Validation
Understand that emotions and responses developed within a real context and often served a purpose.
Build skills for intense emotions and difficult moments.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy offers practical ways to notice what is happening, respond with greater intention and build a life that feels more manageable and meaningful.
Acceptance and change can both be true.
The word dialectical refers to holding ideas that may seem opposite and finding a fuller perspective. DBT combines validation of your present experience with practical support for changing responses that are no longer helping.
DBT was developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan. It includes behavioural strategies, mindfulness and a strong emphasis on learning and practising skills in everyday life.
Change
Learn new ways to respond when familiar patterns create suffering or move you away from your goals.
Practice
Strengthen skills through repetition, reflection and use during real situations outside therapy.
DBT helps create a pause between feeling and action.
Strong emotion can narrow attention and make immediate relief feel like the only option. DBT skills can help you notice activation, survive a difficult moment and choose a response that better reflects what matters to you.
Emotions carry information. Therapy helps you understand them, respond effectively and reduce the ways emotional intensity can take over.
Build your skills toolbox.Learning a new response does not mean your previous response was a failure. It means you are expanding the options available to you.
The four core DBT skill areas.
Each area supports a different part of emotional and relational life. Your therapist may focus on selected skills according to your goals and needs.
Mindfulness
Notice the present moment with greater awareness and less automatic judgment.
Distress Tolerance
Move through a crisis or intense moment without making the situation more harmful.
Emotion Regulation
Understand emotions, reduce vulnerability and choose actions that support longer term wellbeing.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Communicate needs, protect self respect, set boundaries and care for important relationships.
Skills can become steadier with practice.
A skill may feel awkward when it is new. Therapy offers a place to understand when to use it, adapt it to your life and review what happened without shame.
Progress may look like noticing emotion earlier, recovering more quickly, communicating more clearly or making one safer choice during a very difficult moment.
What DBT informed therapy may support.
Your clinician will assess which skills and therapeutic approaches fit your needs, goals and current level of support.
Intense Emotions
Recognize emotional patterns and build responses that reduce impulsive or harmful consequences.
Explore Anxiety SupportDepression and Hopelessness
Support crisis coping, activation, self compassion and actions connected with a meaningful life.
Explore Depression SupportTrauma Responses
Build stabilization and regulation skills that may support safety before or alongside trauma processing.
Explore Trauma SupportRelationship Conflict
Practise clear requests, boundaries, listening and ways to balance your needs with connection.
Explore Relationship SupportParenting Stress
Use regulation, mindfulness and communication skills during demanding family moments.
Explore Parenting SupportChronic Pain and Distress
Develop ways to respond to intense sensations, difficult emotions and limits with greater flexibility.
Explore Chronic Pain SupportWhat DBT informed therapy may look like.
Sessions can combine understanding, practice and reflection. The process is adapted to your concerns and the therapist’s scope.
Clarify what is happening
Explore emotions, triggers, actions, consequences, strengths and what you want to change.
Map the sequence
Understand the events, thoughts, sensations and vulnerabilities surrounding a difficult response.
Learn and rehearse skills
Choose practical strategies, practise them together and plan how to use them outside therapy.
Review with curiosity
Notice what helped, identify barriers and adjust the plan without turning setbacks into judgment.
DBT skills and comprehensive DBT are not the same service.
Comprehensive DBT is a structured program that commonly includes individual therapy, skills training, support between sessions and a clinician consultation team.
A therapist may instead integrate DBT skills or DBT informed strategies into individual, couples or family therapy. Ask your clinician what they provide so you understand the format and level of support available.
Finding DBT support that fits.
Ask about the therapist’s DBT training, how they use the approach and whether they offer comprehensive DBT or integrate selected skills within psychotherapy.
Discuss your goals and the level of structure or support you need.
Ask whether sessions include practice, worksheets or activities between appointments.
Confirm age ranges, fees, availability and virtual or in person options.
Questions about DBT.
No. DBT was first developed for severe emotion dysregulation and suicidal behaviour. DBT skills are now used with a range of concerns when mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation or relationship skills may help.
Clinicians at TGI may integrate DBT skills within psychotherapy. Comprehensive DBT has several required components, so review the selected clinician’s profile and ask directly about the format they provide.
Possibly. DBT often includes practising skills between sessions. Your therapist may suggest tracking, worksheets or real life practice according to the way they provide treatment.
Yes, when clinically appropriate. DBT skills may support stabilization, coping and communication before or alongside approaches such as EMDR, Brainspotting or Parts Work.
This website and routine therapy booking are not emergency services. If someone is in immediate danger, contact 911 or the appropriate local emergency service. In Canada, call or text 988 for suicide crisis support.