Dialectical Behavior Therapy
From Emotional Free-Fall to Steady Living
Dialectical Behavior Therapy was first developed in the late 1980s as a structured, evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder and chronic suicidality. Four decades of research now show it is equally effective for hard-to-treat depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress, eating and substance-use, and other conditions marked by intense emotion or impulsive behavior.
A Balanced Approach to Change
DBT rests on a simple dialectic: life improves when we pair active change with radical acceptance. In session you learn to:
Stay present: Mindfulness skills anchor you in the current moment so thoughts and feelings stop running the show.
Withstand distress: Practical strategies help you ride out crises without self-harm, substances, or explosive conflict.
Regulate emotion: You will understand what each feeling is trying to signal and lower the surge before it hijacks your day.
Relate effectively: Clear, assertive communication allows you to ask for what you need while respecting the needs of others.
What Treatment Looks Like Here
Individual therapy (weekly, 50 min): We target the specific behaviors that throw your life off course and track them with straightforward self-monitoring so progress is visible, not vague.
Skills group (optional): A small, coach-led video group lets you rehearse new skills until they feel natural in real-world situations.
Between-session coaching: Brief phone or text check-ins mean you are never stranded waiting a week to use what you’ve learned.
Consultation team: I meet weekly with a team of DBT clinicians to keep your treatment plan sharp, creative, and aligned with current research.
Sessions are delivered through a secure tele-health platform to anyone in California. Concierge intensives can be arranged when privacy, travel, or scheduling demands it.
Who Benefits
DBT is especially helpful when emotions flip the switch faster than logic can blink: chronic suicidality or self-injury, PTSD with dissociation or rage, eating-disorder cycles, addiction relapses, sudden anxiety spikes, or relationship blow-ups that leave everyone shaken. If your nervous system seems to have no dimmer switch, DBT offers the circuitry.
Life After DBT
Clients often notice early wins—a disagreement that ends in repair instead of rupture, a sleepless night that doesn’t spiral into panic, a wave of shame met with self-compassion instead of self-harm. Over months, these sparks gather into steady glow: steadier moods, safer relationships, renewed purpose, and genuine confidence that the future is livable.
Ready to feel better?
Book Your DBT Intake — a dedicated session where we clarify your goals, craft a personalized roadmap, and pin down milestones you can track from week one.