Dialectical Behavior Therapy Online DBT Therapy
Virtual dialectical behavior therapy that meets you where you are, blending acceptance with change to build practical skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a skills-based form of cognitive behavioral therapy developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., for people who experience emotions very intensely. The word “dialectical” refers to balancing two ideas that seem opposite: acceptance and change. Online DBT therapy delivers the same approach over secure video.
DBT recognizes that some people are more emotionally sensitive and reactive than others. Rather than treating intense emotions as a flaw to be fixed, it teaches skills to manage them while you work toward meaningful change. If busy, loud, or crowded settings also leave you overwhelmed, our article on sensory overload in adults may help.
The central dialectic of DBT is: “I am doing the best I can, AND I need to do better.” Holding acceptance and motivation for change at the same time is what makes DBT helpful for many people who have struggled with other approaches.
DBT Skills: The Four Core Modules
DBT is built around four skill modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Together they help you stay present, get through a crisis without making it worse, understand and shift emotional reactions, and ask for what you need in relationships.
Skills are practiced between sessions so they become usable in daily life, not only in the therapy room. Mindfulness is also offered at Reconnect as a mindfulness-based therapy in its own right.
- Mindfulness — The foundation of all DBT skills. Learning to be fully present, observe experiences without judgment, and participate effectively in the current moment rather than being pulled into past regrets or future worries.
- Distress Tolerance — Building the capacity to endure painful emotions and crises without making them worse. Techniques include self-soothing, radical acceptance, TIPP skills, and crisis survival strategies.
- Emotion Regulation — Understanding and managing intense emotions. Skills include identifying and labeling emotions, reducing emotional vulnerability, increasing positive emotional experiences, and applying opposite action.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness — Navigating relationships skillfully — asking for what you need, saying no, and maintaining self-respect while preserving important relationships. Includes DEAR MAN, GIVE, and FAST frameworks.
Benefits of DBT Therapy
DBT has been evaluated in many randomized controlled trials. It was first developed for people with borderline personality disorder and chronic suicidal behavior, and it has since been adapted for other conditions that involve intense, hard-to-manage emotions.
Studies have found that DBT can reduce self-harm and suicidal behavior, lower the need for psychiatric hospitalization, and improve emotional regulation and quality of life for many people.
At Reconnect, DBT skills can be paired with trauma-focused care, so you can build emotional regulation capacity while also processing underlying trauma through complementary therapies like EMDR and somatic therapy.
- Acceptance — Validating your experience and emotions as understandable given your history and current circumstances.
- Change — Developing concrete skills and strategies to modify behaviors and emotional responses that are no longer serving you.
- Dialectical Thinking — Holding multiple truths simultaneously, moving away from black-and-white thinking toward nuance and flexibility.
- Skills Practice — Consistent practice of DBT skills in daily life, so healthier responses become more automatic over time.
Conditions Treated with DBT
DBT is often used to help people who struggle with intense emotions and self-regulation.
Emotional Dysregulation
DBT helps in identifying and managing overwhelming emotions, fostering healthier coping mechanisms.
Learn MoreDepression
Our DBT framework encourages active engagement, challenging negative thought patterns and increasing emotional resilience.
Learn MoreAnxiety
Through mindfulness and distress tolerance approaches, DBT reduces anxious symptoms and develops long-term skills for anxiety management.
Learn MoreCo-Occurring Disorders
Integrated care addresses complex presentations, unifying DBT techniques with therapies like EMDR and Somatic Therapy to promote comprehensive healing.
Learn MorePTSD & Trauma
DBT skills can help stabilize intense emotions, and they can be combined with trauma-focused therapies when you are ready to process painful memories.
Learn MoreBorderline Personality Disorder
DBT was originally developed for BPD and remains one of its most widely studied treatments. Read how BPD differs from dissociative identity disorder.
Learn MoreOnline DBT Therapy: How It Compares to In-Person
Online DBT delivers the same structure as traditional dialectical behavior therapy, without the barriers of transportation, scheduling conflicts, or geography. Many clients find virtual sessions easier to fit into daily life, and published studies of DBT delivered by video have been encouraging.
- Same Evidence Base — Structured skills training, individual therapy, and diary cards — delivered through secure HIPAA-compliant video.
- Reduced Barriers — No commute, easier scheduling, and access from anywhere in California.
- Privacy & Comfort — Engage in treatment from a private, familiar space where you feel safe.
- Skill Generalization — Practice new skills in the environment where you actually live — at home, not in a clinic.
Your DBT Journey at Reconnect
DBT at Reconnect begins with a thorough clinical evaluation to understand your symptoms, history, and goals. From there, we build a personalized plan that can include individual sessions, skills training, and between-session practice.
Because intense emotions are often rooted in past trauma, our trauma-informed clinicians can pair DBT with trauma-focused therapies such as EMDR, Brainspotting, and somatic therapy when that fits your plan.
If you need more support than weekly sessions, we can talk with you about our virtual intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs.
- Initial Evaluation — A collaborative intake to assess symptoms, treatment history, and therapeutic goals.
- Individual Therapy — Weekly one-on-one sessions focused on applying DBT skills to the challenges you face.
- Skills Training — Structured work on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Between-Session Practice — Support in using new skills in daily life, especially when emotions run high.
Related Therapies & Programs
CBT
Structured cognitive behavioral therapy for changing unhelpful thought and behavior patterns.
Learn MoreEMDR Therapy
A trauma-focused therapy that uses bilateral stimulation to help reprocess distressing memories.
Learn MoreSomatic Therapy
Body-based approaches that help release stress held in the nervous system.
Learn MoreEmotional Dysregulation
How we treat intense, fast-shifting emotions that feel hard to control.
Learn MoreVirtual IOP
Intensive outpatient care that fits around work, school, and family commitments.
Learn MoreVirtual Outpatient
Weekly individual therapy over secure video.
Learn MoreOnline DBT Therapy: Frequently Asked Questions
Virtual DBT delivers the same structured dialectical behavior therapy you would receive in person, just over secure video. Here at Reconnect Center, that typically includes individual therapy and skills training so you can practice emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness from wherever you feel most comfortable.
Virtual DBT can help adults working through intense emotions, mood swings, self-harm urges, relationship difficulties, or conditions such as borderline personality disorder, anxiety, and depression. During an initial assessment we review your history and current needs to confirm that an outpatient virtual program is appropriate, or recommend a higher level of care if that would serve you better.
Most clients take part in weekly individual sessions, a DBT skills component covering the four core modules, and between-session skill practice. Your clinician tailors the structure to your goals so the work feels practical and connected to your daily life.
You will need a private space, a reliable internet connection, and a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera. We use a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform, and our team will walk you through setup before your first session.
Yes. Sessions take place on an encrypted, HIPAA-compliant platform, and the same confidentiality protections that apply to in-person therapy apply to your virtual care.
Many insurance plans cover telehealth therapy, though coverage varies by plan. We are happy to verify your benefits before you begin so you have a clear picture of any costs.
DBT is a skills-based therapy, and length varies from person to person depending on your goals and progress. Your clinician will review a recommended timeline with you and revisit it together as you move forward.
DBT teaches four skill modules: mindfulness (staying present without judgment), distress tolerance (getting through a crisis without making it worse), emotion regulation (understanding and changing emotional reactions), and interpersonal effectiveness (asking for what you need while keeping relationships and self-respect).
DBT grew out of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. DBT keeps that focus on change but adds acceptance and mindfulness, and teaches specific skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and relationships. DBT is often chosen when emotions feel intense or overwhelming.
DBT skills workbooks and apps can help you learn and practice individual skills. Full DBT, however, is designed to combine skills learning with a therapist who helps you apply the skills to your own situations. If you are dealing with self-harm urges, suicidal thoughts, or frequent crises, work with a qualified clinician rather than on your own.
No single therapy is right for everyone. Someone in immediate danger needs emergency or crisis care first, and some people are better served by a different therapy or a higher level of care. During your assessment, your clinician will talk with you about whether DBT fits your goals.
They do different jobs. DBT builds skills for managing intense emotions and crises, while EMDR is a trauma-processing therapy that helps the brain reprocess distressing memories. For some people with a trauma history, building emotional regulation skills first makes later trauma processing feel more manageable. Your clinician can help you decide on the order and combination that fits you.
Dr. Karol Darsa,
Psy.D. · Last reviewed April 2026
Dr. Darsa is a licensed clinical psychologist with 28 years of clinical experience in trauma and mental health treatment. She is the founder of Reconnect Center and the creator of the Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment Model (RITTM). A certified Brainspotting therapist with advanced EMDR training and extensive Somatic Experiencing training, Dr. Darsa lectures on trauma treatment at USC, UCLA, and Cal Lutheran, and oversees clinical standards across all of Reconnect's virtual care.
Build Skills That Last
DBT gives you practical tools for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and healthy relationships.
