DBT Program

Yes, you can continue seeing your current therapist while participating in our DBT skills groups. Our DBT-informed option is designed to complement the ongoing therapy you receive, deepening your therapeutic journey without replacing the relationship you’ve built with your therapist.

The Lukin Center for Psychotherapy is an Out-of-Network Mental Health Provider. That will likely mean some out of pocket cost, but you’ll receive personalized treatment, tailored to your needs, from highly trained experts who are dedicated to helping you reach your goals. Read more about insurance at Lukin Center here.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a unique form of cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to help people who experience intense emotions. It combines traditional cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation with concepts of mindfulness, acceptance, and distress tolerance. This powerful combination makes DBT highly effective for treating a range of issues, particularly those related to emotional dysregulation like borderline personality disorder, depression, and anxiety.

Groups and individual therapy sessions are both attended weekly.

Our Comprehensive DBT program option includes phone coaching as part of your comprehensive DBT treatment. This means you can receive 1:1 guidance and support from your therapist between scheduled sessions, particularly when facing real-life challenges that require in-the-moment coping skills.

DBT is especially effective for people who have not found the relief they want from traditional therapy methods, as well as those dealing with complex emotional or behavioral issues. It's especially effective for people experiencing emotional dysregulation, relationship difficulties, impulse control issues, and self-harm behaviors.

DBT is special in its focus on practical skill-building in four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Unlike some therapies that focus more on insight and reflection, DBT is action-oriented and teaches specific skills that are practiced in daily life. DBT also emphasizes the balance between accepting reality and the need for change.

Full DBT Therapy is a comprehensive treatment model that includes all essential components of Dialectical Behavior Therapy as developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan; research has shown that engaging with all four modes of treatment together makes DBT especially effective. The four modes include weekly individual therapy sessions, weekly DBT skills groups, phone coaching to provide support in real-time situations, and a regularly meeting DBT consultation team to keep therapists centered. It’s an intensive, four-sided approach and is best suited for people who need structured support to manage severe or complex disorders.

DBT-informed therapy, on the other hand, incorporates DBT principles and techniques into therapy without adhering to the rigorous structure of traditional DBT. For example, you might attend DBT skills groups at Lukin Center while continuing to see your regular therapist, or you might see a Lukin Center therapist who incorporates some DBT principles into your sessions, without attending skill-building groups or accessing phone support. DBT-informed therapy works well for people who want to deepen their current treatment plan with DBT skills while maintaining their established treatment relationships.