DBT Skills in Therapy
Skills for slowing down a feeling that has started to take over.
Starting the Conversation
What Brings People to DBT Skills
DBT skills in individual therapy are often a good starting point for people who feel overwhelmed by big emotions or who react to situations in ways they later regret. A first session can begin with a description of a recent moment when a feeling felt bigger than the situation seemed to call for.
Your therapist will ask about patterns in how you respond to stress, conflict, or disappointment, and you can describe what you have already tried. This is individual work between you and your therapist, built around your own situation.
A DBT-Informed Approach
How DBT Skills Are Used in Sessions
Sessions are DBT-informed, meaning your therapist draws on DBT skills and concepts within your individual therapy rather than a separate structured program. You and your therapist can talk through which skills seem most relevant to what you are working on.
This might include noticing a feeling as it builds, naming it, and considering a response before acting on it. Your therapist explains each skill in plain terms and checks whether it fits how you actually experience a difficult moment.
Skill Areas
Skill Areas Covered in Sessions
DBT skills touch on several areas, and sessions can focus on whichever feels most relevant to you right now.
- Tolerating distress during a difficult moment
- Noticing and naming emotions as they happen
- Mindfulness: noticing the present moment without rushing to react
- Communicating more clearly in close relationships
Big Emotions
Working with Emotions That Feel Too Big
Many people come to this work because a feeling, such as anger, sadness, or panic, shows up quickly and strongly, making it hard to think clearly in the moment. DBT skills offer ways to slow that process down so you have more room to choose how you respond.
You and your therapist can look at specific recent moments together and consider what skill might have helped, then practice applying it to situations likely to come up again.
Relationships and Distress
Relationships and Everyday Distress Tolerance
DBT skills also apply to relationships, including moments when a disagreement leaves you feeling flooded. Your therapist can help you consider how to stay present with someone while also tolerating your own discomfort in the moment.
These skills are discussed as they relate to your own relationships and daily life, not as a fixed curriculum. You can bring in a specific relationship or situation each week.
Meet Your Therapist
Therapists Who Use DBT Skills
A therapist on our team is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, California License #120707, and DBT is among the approaches this clinician uses in individual sessions.
A therapist on our team is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #144060. Registered associate. Provides services under the clinical supervision of a licensed clinician. Your therapist also uses DBT skills with clients working through big emotions and distress.
Where We Meet
Individual Sessions in Brentwood or by Video
DBT-informed individual therapy is offered at 191 Sand Creek Road, Suite 230, Brentwood, CA 94513, or by video while you are in California. Consider a private place where you could talk about emotions and relationships without interruption.
Session fees are shared during your free consultation. Major credit cards, FSA cards, and HSA cards are accepted for appointments. You can ask about payment when discussing individual care.
Next Step
Ask About a Free Phone Consultation
A free 15-minute phone consultation can cover individual therapy and DBT skills. Reach the practice at (925) 331-0457 or info@heartnmindcounseling.com. Keep email to general inquiries without clinical details. Ask which therapist is available and how to discuss the skills you are interested in.
Common Questions
Is This a Separate DBT Program?
No. This is DBT-informed individual therapy, where your therapist draws on DBT skills within your sessions rather than a separate structured program.
What Kinds of Situations Does This Help With?
Many people use these skills for big emotions, distress tolerance, staying present, and communicating more clearly in relationships.
Can I Ask About a Choice of Therapist?
You can request information about care with our therapists when discussing DBT-informed individual sessions.
