Integrating DBT with the 12-Step Philosophy

Bari Platter (she/her) has worked as a Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist for over 37 years. She retired from UCHealth in June of 2022, most recently developing and running the Professional Intensive Outpatient Program at CeDAR (the Center for Dependency, Addiction, and Rehabilitation). Ms. Platter was one of the founding staff of CeDAR, participating in the planning of the buildings, developing the curriculum, and orienting and training new employees.  In addition to providing and coordinating addiction treatment for professionals, Ms. Platter facilitated several process groups and psycho-educational groups. Ms.Platter co-wrote a curriculum, published by Hazelden, “Integrating Dialectical Behavior Therapy with the Twelve Steps.” Her specialty areas in therapy, both for individual and groups, include: Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Ms. Platter is a local, national, and international speaker in the areas of addiction, interpersonal communication, working with nurses in recovery, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and the 12-Steps, cultural competency, and mindfulness practice. She holds a Clinical Associate appointment at the University of Colorado College of Nursing and at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado College of Medicine. In 2016, Ms. Platter was awarded the Florence Nightingale Award for Innovations in Non-Traditional Practice, and in 2018, Ms. Platter was inducted by the International Society for Nurses in Addiction as a Fellow of the  International Academy of Addictions Nurses. 

Osvaldo “Ozzie” Cabral, MA, LPC, LAC (he/him), is the Director of Clinical Services at the Mile High Recovery Center in Denver Colorado, bringing over two decades of experience in the fields of addiction and mental health since 2002. Ozzie was a key founding staff member of the Center for Dependency, Addiction, and Rehabilitation (CeDAR) at the University of Colorado Hospital, where he was instrumental in developing its curriculum, creating the policies and procedures, and training new clinical staff. His clinical expertise spans a range of therapeutic approaches including: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), trauma-focused therapies, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and aggression replacement training. He is particularly skilled in treating chronically mentally ill individuals and those with dual diagnoses.

Throughout his career, Ozzie has worked in various treatment settings, including residential and outpatient facilities, domestic violence programs, sex offender clinics, and community mental health centers. He co-authored a curriculum with Bari Platter published by Hazelden Publishing that explores the integration of DBT with 12-step philosophy. Ozzie is also a seasoned speaker at both local and national conferences and conducts workshops and lectures on various addiction and mental health topics. In addition to his clinical work, Ozzie founded Cuetlachtepetl Wolf Mountain Education Center in Bailey, Colorado that works with surrendered wolf and wolfdogs as well as educating the public about wolves and wolfdogs through a Native, indigenous perspective.