Therapist bio
Dr. Gus Cutz
Psychologist
- Intensive DBT training
- Prolonged Exposure (PE) training for trauma
- DBT consultant to mental health agencies
- CBT for adult ADHD
- Outpatient, inpatient, ER, and crisis settings
Therapist bio
About Dr. Gus Cutz
Psychologist
Dr. Cutz is a psychologist with extensive training in evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies. His areas of clinical focus include adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mood and anxiety disorders, insomnia, personality disorders, and treatment of emotionally sensitive adults and adolescents.
A particular focus of Dr. Cutz’s work with adults with ADHD is helping them get the things that matter to them done—in ways that actually work for them. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), he helps clients address difficulties with organization, planning, time management, procrastination, task initiation, and follow-through. His approach emphasizes not only developing practical skills, but also identifying and overcoming the obstacles that prevent people from putting those skills into practice.
Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all strategies, he works collaboratively with clients to develop individualized approaches that fit their needs and circumstances. The goal is not simply to become more productive, but to reduce stress, increase feelings of freedom and control over one’s life, and address the shame, self-criticism, and negative self-image that so frequently accompany ADHD. Dr. Cutz has also taught a six-week training series to clinical trainees at Cognitive Behavioral Associates on the assessment and treatment of adult ADHD.
Dr. Cutz also specializes in working with emotionally sensitive adults and adolescents, helping them understand and navigate intense emotions, strengthen relationships, and thrive with their emotional sensitivity rather than treating that sensitivity as something to eliminate. His work includes helping individuals overcome the effects of chronic or traumatic invalidation, including difficulties with self-trust, shame, and emotional expression.
Dr. Cutz has received intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE), as well as formal training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). He provides both PE and CPT, two of the gold-standard, first-line treatments for PTSD. He also provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and has extensive experience treating individuals coping with bipolar disorder and severe depression.
His professional background includes outpatient, inpatient, day treatment, emergency room, and community crisis settings. He previously completed an externship and postdoctoral fellowship at Cognitive Behavioral Associates and has provided consultation to mental health agencies on implementing DBT.
Buddhist Studies and Teaching
A longtime student and teacher
Dr. Cutz has studied Buddhism for approximately 25 years and has taught Buddhist philosophy for more than a decade.
Research
Dr. Cutz’s research
Dr. Cutz’s doctoral research explored a deceptively simple question: What gives rise to happiness? His work examined fundamental differences between Tibetan Buddhist and Western psychological theories of happiness, particularly how their underlying assumptions shape the questions they ask and, consequently, their understanding of the causes of well-being.
Assumptions and Conclusions: Fundamental Distinctions Between Tibetan Buddhist and Western Approaches to Happiness
Link