Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program

This is a required component of DBT training. In skills group, you will learn countless skills to help you better manage your distress, control your emotions, and get along with others better. We offer these classes both in-person and online, including individual and group sessions.

They're not just support groups, and are different from most forms of group therapy. You don't sit around in a circle and divulge your darkest secrets (though you will have the chance to ask questions about how the skills apply to your life, if you want to). Instead, you'll learn, discuss, and ask questions.

In these therapy session with your DBT provider, you’ll discuss how to best apply what you’re learning in group to your life. These therapy sessions might focus on identifying goals, including behaviors you want to see less (or more) of. You will track those behaviors and your emotional ups and downs with an app, that your therapist can review before your sessions.

Over time, you and your DBT therapist should get really good at identifying problems and applying solutions. Individual therapy usually involves weekly one-to-one sessions with a your DBT therapist.

Sometimes clients get really good at using DBT skills, and knowing which to use to address their problems… when talking with their therapist. It can take longer to become skilled the use of skills in-between sessions.

To help with generalizing skills, clients have access to their therapist via phone call or text. These calls usually go like this: “Hi [awesome DBT therapist]. This situation is… I’ve tried these skills already… Do you have any other suggestions for me?” “Why yes, yes I do. Why don’t you try [this awesome skill we discussed last week that really worked].”

Individuals with symptoms of strong emotions for any reason may benefit from DBT because it teaches emotion regulation skills.

Everyone experiences strong emotions from time to time. For some people, the intensity of their emotions gets in the way of their life goals, and leads to unnecessary suffering. Dialectical Behavior Therapy enhances our ability to tolerate, and reduce, strong emotions. Strong emotions can manifest as mood swings, getting upset more easily and staying upset longer than most people, experiencing more intense emotions (especially sadness, anger, jealousy, and shame), or struggling with feelings of emptiness.

DBT helps individuals with strong emotions by providing them with a comprehensive set of skills and strategies to manage their emotions, build healthy relationships, and improve their overall quality of life. Our therapists are experienced at treating strong emotions, and they can help you learn to tolerate, and increase emotion regulation.

Intense emotions and relationship problems often go together. For some people, a lack of distress tolerance skills make it difficult to make or keep friends. Disagreement and arguments with family can be common. These symptoms are very distressing, and are often what motivate people to seek help.

Some struggle with intimacy, finding the vulnerability and closeness difficult to tolerate. This can make relationships and closeness difficult. Others have intense fears of abandonment. Some respond to this by avoiding closeness in relationships, or by avoiding relationships all together. Others throw themselves quickly into relationships, develop an intense bond, but then struggle with feelings of self-worth, jealousy, and fears of if and when the relationship will end.

DBT can help individuals improve their relationships by teaching them skills to communicate effectively, and build and maintain healthy connections with others. Our therapists can help you learn valuable interpersonal effectiveness skills to reduce conflict, and help you better get your needs met. We can also help you learn to better intimacy and overcome fears of rejection, so you can develop more rewarding relationships.

Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health issues people face. Although developed for those with borderline personality disorder, Dialectical Behavior Therapy has been shown to be effective for both mood issues (like depressive disorders and anxiety disorders) for many people.

Among individuals with depression, DBT has been shown to significantly decrease levels of negative mood. Participants also report increased hope, overall greater life satisfaction, perceived physical health, coping skills, and social adjustment.

DBT teaches emotion regulation skills and distress tolerance skills, which can be helpful for individuals with depression and anxiety who often experience intense emotions. By learning to recognize and manage their emotions, individuals can reduce their vulnerability to mood swings and negative affect.

By learning and practicing the skills, individuals can reduce their vulnerability to depression and anxiety and improve their overall quality of life. Our therapists are experienced at treating all forms of anxiety and depression.

Borderline personality disorder can be challenging to treat, and for best results one should really choose to work with a BPD specialist. The treatment of borderline personality disorder requires a specialized approach.

The research evidence is clear: the best treatment for BPD is Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It was specifically designed to help people with BPD. A BPD therapist plays a critical role in treating this disorder, helping individuals with BPD regulate emotions, develop healthy relationships, and reduce harmful behaviors.

Many times, our clients with BPD come to us disillusioned with therapy. Often, they’ve had countless therapists, and nothing has really had much effect. Dialectical Behavior Therapy was originally created out of this frustration: current treatments didn’t work, and this was designed to fill the gap. If you've tried other treatments and they haven't worked, it's time to consider Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Suicidality covers several issues: previous suicide attempts, threats of suicide, and suicidal thoughts. These are serious symptoms, with serious underlying causes. Thoughts and threats of suicide should always be addressed with urgency.

Self-injury, also known as self harm or sometimes “cutting,” is when someone hurts themselves on purpose.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment that is specifically designed to help individuals who struggle with suicidality and self-harm behaviors, and DBT is a highly effective treatment for people struggling with suicidality and self-injury.

DBT excels at treating suicidality because it helps reduce emotional intensity and impulsivity, and it provides alternative behaviors that are more effective at getting one’s needs met. Through the emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills, clients learn how to manage intense feelings more effectively. Don’t mess around with these symptoms. If you are a loved one is struggling with suicidality, the time to ask for help is now.

Many people find the skills to be incredibly valuable in their everyday life. In fact, almost everyone uses DBT techniques everyday, though must of us don’t realize it. As DBT therapists, we intentionally use the skills ourselves everyday.

We often hear from people who want to know: can the skills help me? Whoever you are, yes, you can certainly become a more effective human through the use of practice of the skills. There’s some pearls of wisdom in there for everyone.

DBT can benefit many people who may not have a diagnosable mental health condition in the following areas:

• Getting along better with friends, family, and co-workers

• Becoming a more effective communicator

• Improving productivity

• Understanding and controlling your emotions

• Reducing stress and worry

• Becoming more mindful

• Making more effective life decisions

• Be a better: parent, spouse, professional, friend, person