Learn skills to transform your life.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Adults

Virtually throughout Virginia

Are you someone who is….. 

  • motivated to make changes

  • ready to invest in themselves

  • open to learning new ways of doing things

You’re here because you feel overwhelmed. Life feels out of control. You need to learn ways to better handle stress and life’s challenges. Your emotions feel so intense. You wish you could better control them. You’re tired of being labeled “too emotional.” 

You’re ready for help to look at what is getting in the way of having the life and relationships you want & that feel good to you.

DBT is a powerful tool to create the life and relationships you want

What is DBT?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an effective evidence-based approach to therapy that teaches skills for taking control of your thoughts, emotions, and relationships. DBT offers healing backed by research especially for those who experience emotions intensely. 

“Dialectical” means combining opposite ideas in order to move away from thinking in extremes. DBT helps us change by unlearning unhelpful patterns and retraining the brain to create a balanced & peaceful life where we are in control, not our thoughts and emotions. This allows you to find peace through acceptance and the benefits of change.

There are four modules of skills aimed at learning how to reconnect to our body to be mindfully present, get through stressful experiences, manage our emotions, and better navigate our relationships. DBT skills help with problem solving and dealing with the issues in our lives.

DBT aims to help decrease…

  • Doing things without thinking

  • Up-and-down & extreme emotions

  • Mindlessly floating through life

  • Judging ourselves and others

  • Struggling to managing emotions

  • Emptiness & loneliness

  • Stress and conflicts with others

  • Difficulty with changes

Together, we’ll meet weekly to work on:

Gaining Understanding: I’ll provide you a supportive place to explore emotions and unhelpful patterns without judgment. Through this exploration, you’ll learn to understand your emotions rather than feel overpowered by them and better understand the origin of the patterns you want to change.

Learning Skills: I’ll teach you DBT skills to use in your day to day life to regain control of your emotions, confidently get through difficult situations, and learn to be fully present in your life. You’ll know what to do when you experience uncomfortable emotions and see the changes that you’re looking for in how you feel and your relationships. You’ll go from feeling overwhelmed to empowered.

Changing Patterns: I’ll provide you guidance towards learning new ways of doing things and creating healthier patterns aimed at what you want for your life. You’ll be better able to communicate, say no when needed, and set boundaries in your relationships. You’ll go from easily stressed to confident in your choices.

Living Fully: I’ll help you embrace life by learning to take control back of your mind, move away from distracting judgments, and build confidence in yourself. You’ll know how to be purposeful to get what you want and fully participate in your daily life and relationships. You’ll create the life you’ve always wanted and feel proud of yourself.

I can help you feel content and learn to thrive by using DBT skills to create a life you love.

What to Expect

Through DBT, you will learn about your emotions, balancing acceptance and change, focusing on what is in your control, and science based skills to help you navigate your day to day stress and relationships. DBT helps move us away from being self-critical towards having self-compassion.

During sessions, we will explore events from your week as well as experiences that are impacting you from your past. I’ll teach you DBT concepts and skills based on your goals for therapy and what will be most helpful for your specific challenges and situations in your life. At the end of sessions, we will review key takeaways and identify actionable steps for where to focus your effort during the week.

Learning DBT is strategic to help our brain work better. I’ll send you electronic handouts and worksheets to assist you in your process of learning the tools DBT offers. After I teach you a skill, we will discuss any questions you may have and create a plan for situations where you can use it. Practicing outside of session is the best way to take your learning to the next level. The next session, we will discuss how it went and problem solve together if needed. I’ll give you consistent support and guidance on your journey of growth & transformation.

I’ve seen Dialectical Behavior Therapy transform lives, let me show you how DBT skills can help you.

What can DBT help with?

  • Anxiety & Overthinking

  • Depression

  • Stress & Overwhelm

  • Improving relationships

  • Changing unhelpful patterns

  • Navigating intense or difficult emotions

  • And more …

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can help you:

  • Identify priorities and what you need in your life to feel good

  • Learn skills to change unhelpful patterns

  • Take control of your mind and relationships to create a life you love

  • Improve confidence in your choices & have energy to invest where you want

  • Learn to navigate difficult and challenging emotions in a calmer and clearer way

  • Thrive knowing you have tools to handle whatever happens in life

  • Become fully present in your daily life & relationships

DBT will give you the tools to thrive. It’s time to invest in yourself.

 Frequently Asked Questions about Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

 

  • DBT is a cousin to CBT and built on the foundational ideas of CBT therefore they have similarities. CBT was founded by psychiatrist Aaron Beck in the 1960s and DBT was founded by American psychologist Marsha Linehan in the late 1970s. Both aim to help change thought patterns. CBT focuses on identifying, analyzing, and reorganizing negative and unhealthy thoughts. DBT goes a step further by focusing on the emotional and social aspects of behavior, not just cognitive. DBT also incorporates specific skills for being mindful, dealing with stress, managing emotions, and improving relationships.

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) works by focusing on balance and the relationship between acceptance and change. DBT starts by teaching foundational skills of mindfulness to gain awareness and the ability to stay in the present moment then moves into identifying unhelpful thoughts and emotions & learning helpful skills to use based on your goals. You’ll leave sessions with tools to use in your daily life that will improve how you feel about yourself, your life, and your relationships.

  • The four modules of DBT skills are:

    The Core Mindfulness Module of skills teaches you how to be present in the moment and increase awareness of your thoughts, feelings, sensations. Through DBT, you can learn to move away from a place of judgment and towards embracing & being fully present in your life.

    The Distress Tolerance Module of skills teaches you how to deal with difficult situations and uncomfortable experiences and be able to move forward. Through DBT, you can learn healthy ways to cope, become confident, and build your resilience.

    The Interpersonal Effectiveness Module of skills teaches you which is the best skill to use depending on your goal for the relationship - getting what you want, keeping the relationship, or maintaining your self-respect. Through DBT, you can gain clarity about your priorities, change the way you communicate to get more out of your relationship, become comfortable saying no, and create & maintain balance in your relationships.

    The Emotion Regulation Module of skills teaches you to manage emotions so they don’t overwhelm you. Through DBT, you can gain understanding of your emotions, learn to recognize when an emotion is unproductive, focus on ways to be less impacted by your emotions, and regain control by making your emotions work for you.

  • Yes, absolutely! The same approach is used through a secure online platform and being able to send handouts electronically makes them easier to refer back to because you don’t have to worry about misplacing sheets of paper. An added benefit is being able to participate in online DBT therapy from the comfort of your home or even parked in your car (anywhere that you have privacy) without having to worry about traffic or finding parking.

  • You can click this link for my contact page and complete the consultation request form so we can spend time connecting to see if we’re a good fit to work together.