Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) combines practical skills with mindfulness to help you manage difficult emotions, handle stress, and navigate relationships more effectively.
I often incorporate DBT skills into therapy when someone feels overwhelmed by their emotions, has difficulty setting boundaries, struggles with conflict, or knows how they want to respond but has trouble doing it in the moment.
What Are DBT Skills?
DBT focuses on four main areas:
Mindfulness – Staying present rather than getting pulled into thoughts or emotions
Distress Tolerance – Getting through difficult moments without making the situation worse
Emotion Regulation – Better understanding emotions and learning ways to manage them
Interpersonal Effectiveness – Communicating clearly, setting boundaries, and asking for what you need
These are practical skills that we can apply to situations you're actually dealing with rather than learning them in the abstract.
How I Use DBT in Therapy
I don't provide a comprehensive DBT program. Instead, I integrate DBT skills into individual therapy when they make sense for what you're experiencing.
For example, we might work on how to manage anxiety when it feels overwhelming, tolerate an uncomfortable emotion without immediately reacting to it, set a boundary without feeling consumed by guilt, or communicate more effectively during conflict.
DBT can also work well alongside other approaches. I may use CBT to help you recognize patterns in your thinking or a relational approach when relationship patterns are an important part of what's going on.
Interested in DBT Skills?
If you're interested in learning DBT skills or wondering whether they might be helpful for what you're dealing with, we can talk about that during a free 20-minute phone consultation.