Allison Burnett Ventura PhD

Allison Ventura, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and the director of the child and adolescent psychology and counseling services for the department of psychiatry at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville. Dr. Ventura is a child and adolescent psychologist who specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, and is the only certified clinician in Northeast Florida to hold the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification; she is also one of only eight providers in the state to have received this national certification status. She leads the DBT program at UF Health Psychiatry – San Jose, a program that treats patients with complex dysregulation, which often results in self-harm and suicidal behaviors.

Dr. Ventura graduated from Fordham University with her doctorate in counseling psychology and received her master’s degree and additional specialist’s degrees from the University of Florida. Dr. Ventura’s grant and research interests are in understanding the feasibility and implementation of mindfulness-based interventions within the elementary school setting. The specialized mind-body focus has been on mindfulness coaching with teachers who work with students classified with an emotional behavioral disorder or EBD. Her future grants and research will focus on heart rate variability biofeedback training with EBD students. Dr. Ventura currently serves as the board representative and treasurer for the Northeast chapter of the Florida Psychological Association. Her previous chapter roles were president for two years, membership chair for two years, and member for the past seven years.