News

We’re proud to share that Britt Rathbone’s article, “I’ve Got Nothing to Talk About,” has been awarded the 2025 Best Story Award by Psychotherapy Networker. The piece has now been reprinted and is featured again on the magazine’s website.

Read the award-winning article:
https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/ive-got-nothing-to-talk-about/

This recognition reflects Britt’s ongoing commitment to making high-quality, evidence-based mental health care accessible and understandable. The article explores the therapeutic process with honesty, clarity, and compassion, qualities that resonated strongly with readers and voters.

We extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the piece and took the time to vote. Your enthusiasm helped bring this honor to Britt and to Capital Youth Services.

We’re Proud to Be a Carbon Neutral Organization

At Capital Youth Services, we believe that caring for our clients includes caring for the planet we all share. That’s why we’ve taken deliberate steps to reduce our environmental impact and are proud to announce that we are now a carbon neutral organization.

From our energy-efficient office practices to offsetting our annual carbon footprint, we are committed to sustainability. We support both local and global efforts to protect the environment by donating to organizations doing meaningful, measurable work:

• Earthjustice: A nonprofit environmental law organization working to protect the planet and the rights of all people to a healthy environment.
• Anacostia Watershed Society: A local nonprofit working to restore and protect the Anacostia River and engage the DC-area community in environmental stewardship.

These contributions offset the impact of the energy we use to heat, cool, and power our offices and ensure that we are doing our part to protect our environment, both at home and around the world.

We take our environmental responsibility seriously. Supporting mental health should not come at the expense of the earth. Our commitment to sustainability and accountability is just one more way we work to build a better future for the youth and families we serve.

Capital Youth Services Recognized as Great Place to Work by Washingtonian Magazine

Capital Youth Services/Rathbone & Associates has been named a Great Place to Work by Washingtonian magazine. This recognition is a testament to the culture we’ve built and the values we live by every day.

Here’s why we stand out, in our employees’ own words:

“Wonderful team of the smartest therapists who inspire me to be my best self. The support, comradery, and intellect of everyone here is unparalleled to anywhere I have worked before.”

“Management prioritizes, supporting staff in all areas of need, including providing additional professional resources, adequate compensation, case collaboration, and general advocacy for the clinician. I have not experienced this anywhere else.”

“The culture is consistently based on providing the best client care involving well researched and documented services by utilizing fair practices.”

“We have a responsive manager, who prioritizes both the success of the employees and the success of our clients. He is available, has great suggestions, and verbalizes his appreciation for staff. I also love my supportive, kind and talented colleagues!”

“I’m proud to be part of a highly trained, and experienced group of psychotherapists.”

“The teamwork is awesome and the support we provide each other is unmatched.”

“Training opportunities far exceed anything else that is offered around the area.”

At our core, we are driven by a commitment to excellence, continuous training, client care, and self-care. These aren’t just words — they’re values that shape how we work, how we support one another, and how we serve our clients.

This award reflects the dedication of our entire team and the trust placed in us by our clients and professional colleagues. Our view is that excellence is not only a goal; it’s a habit — one that demands relentless focus, investment in clinician and client growth, and genuine care for the people we work with and the clients and colleagues we serve.

We’re honored by this recognition and thank all our past and current employees and clients who have been part of the journey.

DBT Program awarded highly sought DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Program™

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive multidiagnostic treatment that is effective with adolescents who have difficulty regulating their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. The treatment creator, Marsha Linehan, has participated in and approved the exceptionally high standards for assessing clinician competence in delivering this treatment and certifying providers.

Not all DBT certifications are the same. Some require minimal training and/or self-report, with no peer review or demonstration of competency. There is no doubt in the field that the gold standard is the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification. In order to become certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, clinicians must

• Have achieved the required level of professional education and state licensure
• Obtain a minimum of 40 hours of direct, didactic training in DBT
• Have a track record of successful Stage 1 DBT treatment with real clients
• Participate on a DBT consultation team for over one year
• Have read relevant texts and manuals
• Personally complete all the homework assignments required of clients in DBT
• Have taught all the skills in DBT to clients in a skills training group
• Establish and maintain a personal mindfulness practice
• Pass a written examination
• Be recommended by a colleague
• Submit a written case conceptualization on an actual client to demonstrate ability to apply DBT principles and theory to clinical work
• Demonstrate successful clinical work with actual clients through submission of videotaped therapy sessions that are coded for adherence and treatment fidelity

The DBT program at Capital Youth Services has been awarded DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Program™ status. The program has the largest number of Certified DBT Linehan Board of Certification individual DBT therapists of any program in the mid-Atlantic, and we are the only certified DBT program that works with adolescents within a 200-mile radius. In order to achieve this certification DBT programs must submit to rigorous review of their policies and clinical work, observation of groups, interviews with clients and a site visit by DBT experts. The DBT team at Capital Youth Services is proud to meet the high standards set by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification for program certification.

Certified Clinicians:

Britt Rathbone has been practicing DBT since 2002, has written professional and parent books on the topic, and was among the inaugural and select group of clinicians to pass these rigorous standards and be recognized as a Certified DBT Clinician. Mr. Rathbone was the first therapist to achieve Certified DBT Clinician status in the metropolitan DC area.  He teaches and trains therapists on delivering DBT with adherence.

Jeannette Bjorklund  has been on the DBT treatment team at Capital Youth Services since 2014. She is skilled at delivering all modalities of DBT and has a special interest in working with young adults.

Samantha Ascanio has been on the DBT treatment team at Capital Youth Services since 2019 and is the DBT Program Director, supervising and training the clinical team. She is an expert skills group leader and is skilled at providing all elements of DBT. She works with middle schoolers, high schoolers and young adults.

The only DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified DBT Clinicians in the metropolitan Maryland, DC, and Virginia who specialize in adolescence are at Capital Youth Services. The DBT program prides itself on outstanding outcomes, experienced and professional clinicians, ongoing training, professional consultation with national experts, and commitment to excellence.

Why Certification Matters

• DBT is a treatment that saves lives.  DBT-LBC grants Certification to Clinicians that have gone through a rigorous assessment process of their qualifications, knowledge and capability to deliver DBT.
• As developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., DBT has been recognized as an evidenced-based practice.
• DBT-LBC Certification is the only DBT Certification credential recognized by Dr. Linehan.
• DBT-LBC provides easy on-line access to listings of DBT-LBC Board Certified Clinicians and Programs to clients in great need.
• Board Certification in DBT, like in all healthcare professions, shows a clinician’s willingness to be reviewed by experts and held to high professional standards.
• Consumers, insurance companies and state regulatory agencies have been asking Dr. Linehan for a means of identifying DBT therapists.  Certification by DBT-LBC was created to answer those requests.