Dialectical Behavior Therapy

If you feel emotions intensely, life can sometimes feel like a rollercoaster you can’t get off. You aren’t “too much” and you aren’t broken—you just experience the world deeply. We help you harness that sensitivity while teaching you the practical skills to regulate your emotions, handle crises without making them worse, and build a life that feels stable and fulfilling.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based therapy originally designed for people who experience extreme emotional sensitivity.

What is a “Dialectic”?

At its simplest, a dialectic is the idea that two seemingly opposite things can be true at the same time.

In our thinking, we often get stuck in “Black and White” or “All or Nothing” patterns (e.g., “I am either a success or a failure”). A dialectic approach challenges us to replace the word “But” with “And.”

Instead of choosing one side, we find the “Middle Path” (the synthesis) that honors the truth in both sides.

The Core Dialectic in DBT: The most important dialectic in therapy is the balance between Acceptance and Change:

Acceptance: “I am doing the best I can right now.”
Change: “I need to do better to get the life I want.

Both of these are true. You are doing your best given your current skills and history, AND you need to learn new skills to solve your problems.

DBT focuses on four specific skill sets:

Mindfulness: Being fully present in the moment.
Distress Tolerance: Surviving a crisis without acting impulsively.
Emotion Regulation: Understanding and managing big feelings.
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Asking for what you need while keeping your self-respect.

The Evidence Base

DBT is the premier evidence-based treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and chronic suicidality, but research has expanded its use to anyone struggling with emotional dysregulation.

The science is rooted in Biosocial Theory. This theory suggests that some people are born with higher biological sensitivity. When this sensitivity meets an “invalidating environment” (where feelings are ignored or punished), emotional dysregulation occurs. DBT effectively rewires the brain’s ability to pause before reacting, engaging the prefrontal cortex (logic) to manage the amygdala (emotion).

Conditions We Treat with DBT

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
• Self-Harm & Suicidal Ideation
• Chronic Emotional Overwhelm
• Substance Use Issues
• Eating Disorders
• Bipolar Disorder