Janice Kuo

Dr. Janice Kuo is an Associate Professor at Palo Alto University and core faculty member at the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, directing the Borderline Personality Disorder, Emotion Science, and Treatment Lab (BESTLab). Her clinical work focuses on treating severe emotion dysregulation using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington
• M.S. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington
• B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Kuo's research centers on emotion-related dysfunction in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), suicidal behaviors, and trauma-exposed populations, with emphasis on emotion regulation mechanisms and DBT efficacy. She investigates biological vulnerability, self-inflicted injury predictors, and trauma-BPD interactions through multi-method laboratory and clinical studies.

Her publication trajectory (2009-2025) reveals consistent focus on BPD emotion processes, evolving from foundational physiological studies to contemporary examinations of emotion labeling and self-injury specificity. Recent work integrates laboratory paradigms with clinical outcomes, maintaining strong connections to DBT mechanisms and treatment optimization.

She mentors graduate students including S. Fitzpatrick, J. Ip, L. Krantz, R. Zeifman, R.M. Metcalfe, and J.E. Khoury as co-authors. As a DBT-Linehan Board Certified therapist and Behavioral Tech trainer, she conducts international DBT workshops and provides clinical consultation.

The BESTLab drives her mission to translate emotion science into enhanced treatments for severe psychopathology, operating at the intersection of laboratory research and clinical innovation.