Clinical Psychologist - Mental Health Consultant – Social Entrepreneur

Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen is the Chief Executive Officer of WeBe Life Inc., a digital health company harnessing the power of WE to improve global mental health and well being. She is the host of the WeBe Channel’s Ask Dr B on YouTube and the mental health consultant for the ABC television drama, A Million Little Things. Dr. Van Dahlen serves as a member of the Mental Health Storyteller’s Coalition. A licensed clinical psychologist, she received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland in 1991. 

Dr. Van Dahlen is the former Executive Director of The President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS), a U.S. Cabinet Level Task Force, created by Presidential Executive Order in 2019,  to build the first all-of-government and whole-of-nation effort focused on suicide prevention with our Veterans leading the way. As a key element of the PREVENTS effort, Dr. Van Dahlen developed the first national public health campaign focused on suicide prevention. 

Named to TIME magazine's 2012 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, Dr. Van Dahlen is also the Founder of Give an Hour, a national nonprofit organization that provides free mental health care to those in need including service members, veterans and their families. Dr. Van Dahlen led the organization as President until 2019. 

Dr. Van Dahlen founded the Campaign to Change Direction in 2015, a global initiative focused on changing the culture of mental health. Change Direction is a public health approach that encourages everyone to learn the Five Signs of Emotional Suffering that indicates someone may be struggling emotionally and may need help. Change Direction has attracted prominent global influencers to support its mission including former First Lady Michelle Obama, then Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and Prince Harry. Change Direction has gained tremendous momentum in the United States and internationally. 

Dr. Van Dahlen is an expert on the psychological impact of war and a thought leader in mobilizing constituencies to create large system change in the mental health sector. She is widely recognized for her work in changing the culture associated with mental health in order to remove barriers and increase access to care. Dr. Van Dahlen has been a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and TIME, and has been interviewed by major media outlets such as AP, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, USA Today, CNN, NPR, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, Newshour, and such military media outlets as Stars & Stripes, AUSA Magazine, and the Pentagon Channel. 

Dr. Van Dahlen consults to a number of organizations and enterprises – including MindX Sciences where she serves as the Chief Psychology Officer. In 2020, she was named by Washingtonian Magazine as a 2020 Washingtonian of the Year.