Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a highly structured, evidence-based form of talk therapy developed by Marsha Linehan to help people who experience intense emotions, chronic distress, or difficulty maintaining stable relationships. DBT is grounded in a simple but powerful idea: two things can be true at the same time—you’re doing the best you can, and meaningful change is still possible.

DBT blends acceptance with change. It validates your emotional experience while teaching practical skills to reduce emotional reactivity, improve coping, and build safer, more stable patterns of behavior and connection.

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How DBT Therapy Works

DBT focuses on teaching behavioral therapy techniques that help you respond to emotions more effectively—especially when reactions feel overwhelming or impulsive. Skills are organized into four core areas:

  • Mindfulness – the foundation of DBT, helping you notice thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment so you can respond thoughtfully rather than react automatically.

  • Emotion Regulation – skills to understand emotions, reduce vulnerability to emotional swings, and increase emotional control.

  • Distress Tolerance – tools for getting through crisis moments without making things worse, including grounding strategies and opposite action.

  • Interpersonal Effectiveness – communication skills training and social skills strategies to navigate conflict, set boundaries, and maintain healthier relationships.

These skills are practiced collaboratively and applied to real-world situations, so progress feels practical and usable outside of sessions.

What DBT Is Helpful For

DBT is commonly used for a range of mental health concerns, including:

  • Borderline personality disorder and BPD symptoms

  • Chronic emotional dysregulation or feeling “too emotional”

  • Anger management and impulse control challenges

  • Relationship instability and interpersonal conflict

  • Mood disorders and emotional swings

  • Trauma-related distress and overwhelm

  • Substance use concerns linked to emotional coping

  • Eating disorders with emotion-focused coping patterns

  • ADHD-related emotional reactivity (as a behavioral approach)

While DBT was developed for borderline personality disorder treatment, it is not limited to BPD. Many people benefit from DBT skills when emotions feel unmanageable or reactions happen faster than intention.

Acceptance and Change, Together

A core strength of DBT is its balance of validation and growth. You’ll learn to acknowledge emotions as real and understandable while also building emotional regulation skills, distress tolerance, and coping strategies that support safer choices. Over time, this approach helps reduce self-destructive behaviors, improve communication, and create a life that feels more manageable and connected.

DBT is collaborative, compassionate, and grounded in psychoeducation—helping you understand how emotions work and how learned behaviors can change.

DBT and Individual Therapy

DBT is often provided in individual therapy and can be integrated with other approaches depending on your needs. Skills may be emphasized differently based on goals, such as anger management, relationship stability, or emotional control.

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We usually take many commonly known insurances.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • DBT is an evidence-based therapy that teaches skills for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, and improving relationships through mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

  • No. DBT was developed for BPD, but it’s also effective for emotional dysregulation, mood disorders, trauma-related distress, anger management, and impulse control.

  • Both are evidence-based. CBT focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors, while DBT adds strong emphasis on acceptance, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and managing intense emotions.

  • Yes. DBT is especially helpful when emotions feel overwhelming or reactions happen quickly, offering tools to slow down and choose responses more intentionally.

  • Yes. DBT is skill-based and includes practical coping strategies you can use in everyday situations, especially during high-stress moments.

  • Yes. DBT skills can be effectively taught through remote therapy for New York residents, offering flexibility without sacrificing structure.