About This Event
Emotions Matter Presents:
BPDFest26
Moving Forward: Recovery, Reimagined
Three Webinar Series: May 5, May 14, May 21
Join us for our BPD Awareness Month webinar series:
Moving Forward: Recovery, Reimagined.
BPDFest26 Scholarship Tickets:
Thanks to the support of our sponsors, we’re able to offer a limited number of scholarship tickets for BPDFest26.
If cost is a barrier, we invite you to apply for a scholarship ticket to attend.
Please note: A limited number of scholarship tickets are available and not guaranteed. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and may close early once all tickets have been claimed. Limit of one ticket per applicant.
[ Apply For A Scholarship Ticket Here ]
Deadline to apply: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 (or until all tickets have been claimed)
Webinar #1: Real Skills for Real Life: DBT Beyond the Therapy Room
Date:
Tuesday, May 5 @ 7:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM MST / 4:00 PM PST via ZOOM
Panelists: Shireen Rizvi, PhD & Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD
About the Webinar:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based approach that helps people manage intense emotions, navigate relationships, and build a life worth living. But using those skills in the messiness of real life, in relationships, at work, in the moments when everything feels like too much, is its own kind of practice. In this webinar, Dr. Shireen Rizvi and Dr. Jesse Finkelstein, co-authors of Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships, bring their expertise directly to the Emotions Matter community. Drawing from their book, they explore how DBT skills translate into everyday recovery and what it looks like to move forward with intention, one skill at a time.
About the Speakers:
Shireen Rizvi, PhD
Shireen Rizvi, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Einstein in New York City. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, board certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She obtained her PhD from the University of Washington where her mentor was Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT. Over the past 25 years, Shireen has conducted research and training in DBT. From 2009-2014, Shireen was Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. She currently serves as Director of Psychology Training and Director of DBT Services and Research at Montefiore. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as three books, including Real Skills for Real Life, co-authored with Dr. Jesse Finkelstein.
Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD
Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and Linehan Board of Certification–certified DBT clinician. He is the founder of Axis Psychological Services, a New York psychotherapy practice specializing in evidence-based treatments for emotion dysregulation, anxiety, OCD, and trauma. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Montefiore Medical Center and his post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he subsequently held a clinical faculty appointment.
Dr. Finkelstein is co-founder and Chief Content Officer of TheraHive, a platform dedicated to the creation and dissemination of evidence-based psychoeducational content. His work at the intersection of clinical science and accessible communication has taken multiple forms, including The Game of Real Life: DBT Skills Card Game (Penguin Random House, 2022) and Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships (Guilford Press, 2025), co-authored with Dr. Shireen Rizvi. His professional interests focus on the dissemination of evidence-based psychological treatments and translating behavioral science into practical tools that can be used in everyday life.
Webinar #2: The Power of Peer Support: How Emotions Matter's BPD Peer Support Groups Advance Recovery
Date:
Thursday, May 14 @ 7:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM MST / 4:00 PM PST via Zoom
Panelists: Jillian Papa, Evan Nault
About the Webinar:
What happens when people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) say "we need this" and then build it themselves? In this webinar, we explore the publication of Emotions Matter's peer-led BPD online support group model in Personality and Mental Health, one of the first peer-reviewed studies to document a program of its kind. 48% of participants had never met another person with BPD before attending. 44% had never received BPD-specific treatment. Hear from the authors behind the paper and the peer support group facilitators at the heart of this work. This session is a testament to what community-driven recovery can look like when lived experience leads the way.
About the Speakers:
Evan Nault
Evan Nault is a doctoral student in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program at the University of Houston. Evan’s program of research is centered on diversity, stigma, and how workers discuss their stigmatized identities in their workplace, with two distinct streams: 1) exploring how mental illness affects workplace experiences and 2) identifying strategies to improve workplace outcomes for marginalized workers. Their research is rooted in critical and interdisciplinary perspectives that center the personhood of workers and interrogate the underlying systemic mechanisms that affect the workplace. Evan has previously published research on employees with lived experience of BPD and is proud to have been a member of Emotions Matter Evaluation team for the last four years.
Jillian Papa
Jillian Papa is a Patient Experience Advocate who draws on her lived experience with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) to support, educate, and advocate for others impacted by BPD. Diagnosed in 2012, she achieved recovery through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and medication management, a journey that led her to Emotions Matter—a nonprofit dedicated to BPD awareness and support—where she has been actively involved for the past eight years. During that time, she served as one of the organization’s first peer facilitators and its inaugural Board Chair. She currently serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Program Evaluation Committee.
Professionally, Jillian brings over 15 years of experience evaluating nonprofit and government programs focused on children’s health and education. She holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and specializes in using data to strengthen program effectiveness and impact.
Outside of her professional and advocacy work, Jillian enjoys traveling, music, great food, and raising her two Boston Terriers with her husband in the Chicagoland area.
Kristin Fahlbusch
Kristin became part of the Emotions Matter family by volunteering as a Peer Support Group Facilitator during the COVID-19 pandemic. She found that role to be an immeasurably fulfilling way for her to move forward toward peace during the most challenging time of her life. Knowing she was encouraging others during their most vulnerable moments in some of the same ways her support system had rallied around her during her mental health crisis was a major catalyst for her healing journey.
Kristin is a NYS Certified Peer Support Specialist and has also been certified through DBSA’s prestigious Facilitator Training Program. She has served as: Emotions Matter’s very first CPSS, a member of the Development and Lived Experience committees, and she still facilitates EM support groups. Kristin is also a Certified Grief Coach for Pet Loss and works in Veterinary Medicine when she is not serving as a Crisis Counselor.
In her experience with BPD, Kristin has come to accept that she can be hurting and healing at the same time. She continues to help expand EM’s services to help even more people living with BPD and achieve new heights in the BPD Peer space.
Zephrah Soto
Zephrah is a mental health advocate, educator, and certified Peer Support Specialist, passionate about dismantling the stigma surrounding Borderline Personality Disorder. With a BFA in Recorded Music from NYU, she began her career in the music industry before transitioning to psychology, where she is completing her BS in Psychology at Brooklyn College. Her lived experience with BPD drives her work at the intersection of self-identity, trauma recovery, and community support, where she focuses on fostering understanding and empowerment through education and research. She is also committed to amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices in mental health spaces, ensuring more inclusive and affirming conversations. Zephrah plans to pursue a career as a psychologist, furthering her passions for research, academia, and advocacy. She looks forward to sharing her insights on the path to wellness.
Webinar #3: Finding Your Voice: Creative Expression as a Path to Recovery
Date:
Thursday, May 21 @ 7:00PM EST / 6:00PM CST / 5:00PM MST / 4:00PM PST via Zoom
Presenters: Ashley Ramos, Clyde Clark, Sarah Rose (BPD Beautiful), Xannie Stavert (The BPD Bunch)
About the Webinar:
For many people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), some of the most powerful moments in recovery happen outside of a clinical setting. In this panel, four people with lived experience share how creative expression has shaped their journeys and why it can reach places that more traditional approaches sometimes cannot. Join us for a conversation about creativity, healing and what becomes possible when you give yourself permission to express it.
About the Speakers:
Clyde Clark
Clyde lives in Eastern Oregon with his amazing dog, Guy. After years of recovery from BPD, OCD, and Schizoaffective Disorder, he spends his time as a mentor, facilitator, advocate, and life-long student. He advocates for the power of healthy habits, growing purpose, and heroic level journaling.
Ashley Ramos
Ashley Ramos is 22 years old. She graduated from Colorado State University in May of 2025 with her bachelor’s in psychology with a concentration in clinical and counseling psychology. She also received a minor in music. From a young age, music has consistently provided her with a point of connection with both herself and others.
During her time at CSU, she played cymbals in the marching band her first and second years and participated in symphonic band, percussion ensemble, and percussion lessons her third and fourth years.
In her fourth year, she worked towards a project for the University Honors program in which she performed a percussion recital highlighting her experiences with BPD entitled Understanding The Misunderstood: A Musician’s Journey With Borderline. From the time she began planning this project, she knew she wanted to take the opportunity to incorporate music in a meaningful way with processing her childhood and early adulthood while also holding space for her growth and journey as a whole.
She focused the first half on playing darker pieces to showcase her presentation of symptoms and their relationship to her childhood trauma—suicidality, chronic emptiness, rage/anger, fear of abandonment, mood swings, and intense up-and-down relationships. Then, for the second half, she transitioned to playing lighter pieces with friends and colleagues to showcase themes in her recovery very similar to those emphasized by Emotions Matter such as trust, community, purpose, and advocacy. She integrated the pieces she played with audio she pre-recorded describing her journey and recovery. One of her primary goals was to show that even in recovery, she still faces times of darkness. It is by letting in this darkness that she continues to learn how to find and let in the light.
Sarah Rose
Sarah Rose is a Long Island native, the creator of BPD Beautiful, and the author of Sadie’s Favorite. Throughout her teens and 20s, she was diagnosed with bulimia, depression, anxiety, CPTSD, and BPD. After 10+ years of treatment, she finally entered remission. Now, she leverages her lived experience to develop practical mental health resources grounded in proven therapeutic approaches.
Xannie Stavert
Xannie Stavert is the creator and host of The BPD Bunch, a video podcast about living in functional recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder. She also works as a Communications Specialist at BPD Alliance, a nonprofit supporting individuals with BPD and their loved ones.
With a background in psychology and lived experience with BPD, Xannie creates content centered on recovery, self-understanding, and the realities of navigating BPD. When she is not recording, she enjoys sewing her own wardrobe and writing music. She lives in New Mexico with her husband and pets.
Disclaimer:
These webinars do not take the place of medical advice or treatment. There will be resources available for those seeking more information about BPD, as well as support. Registrants will be asked to complete pre and post meeting surveys to provide feedback about the group experience and help Emotions Matter learn more about the needs of the BPD community.
Registration required. Those who register will be emailed the Zoom meeting links with instructions on the registration receipt and will receive a reminder email prior to the webinars.
Emotions Matter Community Group Guidelines:
1. Your safety and well-being, as well as the safety of the event, is important to us.
2. Use respectful language. Words and body language matter. Be mindful of how others can interpret your communication.
3. We accept differences and promote acceptance, especially with regard to gender, sexual orientation, identity, race, ethnicity, age, religions, or politics.
4. Respect confidentiality. No photographs of other event participants.
5. Avoid making assumptions about other people’s experience of BPD. No judgment.
6. Show kindness and compassion for others who are struggling.
7. All are welcome to share, but participation is optional. No one person should monopolize the event time.
8. Avoid interrupting, which can make other event participants feel invalidated.
9. Avoid explicit expressions of self-harm or trauma, which may be upsetting to others.
10. If at any point you express concerns about your safety, we will offer support. If your emotions escalate and we are not able to comfort you, we will encourage you to reach out to your support system or consult with a mental health professional.
Questions? Email info@emotionsmatterbpd.org.
About This Event
Emotions Matter Presents:
BPDFest26
Moving Forward: Recovery, Reimagined
Three Webinar Series: May 5, May 14, May 21
Join us for our BPD Awareness Month webinar series:
Moving Forward: Recovery, Reimagined.
BPDFest26 Scholarship Tickets:
Thanks to the support of our sponsors, we’re able to offer a limited number of scholarship tickets for BPDFest26.
If cost is a barrier, we invite you to apply for a scholarship ticket to attend.
Please note: A limited number of scholarship tickets are available and not guaranteed. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and may close early once all tickets have been claimed. Limit of one ticket per applicant.
[ Apply For A Scholarship Ticket Here ]
Deadline to apply: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 (or until all tickets have been claimed)
Webinar #1: Real Skills for Real Life: DBT Beyond the Therapy Room
Date:
Tuesday, May 5 @ 7:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM MST / 4:00 PM PST via ZOOM
Panelists: Shireen Rizvi, PhD & Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD
About the Webinar:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based approach that helps people manage intense emotions, navigate relationships, and build a life worth living. But using those skills in the messiness of real life, in relationships, at work, in the moments when everything feels like too much, is its own kind of practice. In this webinar, Dr. Shireen Rizvi and Dr. Jesse Finkelstein, co-authors of Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships, bring their expertise directly to the Emotions Matter community. Drawing from their book, they explore how DBT skills translate into everyday recovery and what it looks like to move forward with intention, one skill at a time.
About the Speakers:
Shireen Rizvi, PhD
Shireen Rizvi, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Einstein in New York City. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, board certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She obtained her PhD from the University of Washington where her mentor was Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT. Over the past 25 years, Shireen has conducted research and training in DBT. From 2009-2014, Shireen was Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. She currently serves as Director of Psychology Training and Director of DBT Services and Research at Montefiore. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as three books, including Real Skills for Real Life, co-authored with Dr. Jesse Finkelstein.
Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD
Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and Linehan Board of Certification–certified DBT clinician. He is the founder of Axis Psychological Services, a New York psychotherapy practice specializing in evidence-based treatments for emotion dysregulation, anxiety, OCD, and trauma. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Montefiore Medical Center and his post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he subsequently held a clinical faculty appointment.
Dr. Finkelstein is co-founder and Chief Content Officer of TheraHive, a platform dedicated to the creation and dissemination of evidence-based psychoeducational content. His work at the intersection of clinical science and accessible communication has taken multiple forms, including The Game of Real Life: DBT Skills Card Game (Penguin Random House, 2022) and Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships (Guilford Press, 2025), co-authored with Dr. Shireen Rizvi. His professional interests focus on the dissemination of evidence-based psychological treatments and translating behavioral science into practical tools that can be used in everyday life.
Webinar #2: The Power of Peer Support: How Emotions Matter's BPD Peer Support Groups Advance Recovery
Date:
Thursday, May 14 @ 7:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM MST / 4:00 PM PST via Zoom
Panelists: Jillian Papa, Evan Nault
About the Webinar:
What happens when people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) say "we need this" and then build it themselves? In this webinar, we explore the publication of Emotions Matter's peer-led BPD online support group model in Personality and Mental Health, one of the first peer-reviewed studies to document a program of its kind. 48% of participants had never met another person with BPD before attending. 44% had never received BPD-specific treatment. Hear from the authors behind the paper and the peer support group facilitators at the heart of this work. This session is a testament to what community-driven recovery can look like when lived experience leads the way.
About the Speakers:
Evan Nault
Evan Nault is a doctoral student in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program at the University of Houston. Evan’s program of research is centered on diversity, stigma, and how workers discuss their stigmatized identities in their workplace, with two distinct streams: 1) exploring how mental illness affects workplace experiences and 2) identifying strategies to improve workplace outcomes for marginalized workers. Their research is rooted in critical and interdisciplinary perspectives that center the personhood of workers and interrogate the underlying systemic mechanisms that affect the workplace. Evan has previously published research on employees with lived experience of BPD and is proud to have been a member of Emotions Matter Evaluation team for the last four years.
Jillian Papa
Jillian Papa is a Patient Experience Advocate who draws on her lived experience with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) to support, educate, and advocate for others impacted by BPD. Diagnosed in 2012, she achieved recovery through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and medication management, a journey that led her to Emotions Matter—a nonprofit dedicated to BPD awareness and support—where she has been actively involved for the past eight years. During that time, she served as one of the organization’s first peer facilitators and its inaugural Board Chair. She currently serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Program Evaluation Committee.
Professionally, Jillian brings over 15 years of experience evaluating nonprofit and government programs focused on children’s health and education. She holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and specializes in using data to strengthen program effectiveness and impact.
Outside of her professional and advocacy work, Jillian enjoys traveling, music, great food, and raising her two Boston Terriers with her husband in the Chicagoland area.
Kristin Fahlbusch
Kristin became part of the Emotions Matter family by volunteering as a Peer Support Group Facilitator during the COVID-19 pandemic. She found that role to be an immeasurably fulfilling way for her to move forward toward peace during the most challenging time of her life. Knowing she was encouraging others during their most vulnerable moments in some of the same ways her support system had rallied around her during her mental health crisis was a major catalyst for her healing journey.
Kristin is a NYS Certified Peer Support Specialist and has also been certified through DBSA’s prestigious Facilitator Training Program. She has served as: Emotions Matter’s very first CPSS, a member of the Development and Lived Experience committees, and she still facilitates EM support groups. Kristin is also a Certified Grief Coach for Pet Loss and works in Veterinary Medicine when she is not serving as a Crisis Counselor.
In her experience with BPD, Kristin has come to accept that she can be hurting and healing at the same time. She continues to help expand EM’s services to help even more people living with BPD and achieve new heights in the BPD Peer space.
Zephrah Soto
Zephrah is a mental health advocate, educator, and certified Peer Support Specialist, passionate about dismantling the stigma surrounding Borderline Personality Disorder. With a BFA in Recorded Music from NYU, she began her career in the music industry before transitioning to psychology, where she is completing her BS in Psychology at Brooklyn College. Her lived experience with BPD drives her work at the intersection of self-identity, trauma recovery, and community support, where she focuses on fostering understanding and empowerment through education and research. She is also committed to amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices in mental health spaces, ensuring more inclusive and affirming conversations. Zephrah plans to pursue a career as a psychologist, furthering her passions for research, academia, and advocacy. She looks forward to sharing her insights on the path to wellness.
Webinar #3: Finding Your Voice: Creative Expression as a Path to Recovery
Date:
Thursday, May 21 @ 7:00PM EST / 6:00PM CST / 5:00PM MST / 4:00PM PST via Zoom
Presenters: Ashley Ramos, Clyde Clark, Sarah Rose (BPD Beautiful), Xannie Stavert (The BPD Bunch)
About the Webinar:
For many people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), some of the most powerful moments in recovery happen outside of a clinical setting. In this panel, four people with lived experience share how creative expression has shaped their journeys and why it can reach places that more traditional approaches sometimes cannot. Join us for a conversation about creativity, healing and what becomes possible when you give yourself permission to express it.
About the Speakers:
Clyde Clark
Clyde lives in Eastern Oregon with his amazing dog, Guy. After years of recovery from BPD, OCD, and Schizoaffective Disorder, he spends his time as a mentor, facilitator, advocate, and life-long student. He advocates for the power of healthy habits, growing purpose, and heroic level journaling.
Ashley Ramos
Ashley Ramos is 22 years old. She graduated from Colorado State University in May of 2025 with her bachelor’s in psychology with a concentration in clinical and counseling psychology. She also received a minor in music. From a young age, music has consistently provided her with a point of connection with both herself and others.
During her time at CSU, she played cymbals in the marching band her first and second years and participated in symphonic band, percussion ensemble, and percussion lessons her third and fourth years.
In her fourth year, she worked towards a project for the University Honors program in which she performed a percussion recital highlighting her experiences with BPD entitled Understanding The Misunderstood: A Musician’s Journey With Borderline. From the time she began planning this project, she knew she wanted to take the opportunity to incorporate music in a meaningful way with processing her childhood and early adulthood while also holding space for her growth and journey as a whole.
She focused the first half on playing darker pieces to showcase her presentation of symptoms and their relationship to her childhood trauma—suicidality, chronic emptiness, rage/anger, fear of abandonment, mood swings, and intense up-and-down relationships. Then, for the second half, she transitioned to playing lighter pieces with friends and colleagues to showcase themes in her recovery very similar to those emphasized by Emotions Matter such as trust, community, purpose, and advocacy. She integrated the pieces she played with audio she pre-recorded describing her journey and recovery. One of her primary goals was to show that even in recovery, she still faces times of darkness. It is by letting in this darkness that she continues to learn how to find and let in the light.
Sarah Rose
Sarah Rose is a Long Island native, the creator of BPD Beautiful, and the author of Sadie’s Favorite. Throughout her teens and 20s, she was diagnosed with bulimia, depression, anxiety, CPTSD, and BPD. After 10+ years of treatment, she finally entered remission. Now, she leverages her lived experience to develop practical mental health resources grounded in proven therapeutic approaches.
Xannie Stavert
Xannie Stavert is the creator and host of The BPD Bunch, a video podcast about living in functional recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder. She also works as a Communications Specialist at BPD Alliance, a nonprofit supporting individuals with BPD and their loved ones.
With a background in psychology and lived experience with BPD, Xannie creates content centered on recovery, self-understanding, and the realities of navigating BPD. When she is not recording, she enjoys sewing her own wardrobe and writing music. She lives in New Mexico with her husband and pets.
Disclaimer:
These webinars do not take the place of medical advice or treatment. There will be resources available for those seeking more information about BPD, as well as support. Registrants will be asked to complete pre and post meeting surveys to provide feedback about the group experience and help Emotions Matter learn more about the needs of the BPD community.
Registration required. Those who register will be emailed the Zoom meeting links with instructions on the registration receipt and will receive a reminder email prior to the webinars.
Emotions Matter Community Group Guidelines:
1. Your safety and well-being, as well as the safety of the event, is important to us.
2. Use respectful language. Words and body language matter. Be mindful of how others can interpret your communication.
3. We accept differences and promote acceptance, especially with regard to gender, sexual orientation, identity, race, ethnicity, age, religions, or politics.
4. Respect confidentiality. No photographs of other event participants.
5. Avoid making assumptions about other people’s experience of BPD. No judgment.
6. Show kindness and compassion for others who are struggling.
7. All are welcome to share, but participation is optional. No one person should monopolize the event time.
8. Avoid interrupting, which can make other event participants feel invalidated.
9. Avoid explicit expressions of self-harm or trauma, which may be upsetting to others.
10. If at any point you express concerns about your safety, we will offer support. If your emotions escalate and we are not able to comfort you, we will encourage you to reach out to your support system or consult with a mental health professional.
Questions? Email info@emotionsmatterbpd.org.