When Knowing What to Do Doesn’t Make It Easier to Do It
DBT-Informed Therapy for Emotional Regulation in Western Washington
What is DBT?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an approach designed to help you navigate intense emotions, difficult relationships, and moments when it feels hard to stay grounded or in control of your choices. Developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan to support Borderline Personality patterns, DBT combines practical skills with mindfulness and self-awareness to help you understand what’s happening in the moment and respond in ways that create less suffering for you and the people around you.
DBT is built around four core areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills can help you notice what's happening before you react, get through overwhelming moments without making things harder, understand and work with your emotions, communicate your needs, and navigate relationships while staying connected to yourself.
In my work, I integrate DBT skills alongside somatic therapy, attachment-based approaches, and nervous system regulation. This allows us to work not only with what you're thinking and feeling, but also with what's happening in your body. You don't have to choose between understanding why you respond the way you do and learning practical tools for what to do when it happens.
DBT isn't about getting rid of your emotions or becoming less sensitive. It's about building the capacity to experience what you're feeling while having more choices about what you do next.
You can build more choice into the moments when emotions get intense, without losing yourself in them.
How Can it help me?
Build practical skills for navigating intense emotions, difficult moments, and relationships with greater choice and self-trust.
DBT skills give you practical tools for the moments when insight alone isn't enough. Together, we'll explore what happens when emotions become intense and build skills that help you pause, stay grounded, tolerate difficult feelings, and make choices that are more aligned with what you actually want.
Mindfulness can help you notice what's happening in your thoughts, emotions, and body without immediately getting swept away by it. Distress tolerance gives you tools for getting through overwhelming moments without making things harder for yourself. Emotion regulation helps you better understand your emotions, recognize what influences them, and build more capacity to move through them. And interpersonal effectiveness helps you communicate your needs, set boundaries, navigate conflict, and stay connected to yourself in your relationships.
I integrate these DBT skills with somatic therapy, attachment-based work, and nervous system regulation. That means we're not just learning what you should do when you're overwhelmed- we're paying attention to what makes those moments difficult in the first place and practicing skills in ways that make sense for your particular nervous system and lived experience.
The goal isn't to become less emotional or to control yourself perfectly. It's to have more choices available to you when emotions are intense, so you can respond in ways that feel more intentional, compassionate, and true to who you are.
DBT Skills can help with…
Manage intense emotions without feeling completely overwhelmed by them
Get through difficult moments without reacting in ways you may later regret
Communicate your needs and boundaries while staying connected to yourself
Build more self-trust and confidence in your ability to handle hard moments
Frequently asked questions about DBT-Informed therapy
FAQs
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Not at all. DBT skills can be helpful for anyone who wants more support navigating intense emotions, impulsive reactions, difficult relationships, or overwhelming moments. You don't need a particular diagnosis to benefit from learning skills that help you create more choice in how you respond. Learn more.
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Comprehensive DBT typically includes several coordinated components, such as individual therapy, skills training, phone coaching, and therapist consultation. My work is different: I draw from DBT skills and integrate them into individual & group therapy alongside somatic, attachment-based, and nervous-system-focused approaches. This allows us to tailor the work to your specific needs rather than following a standardized DBT program. Learn more.
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That's actually a really common experience. Knowing a skill and being able to access it when your nervous system is overwhelmed aren't always the same thing. We can explore what's getting in the way and practice skills in ways that take your body, nervous system, patterns, and real-life circumstances into account. Learn more.