DBT in Orange County, CA
Online therapy for DBT in California and Florida
Learn to regulate your emotions and develop healthy relationships
You don’t have to suffer from up and down emotions anymore
Are you someone who…
Feels like you are on a rollercoaster of emotions
Finds that it is much harder to get over things that it is for others
Constantly worries that others do not care about you and will abandon you eventually
Accidentally pushes others away when you really want closeness
Finds your brain jumping around from thought to thought
Desperately desires coping skills
Finds it difficult to sustain long lasting relationships
What is DBT?
DBT stands for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. It is an evidenced-based therapy that is particularly effective in reducing emotional distress and improving relationships with self and others. It is a very hands-on, skills-based type of therapy that focuses on four modules:
1) Mindfulness which helps you increase present moment awareness to reduce dwelling on the past and worrying about the future
2) Distress Tolerance which helps you tolerate distressing situations that may not be immediately fixable
3) Emotion Regulation which helps you improve awareness of your emotions and your ability to manage distressing emotions
4) Interpersonal Effectiveness which helps you improve your relationship with yourself and others by exploring healthy relationships and appropriate boundaries
You might be coming to therapy because you know you are struggling with managing emotions and you know it is affecting your relationships. You want deeper connections with others but find it difficult to navigate relationships especially when there is discord and misunderstandings.
This type of therapy is so helpful because it really provides clear tools on how to regulate emotions, understand what led to problematic behaviors, repair relationships, be more present focused, learn how to set and maintain appropriate boundaries, and learn how to cope with distress.
DBT includes handouts so that you can walk away with an understanding of how to use the coping skills (in case you forget some of it in the session). DBT also includes worksheets that you can fill out as you apply this skill to whatever difficulty you are facing.
This type of therapy is very skills based and includes handouts and worksheets.
I provide DBT only in individual therapy though DBT is often provided in a group setting. I prefer to provide these skills in individual therapy so that the skill is really tailored to whatever is going on for YOU. I have a wonderful person to refer you to if you are also seeking to participate in DBT Group Therapy.
If you are seeking DBT skills, we often start the session with a problem that you are wanting to address and then I reach into my magic toolbox of DBT skills and get started with teaching you this skill and applying it to address whatever problem you are facing.
Sometimes these skills will focus on solving the problem but some will help with acceptance of the problem. After all, not all problems are solvable and so we need to be able to sit and tolerate upsetting feelings at times. Being able to hold space for uncomfortable feelings is a superpower!
Following the teaching of this skill, I will often assign homework to apply the use of this skill to whatever is bothering you. As you become more robust and confident in your skills, you will find yourself using then more frequently in situations in between appointments.
What DBT can do for you…
Improve ability to regulate emotions
Establish and maintain healthy relationships with self and others
Experience more present moment awareness rather than be paralyzed by the past or worried about the future
Confidence in being able to manage distressing moments in life without resorting to behaviors you feel ashamed of
Through DBT skills, you can develop the life you desire
FAQs
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In working with me, the fee remains the same if you are seeking DBT or EMDR or another modality. That fee is $190 per 50 minute session.
DBT full model includes group therapy and individual therapy and is much more intensive. For this reason, DBT full model is often considered pricey given the hours of therapy you would experience per week.
I provide DBT in individual therapy and am not considered “full model” however I am able to refer you to a DBT group that is run by a therapist I trust. I prefer doing DBT in individual therapy where I can teach the skills most pertinent to you at a pace that is tailored to you.
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Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
Many of my clients have remarked that these seem like life skills and they often wished they had learned them earlier at school or at home.
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There is some overlap between DBT and CBT however DBT includes more.
CBT focused on becoming aware that your thoughts about a situation contribute to how you feel about a situation and then lead you to behave in a particular way which may produce positive or negative consequences. CBT is ALL about how you think.
However, with DBT, there is some focus on how your thoughts shape your feelings but it also includes mindfulness skills, skills to tolerate distress and skills for how to navigate relationships. This includes how to make requests, how to say no to unwanted requests, how to maintain relationships and how to maintain your self respect.
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DBT is most notably used for those who have Borderline Personality Disorder however it has been determined that it is also helpful for a plethora of other disorders such as:
Depression
Anxiety
PTSD
Eating Disorders
Substance Use Disorders
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DBT is excellent for providing you with tools and skills to navigate regulating emotions and managing relationships. However, some criticism for DBT is that it does not address the root of the issue that caused the difficulties you experience (i.e. trauma).
DBT can be an excellent way to help you learn tools to manage emotions, distress, and relationships so that you can then do the deeper work of processing and healing from trauma through a trauma therapy such as EMDR.