Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT — dialectical behavior therapy — was designed for people whose emotions hit harder and faster than they can manage: intense reactions, self-harm urges, relationships that swing between closeness and collapse. Instead of only talking about feelings, DBT teaches concrete skills for riding them out without making things worse, then builds toward a life that generates fewer crises in the first place.
How it works
Full DBT combines weekly individual therapy, a skills group (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness), between-session coaching, and a therapist consultation team. Some therapists offer DBT-informed therapy — individual work using DBT skills without the full program — which is worth asking about directly. Treatment usually runs six months to a year.
What it's good for
- Borderline personality disorder
- Self-harm and suicidal urges
- Intense, fast-changing emotions
- Chronic relationship conflict
- Eating disorders alongside emotion dysregulation
Conditions it helps with
Anger Management · Borderline Personality Disorder · Self-Harm · Suicidal Thoughts
Screening tools suggest — they don't diagnose. Only a licensed clinician can diagnose a mental health condition.
Clinical review pending This page was written by the DocSana team and is awaiting review by a licensed clinician.