Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a gold standard, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy developed by Marsha M. Linehan to help people manage intense emotions, build healthier relationships, and create meaningful behavioral change. DBT combines practical skills training with acceptance-based strategies, teaching clients how to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, stay present through mindfulness, and communicate more effectively. 

Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, DBT is now widely used to support a range of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, trauma, eating disorders, and self-harm.

DBT skills are practical tools drawn from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that help people manage emotions, cope with distress, improve relationships, and stay present in the moment. They are grouped into four core areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, DBT skills are designed to be taught and practiced in everyday life, helping clients build healthier patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving over time.

DBT Skills can be integrated into other therapeutic approaches and can be used in a wide range of settings. They can be taught in ways that suit clinical styles and clients’ needs, making them practical tools for everyday therapy.

Marsha Linehan explains more about  four DBT skills in this free resource and in this Q&A Using DBT Skills in Session. 

Comprehensive DBT (also known as “standard” or “full model”) has four defining components:

The client receives:

• 1 session per week of individual therapy with a trained DBT therapist

• 1 session per week of group skills training

• Between session, after-hours phone coaching

AND

The therapist sits on a DBT consultation team that meets weekly.

Psychwire offers several DBT training options designed for different levels of experience and professional goals. If you’re looking for a broad introduction to DBT skills and practical strategies you can begin applying in session, a standalone DBT Skills Training course may be the best fit. 

We recommend starting with DBT Skills or DBT Skills for Adolescents and Families, then building your expertise with one of the applied skills courses - Applied DBT Skills for Trauma, Applied DBT Skills for Anger and Shame, Applied DBT Skills for Mood Disorders.

If you want comprehensive training aligned with the full treatment developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, including intensive instruction, consultation, and a pathway toward Linehan Board of Certification, the Comprehensive DBT Training Pathway is the recommended option. 

• DBT Foundational or DBT Foundational for Adolescents and Families provides a pathway for clinicians joining an established DBT consultation team, and for clinical services onboarding new team members as they build or strengthen a DBT team in a clinical setting.

• DBT Intensive is for health teams and systems wanting to implement comprehensive DBT. This program combines foundational training and expert consultation that supports teams to transition into functioning DBT consultation teams that operate with fidelity.   

• For individual clinicians who want to practice comprehensive DBT but are not part of a team or health system that offers DBT, the DBT Intensive Plus is the pathway designed for independent practitioners.

A DBT Skills course may be the best option for you. DBT Skills and DBT Skills for Adolescents and Families provide an introduction to DBT Skills. The applied skills courses

focus on how clinicians can incorporate DBT skills into their work to address specific problems that cross client populations, presenting problems, and diagnoses.

Annie McCall talks more about this in the Q&A Working Skillfully with Anger and Shame and Melanie Harned shares insights in Using DBT Skills to to Support Trauma Treatment.

You can also hear from Marsha Linehan Why Clients Need DBT Skills and Using DBT Skills in Session.

Yes. Psychwire’s Comprehensive DBT Training Pathway leads to certification through the Linehan Board of Certification, the internationally recognized certifying body for DBT. The pathway is designed to help clinicians build the knowledge, skills, and supervised practice required to pursue DBT certification with confidence. 

Please note that standalone DBT Skills Training courses do not lead to DBT certification on their own.