Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behaviour therapy, or DBT, combines individual work with learning skills for intense emotions, conflicts, and urges. It is used with people experiencing serious difficulties managing emotions, including some who self-harm. It brings together acknowledging your experience and working to change harmful behaviours.

A full program involves more than an hour of talking each week. Attendance, recording what happens, and practicing new responses can require a substantial commitment when daily life already feels difficult.

By questionnaire

Assessment and agreed goals come first. A full program typically includes individual appointments, a skills group, and between-session coaching with defined rules. Practice addresses distress, asking for help, and handling relationships. Treatment can extend over months.

Between-session support doesn't necessarily mean someone is available at any hour, and it doesn't replace emergency care. Establish what contact the program actually offers and what to do in a crisis before relying on it.

Ask your mental health team about DBT programs or contact a specialist service. Find out whether it provides comprehensive DBT or a skills group alone, who coordinates your care, and what experience the team has with difficulties like yours.

A workshop using DBT exercises may not include individual treatment or between-session support. Scheduling, travel, and fees can make sustained attendance difficult. Ask for the full commitment before enrolling.