Brian C. Jo, PHD

Brian C. Jo, PhD, is a licensed psychologist at the Columbia Day Program where he serves on the faculty as an Instructor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry. He is located at the ColumbiaDoctors Psychiatry Midtown office at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). Dr. Jo specializes in the treatment of substance use disorders/addictions, PTSD/trauma, and problems related to attachment, relationships, and personality development; he also treats anxiety and depression. He has been trained and supervised primarily in psychodynamic/relational psychotherapy and has extensive experience integrating Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and experiential therapies into his treatments to meet the unique needs and experiences of his patients. With regard to substance use, Dr. Jo has specific training in both harm reduction psychotherapy and abstinence-based treatment. He also has significant training and experience in trauma-based care and group psychotherapy.
Dr. Jo completed his doctoral degree from Long Island University in Brooklyn. Prior to joining the faculty at CUMC, he completed both his predoctoral internship and postdoctoral residency at the VA NJ Health Care System. Throughout his training at the VA NJ, Dr. Jo gained experience in both residential and intensive outpatient settings. His primary focus was on treating substance use disorders with groups and individuals focusing on interpersonal processes, relapse prevention, mindfulness, and skill development. He also gained extensive experience treating men and women veterans with chronic PTSD related to experiences of developmental trauma, sexual abuse, and combat trauma, in which he focused on building trust and safety, developing self-efficacy and self-compassion, and validating experience through acceptance and integration. As a result, Dr. Jo has special interests in understanding the co-occurring dynamic between trauma and substance use, and the differential impact that group and individual treatments have for these specific problems.