations, parent-child relationship problems, families and couples problems, separation and divorce related issues.
Dr. Blechschmidt earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Widener University with concentrations in school psychology and neuropsychological assessment. She completed an APA accredited internship at Widener’s Neuropsychology Assessment Center. In addition she has experience treating adolescents in a partial hospitalization program, children and adults in a psychiatric inpatient hospital, young adults at a college counseling center, and assessing elementary school students as a school psychology intern. During her postdoctoral residency she worked at a private practice providing psychotherapy and performing neuropsychological assessments for a wide array of referral questions including learning disabilities, ADHD, concussions, fitness for duty, differential diagnosis for complex cases, and memory problems. She also earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Chestnut Hill College, a master’s in business administration from Lehigh University, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College.
John C. Carnahan, MS, LMFT, LPC
John Carnahan has worked over 17-years as a psychotherapeutic therapist to couples, families and individual adults, adolescents and children. After graduating in 1999 from Chestnut Hill College with a M.S. in Counseling Psychology, John worked for seven years in the Adolescent and Families Together program at Valley Youth House. During that time, John provided individual and family counseling to child victims of sexual abuse and neglect. In 2006, John obtained a post-graduate certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy through the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. In 2006, John opened his solo practice in Emmaus while also contributing his time with KidsPeace and Cooper Psychological Associates. Since 2010, John has been practicing with the Center for Integrative Psychotherapy as a full time counselor. Although he treats individuals with a variety of mental health challenges, John has dedicated his professional energies toward working with couples. He has received extensive training in Emotion Focused Couples Therapy and uses EFT/Couples as his primary treatment approach.
John obtained his PA Family and Marital Therapist license in 2004 and his PA Licensed Professional Counselor license in 2007. John is a National Certified Counselor and is a current member of the Lehigh Valley Psychological and Counseling Association.
Alicia Coffman, MS, LPC, NCC
Alicia Coffman is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania, and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She uses evidence-based treatments including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and motivational interviewing. She received her MS in Clinical-Counseling Psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Counselor Coffman completed her graduate practicum at Transitions Acute Partial Program, collaborating with licensed Psychologists and LCSW’s to administer assessments to children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. She completed her undergraduate internship at Alternatives Adult Partial, providing individual and group counseling to adults with emotional disturbances. Upon completion of her graduate degree, she worked at the KidsPeace Children’s Hospital (inpatient) providing direct clinical services to children and adolescents.
Counselor Coffman facilitated group, individual and family therapy; she has worked in inpatient, outpatient and community based programs. She has also worked with many diverse clinical populations. She has received extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Her specialty areas include anxiety based disorders, mood disorders, family dynamics, and trauma.
Cheryl Hilbert-Gonzalez MA, LPC, CBIS
Cheryl Hilbert-Gonzalez is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Pennsylvania. Ms. Hilbert-Gonzalez graduated Magna cum laude with a Master of Arts degree from Moravian Theological Seminary where she studied Clinical and Pastoral Counseling. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from DeSales University.
Ms .Hilbert-Gonzalez has received specialized training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy and specialized training in Mindfulness. Ms. Hilbert-Gonzalez has received training in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and holds a certification as a Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS).
Ms. Hilbert-Gonzalez’s clinical experience has included work with adults, youth and families, and couples. Clinical areas of focus include Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Grief and Loss, Adjustment Disorders, and recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury. Ms. Hilbert-Gonzalez works successfully with couples to heal from challenging relational issues to improve communication and develop a stronger partnership. Ms. Hilbert-Gonzalez works closely with families who have suffered relational struggles and emotional disconnection within the family system.
Ms. Hilbert-Gonzalez is a member of the Lehigh Valley Psychological and Counseling Association.
Andrea Krutsick, MEd. LPC
Andrea Krutsick is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. Ms. Krutsick completed her undergraduate curriculum at Temple University and has been involved in community-based programs for the past 10 years. She received her M.Ed. in Elementary School Counseling with Licensure at Kutztown University. Throughout this time, she worked in the community as part of an intensive community treatment team with adults with chronic and serious mental health issues, as well as completing her practicum in an elementary school setting in order to encompass some experience with the life span.
Ms. Krutsick has experience working with children as well with more serious emotional needs at KidsPeace Children’s Hospital where she provided individual and family therapy, as well as participated as part of the clinical team for the past several years since completion of her graduate degree. Ms. Krutsick has experience in a variety of community settings including: outpatient, in-home, school, and inpatient settings. Her specialty areas include: mood disorders, anxiety and panic disorders, family dynamics, as well as school and peer issues.
LAUREN E. CLAUDIO, MS, LPC
Lauren Claudio is a Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselor. Lauren completed her undergraduate degree at West Chester University and began her career as a therapist in the Lehigh Valley. She received her Master of Science from Chestnut Hill College, completing her practicum at Lehigh Valley Hospital; where she offered bereavement therapy to the families of patients in Palliative Care.
Lauren has experience counseling children, adolescents, adults, couples, families and veterans in several settings including outpatient private practice, in home family counseling, and office individual and family therapy. In addition,
Lauren is versed in clinical supervision in a substance abuse inpatient facility and offering counseling and assessment in correctional institutions. She has experience treating individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, substance abuse or grief. She is an affiliate with the Lehigh Valley Psychological and Counseling Association.
Lauren is certified in Veterans Psychological First Aid.
Brittany Quimby, M.S.Ed.
Doctoral Level Practicum Student
Brittany is from Rochester, Minnesota and moved to the Philadelphia area to pursue a career as a Clinical Psychologist. She completed her Masters of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) in Counseling and Mental Health Services at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, and is currently working towards her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).
Here at CIP, Brittany works as a practicum student conducting individual therapy, psychodiagnostic testing, and skills group workshops."
