Child DBT Program
A compassionate, structured program helping children and their families build the skills they need for emotional stability and stronger connections.
What Is DBT for Children?
The short answer for parents starting their research.
DBT for children — known clinically as DBT-C — is an evidence-based therapy that helps children ages 4–12 who struggle with intense emotions, frequent meltdowns, and impulsive behavior. It teaches both the child and, primarily, the parents practical skills to manage big feelings, reduce explosive episodes, and build a calmer, more connected home.
What makes DBT-C distinct from ordinary child therapy is who does the work. DBT-C is delivered mainly through parent coaching — parents learn the skills and become their child's daily coach. A child who feels everything intensely needs that teaching woven into everyday life, not confined to one therapy hour a week.
A simple way to hold the two together: parent coaching is the service you enroll in; DBT-C is the clinical model behind it. This page explains the model. The parent coaching page covers what the weekly work looks like, the challenges it addresses, and how to start.
Is DBT Right for My Child?
DBT-C is especially helpful when other forms of therapy haven't worked or challenges persist despite your best efforts.
DBT's biosocial model explains that some children naturally feel things more deeply. If their emotions are dismissed or misunderstood, they may struggle even more. DBT-C focuses on building emotional skills while helping parents create a more validating, supportive home.
How DBT-C Is Delivered
A parent-centered approach that creates lasting change from the inside out. The week-by-week detail lives on the parent coaching page.
Parent DBT Training Primary component · 3–6 months
Parent coaching is the core of DBT-C. Parents learn DBT principles, communication strategies, boundary-setting, validation, and how to implement a DBT training program at home. This isn't just a warm-up — it's the main treatment. As you learn to respond differently, children's behavior often changes significantly. How a course of coaching runs, step by step →
Occasional Child Sessions As needed
Your child's DBT therapist may meet with your child periodically for support, skills coaching, and assessment. However, the treatment is almost entirely delivered through parent coaching — the therapist determines how often child meetings need to occur based on your family's situation.
Optional Parent Therapy
Individual therapy for parents who need extra support or want to pursue personal goals. Completed with a different therapist than your child's DBT trainer. Sometimes recommended for the best outcomes — if a parent is struggling, children can tell.
Conditions DBT-C Can Help With
DBT-C has evidence across a wide range of childhood emotional and behavioral concerns.
- Anxiety & School Refusal
- Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias, or refusal to attend school
- Depression & Mood Disorders
- Sadness, irritability, or withdrawal from activities
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Frequent defiance, arguing, or moodiness
- Conduct Disorder
- Aggression or rule-breaking beyond typical misbehavior
- OCD
- Repetitive rituals or intrusive thoughts
- PTSD
- Fear, nightmares, or avoidance tied to past trauma
How DBT-C Helps Children and Families
Four lasting shifts families typically see over the course of treatment.
Address Aggressive Behaviors
Parents learn to manage concerning behaviors with clear expectations, consistency, and reinforcement.
Build Emotional Control
Children learn to notice and name their feelings, use coping strategies, and avoid reactive behaviors.
Reduce Anxiety & Depression
Skills to calm their mind and body help children feel more secure and confident.
Strengthen Communication
Interpersonal skills help children form healthier connections with siblings, classmates, and adults.
What the Research Shows
Parent-delivered DBT-C is backed by randomized controlled trials and a growing body of outcome research.
reductions in depressive symptoms, emotional dysregulation, and behavioral problems after 12 weeks of DBT-C (Perepletchikova et al., 2017)
treatment-retention rates in parent-delivered programs compared to child-only therapy — families stay engaged when parents are the agents of change
improvements in family functioning and parent-child communication, with outcomes maintained at follow-up assessments
DBT-C research is a newer but actively growing field. Perepletchikova and colleagues published the first randomized controlled trial of DBT-C in 2017, and it remains one of the only structured, evidence-based DBT adaptations designed specifically for pre-adolescent children and their parents.
“Children can learn emotional skills far earlier than we often give them credit for. Starting young changes the trajectory.”
Further Reading for Parents
Guides written for parents weighing DBT-C and parent coaching for their child.
What Is DBT for Children?
A plain-language introduction to DBT-C — who it's for and how it differs from other child therapy.
Parent Coaching: How It Works
The parent-led skills work at the heart of DBT-C, and how it applies to ADHD, defiance, and school refusal.
When Your Child Is in DBT
What to expect week to week once your family begins treatment.
When Your Child Refuses Therapy
Why parent coaching still works even when a child won't participate.
Parent Coaching for ADHD
How coaching builds the structure and follow-through that help children with ADHD.
School Refusal: A Parent's Guide
Understanding why a child avoids school — and how to help them go back.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder: A Parent's Guide
What ODD really is, why defiance takes hold, and how parent-led treatment breaks the cycle.
Tantrums & Meltdowns
What's really driving the storms — and how to respond in the moment and have fewer of them.
Ask about the Child DBT Program
Tell us how to reach you and we’ll get back to you — usually within one business day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from parents considering DBT-C for their child.
What is DBT for Kids?
What age can a child start?
Why is parent coaching the main treatment?
Does DBT work for children with anxiety or school refusal?
How is DBT different from other therapies for kids?
What if my child refuses to participate?
How long does the program last?
How do I get started?
Do you take insurance?
Who you'll be working with.
Licensed clinicians, led by a Certified DBT Clinician™. We meet weekly as a consultation team so every client gets the collective expertise — not one therapist working alone.
Dr. Jenell Effinger, Ph.D.
Clinical Director
Tanner Oliver, LCSW, NMIT
General Manager
Dr. Rachel Grace, Psy.D.
Teen Program & Assessment Director
Kara Clapp, MFT-C, LPCC
Parent Coordinator
Sarah Gordis, LCSW
DBT/CBT Therapist
Emily Warner, LPCC
DBT/CBT Therapist
Emily Burrup, LSW
DBT/CBT Therapist
Mia Colombo, M.A., LPCC
DBT/CBT TherapistReady to Start DBT for Your Child?
DBT-C is delivered through our parent coaching program. Reach out for a free consultation and we'll help you decide whether it's the right next step for your family.