About Dr. Tomcik
I am a Senior Clinician in Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT) with more than a decade of experience training clinicians, implementing RO DBT programs, and providing treatment for individuals with emotional overcontrol and other complex mental health concerns. For more than 20 years, I have been dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and families create meaningful, lasting change through compassionate, evidence-based care.
Many of my clients come to therapy after trying other approaches without finding the results they were hoping for. I specialize in working with individuals struggling with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship difficulties, and the challenges that often accompany emotional overcontrol. Together, we explore what has and hasn't worked in the past, building a new path toward greater openness, flexibility, and deeper connection with others.
My approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in genuine curiosity. I believe therapy works best when people feel both understood and challenged. I strive to create an environment where clients feel safe enough to explore difficult experiences while remaining focused on meaningful, lasting change. Whether you're navigating long-standing emotional struggles or facing a difficult season of life, my goal is to help you build a life that feels more connected, fulfilling, and authentic.
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee and my Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Couple and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. I am board-certified in Couple and Family Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology and have spent nearly two decades serving in both private practice and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
As Deputy Chief of Behavioral Health at the Columbus VA, I helped expand access to evidence-based mental health care while leading innovative programming for Veterans with complex mental health needs. I also played a key role in the national implementation of RO DBT within the VA, training clinicians, developing RO DBT programming, and partnering with clinical leaders to increase access to specialized treatment for Veterans who had not benefited from traditional approaches.
Beyond providing therapy, I am passionate about mentoring clinicians, advancing evidence-based practice, and improving access to effective mental health care. At Radically Open Connections, I am honored to help individuals discover that lasting change is possible through greater openness, flexibility, and authentic human connection.
About Jimmy
I am a certified trainer and provider of Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT) with more than a decade of experience implementing, training, supervising, and providing RO DBT across a variety of clinical settings. Since 2014, I have specialized in helping individuals with emotional overcontrol and treatment-resistant conditions build greater openness, flexibility, and authentic connection. Whether I am working with clients, teaching clinicians, or mentoring professionals, my goal is the same: to help people create meaningful, lasting change.
Many of the people I work with are thoughtful, caring, and successful on the outside but feel stuck, disconnected, or exhausted on the inside. They may have tried therapy before without finding the lasting change they were hoping for. Together, we explore new ways of responding to life's challenges, helping clients cultivate deeper relationships, greater emotional openness, and lives that feel richer and more connected.
One of the reasons I am so passionate about RO DBT is because it has shaped my own life as much as my professional work. Practicing RO DBT has challenged me to become more open, flexible, and connected in ways I never imagined, deepening my relationships with my family, friends, colleagues, and clients. I believe the best therapists never stop growing, and I strive to bring both authenticity and humility into every session.
At the heart of my work is a simple belief: therapy isn't about becoming someone different—it's about rediscovering the parts of yourself that allow you to live with greater openness, authenticity, and connection. My hope is that every person I work with leaves therapy feeling more equipped to engage fully in the relationships and life they want to build.
I earned both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Work from The Ohio State University. Over the past 20 years, I have worked extensively in mental health and substance use treatment, specializing in the implementation, supervision, and training of evidence-based practices.
In addition to my work in RO DBT, I served as a leader in the National Motivational Interviewing (MI) VA program for more than a decade, helping advance MI through implementation, clinician training, supervision, and fidelity. As a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), I have had the privilege of training professionals across the country in the effective use of Motivational Interviewing.
I have also served as an adjunct lecturer at The Ohio State University College of Social Work for more than a decade, where I enjoy mentoring the next generation of social workers. My professional interests include emotional overcontrol, social signaling, Motivational Interviewing, implementation science, and helping clinicians deliver evidence-based care with excellence and compassion.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife and our two children. You'll often find me coaching youth soccer, cheering on the Columbus Crew, listening to music, or enjoying a great stand-up comedy special.
About Maria
I am a Level 3 trained Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT) clinician with more than 20 years of experience helping adolescents, college students, and adults navigate anxiety, depression, perfectionism, life transitions, relationship challenges, and emotional loneliness. I am passionate about helping people who have spent much of their lives feeling misunderstood, disconnected, or stuck discover new ways of relating to themselves and others. My goal is to create a warm, collaborative space where clients can build greater openness, flexibility, and meaningful connection.
One of the things I value most is building genuine relationships with my clients. I believe people grow best when they feel truly seen and understood, so I work to create a therapeutic environment that is both supportive and purposeful. My style combines warmth and flexibility with thoughtful structure and accountability, helping clients feel safe enough to explore difficult experiences while staying focused on the changes that matter most. Whether you're facing a long-standing struggle or a new challenge, I'll meet you where you are and walk alongside you as we work toward lasting change.
Throughout my career, I have integrated evidence-based approaches including RO DBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). As a Registered Art Therapist (ATR), I also enjoy incorporating creative and expressive approaches into therapy when they support a client's goals.
Before joining Radically Open Connections, I served as a clinician at Otterbein University and as a Senior Clinician at The Ohio State University Counseling and Consultation Service, where I provided therapy, crisis intervention, consultation, and mental health programming for undergraduate and graduate students. Earlier in my career, I spent more than a decade at The Buckeye Ranch providing individual, family, and group therapy while helping develop and implement agency-wide DBT programming, supervising clinicians, and mentoring counseling interns.
I am a Licensed Independent Social Worker with a passion for helping people who feel like they’ve run out of hope. My own experiences have shaped the way I approach therapy and deepened my belief that sometimes the problem isn't that someone can't be helped—it may be that they haven't found the right approach or the right fit.
I am particularly drawn to working with people who have tried therapy before and still feel like something is missing. As a Level 1 trained provider in Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT), I am especially interested in helping people who may have spent years believing they are “treatment resistant” discover that they may simply need a different approach.
I would describe myself as real and raw. Therapy isn’t always pretty, and I don’t believe it needs to be. I want you to be able to show up as your whole self without feeling like you have to perform, have the right answers, or pretend that everything is okay.
My goal is for you to feel incredibly safe and comfortable sitting across from me. I will challenge you when I think it can help, but I’ll do it at a therapeutic pace that respects where you are. I believe therapy should be a place where you can be honest, curious, uncomfortable, hopeful, and human—all at the same time.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent 14 years in the Army and was ultimately medically discharged due to PTSD. There was a time when I genuinely felt like there was no hope for me. It wasn’t until I reached a point where I knew I needed help and allowed myself to receive it that I experienced just how life-changing therapy could be.
During my time in the military, I noticed that fellow Veterans naturally gravitated toward me. They would talk to me, open up about their struggles, and share things they didn’t necessarily feel comfortable sharing with others. I realized that I didn’t just enjoy listening—I felt a genuine calling to help people feel heard, understood, and less alone. That experience ultimately led me to become a therapist.
What initially drew me to RO-DBT was how well it aligns with the clients I most enjoy working with, especially people who have tried therapy and still feel like something is missing.
What excites me most is the possibility of helping people who have spent years believing they are “treatment resistant” realize that they may not be resistant to change at all—they may simply need a different approach.
Beyond my professional work, music is a huge part of my life. I love searching for and collecting vinyl, going to concerts, and seeing live music whenever I can. Music is also one of my favorite ways to recharge and one of my go-to coping skills.
I also absolutely love sports. I’m a Buckeye football fanatic, a March Madness lover, and I spend a lot of time watching my daughter play fastpitch softball year-round.