What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, short-term approach to therapy to treat individuals with various mental health concerns, such as self-destructive behaviors, emotional regulation difficulties, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other trauma-related disorders.

DBT helps you accept yourself as you are, despite negative patterns of thinking you may have due to various life experiences. This acceptance makes more room for you to change negative thinking that may harm your mental health.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches you tolerance to more adequately cope with negative or difficult emotions and strategies to change behavior and reduce negative thoughts.

Your therapist will help you recognize and name your feelings as they arise without judging them or shaming yourself for experiencing them. You will also practice distress tolerance by finding ways to cope with destructive urges more positively. Your therapist might also include mindfulness techniques, which teach you to be present in the moment.

DBT can be used individually or in a group setting. Group settings for DBT help practice skills and work on interpersonal communication, as another goal of DBT is to improve relationship skills.

Therapists Who Specialize in Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy 

Hello! If you are here then you have taken the first step in self care and healing! I graduated with a Master's of Rehabilitation Counseling from Bowling Green State University in 2009. My focus is providing individual and family therapy for adults, adolescents and children. It is my goal to help others improve their emotional well-being, manage stress, improve self image and interpersonal...

Megan Hughes

New York

New York

My goal is to help children, adolescents, adults, and their families get back on track after anxiety has interfered with their lives. I specialize in evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and related conditions. I was an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Weill Cornell Medicine from 2011 to 2019, during which I split my time between providing...
Greetings! I am a licensed mental health therapist with over six years of experience working with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, Bipolar Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, personality disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders and schizophrenia. I specialize in treating anxiety, depression and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) using Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)...

Kathleen M Pendergast

Chicago

Illinois

My goal is to provide each client with an emotionally safe environment where they feel comfortable exploring even the biggest challenges, whether it is how to manage overwhelming emotions such as anxiety or depression, rebuild a more honest sense of identity, learn to recognize and fight unhealthy or toxic patterns in life & relationships, confront past trauma or abuse, or other flavors of...
I get it. Life happens. Sometimes you just need to talk and have someone listen. Whether therapy is new for you or you are revisiting it, my goal is help you create a fulfilling and happy life that you are excited to live. I have had the opportunity to work with individuals, couples, and groups in an array of areas including LGBTQ+ Sexual and Gender Identity Formation, Anxiety, Depression,...
( English | español ) Life can be painful yet meaningful. A glance at our lives may reveal the many reasons and paths we have taken to get to this point. Our families of origin, our socio-economic extract, and our personal journey are just some of the factors influencing our here and now. How do we put it all together? How do we summon the best of ourselves to deal with life crises and help our...
Dr. Morris is a clinical psychologist who provides a range of evidence-based therapy, group, and consulting services to children, adolescents, adults, families, schools, and organizations. She has an active and direct therapeutic style, which can be described more like coaching than traditional psychotherapy. She likes to infuse humor and irreverence throughout her work, disarming her clients a...
Do you experience anxiety, depression or negative self-esteem? Are you stuck in relationship patterns that leave you feeling hurt, isolated and emotionally drained? Are you ready to change the patterns that keep you stuck and reconnect with yourself? I'm a licensed psychologist specializing in both trauma and eating disorders. I use evidence-based approaches, including Dialectical Behavior Ther...

Hillary Dvorak

Chicago

Illinois

As a licensed clinical social worker, I'm a firm believer that people are extremely resilient and it is a strength to ask for help. In therapy, I aim to create a safe, non-judgmental environment where we can work together to face any and all barriers you are dealing with. As a team, we will create a treatment plan centered around your personal mental health goals. I treat individuals, couples a...
I am passionate about supporting people to reach their highest potential, through transforming challenge and pain into healing, strength, and empowerment. As a therapist, my work is to support my clients to identify these barriers to their personal happiness, heal from that which is holding them back, and begin to actively live the life they strive for. I work with both children, adolescents, a...

Phyllis Siebern

Tucson

Arizona

I have had the privilege of working in many areas of the mental health field over the last 15 years, and this has shown me that people have the ability to heal. I have experience with anxiety, depression, anger management and PTSD. I have training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and EMDR. I am generally straightforward, empathetic and genuine in my approach, but al...
I have worked as a counselor for almost 15 years and enjoy working with a wide variety of clients. Whether you have a small life adjustment that is stressing you or a chronic severe mental illness I can help you manage your symptoms. I understand the daily demands for working individuals so I offer EVENING and WEEKEND appointment times as well as daytime hours. I provide a variety of different...
I take a holistic approach to therapy and believe that our health is comprised of body, mind, and spirit. If you struggle with any of these areas, I can help you. In light of these unprecedented times, I would love to offer my support and share coping skills for dealing with the uncertainty. My goal is to foster a safe, non-judgmental environment for you to tell your story and begin the work of...

Devin McCabe

Seattle

Washington

I specialize in working with children, teens, and young adults who might be struggling to make sense of the complicated world that we live in. Despite our connectivity, it seems that we live in a time in which individuals and families are more isolated than ever before. I truly believe that we all need and desire a village — a network of support and care to help us when needed. It is my aim to ...

Hannah Elizabeth Elias

Spokane

Washington

I am a skilled mental health therapist with experience in helping individuals achieve their goals. I believe that therapy works best when there is a collaboration between therapist and client. I strive to create a therapeutic environment that is accepting and safe, where you can explore important issues, process your concerns, and gain insight into your values and behavior. Through this process...