Dialectical Behavior Therapy
A structured skills-based therapy centered on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, often taught in a group format alongside individual sessions.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), developed by Marsha Linehan, was originally created for chronic suicidality and borderline personality disorder and has since been adapted for a wider range of intense-emotion concerns. It organizes skills into four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Full DBT programs combine weekly individual therapy with a skills group, and often include phone coaching for real-time support between sessions. Not every practitioner offering "DBT-informed" work runs the full model, so it's worth asking what's actually included.
Skills-based therapy for intense emotions, built around four core skill areas.
What to expect: Full DBT typically combines a weekly individual session with a weekly skills group, where you learn and practice specific techniques from the four modules. Some programs include between-session phone coaching for real-time support when a skill is hard to use in the moment. DBT is skills-forward: expect worksheets, practice logs, and structured exercises rather than open-ended conversation. Full programs often run six months to a year for a complete pass through all four skill modules, though shorter, targeted DBT-informed work is also common.
Good fit for: You experience emotions that feel intense, fast, or hard to regulate, You're open to a structured skills group in addition to individual sessions, You want concrete techniques you can use in the moment, not just insight
Explore for: Intense or fast-shifting emotions that feel hard to manage in the moment, Patterns of impulsive behavior when distressed, Difficulty tolerating distress without making things worse, Wanting concrete, practicable skills alongside individual therapy
Not the right fit if: You're looking for a purely individual, insight-oriented therapy without a group component, You want a short-term, lightly structured approach rather than a full skills curriculum
How to choose a practitioner: Ask whether they offer the full model (individual plus skills group) or DBT-informed individual work only Ask about their training, formal DBT certification exists through the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Clarify time commitment upfront, since full DBT programs run for months, not weeks
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