Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)?

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on helping individuals manage intense emotions and build healthier relationships. Originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT has since been adapted for other mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

How Does DBT Work?

DBT combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices. It is structured around four core skills:

  • Mindfulness: Learning to be present in the moment and fully aware of thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.
  • Distress Tolerance: Building skills to tolerate pain or distressing situations without engaging in harmful behaviors.
  • Emotion Regulation: Learning how to manage and change intense emotions that are causing problems.
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness: Improving communication and relationship skills to maintain healthy boundaries and reduce conflict.

Benefits of DBT

DBT has been shown to be highly effective in reducing self-destructive behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and fostering healthier relationships. Some key benefits include:

  • Increased emotional stability and self-awareness.
  • Better coping mechanisms for dealing with distress.
  • Improved relationships and communication skills.
  • Reduced impulsive or self-destructive behaviors.

What to Expect in DBT Sessions

DBT is typically delivered in a combination of individual therapy sessions and group skills training. Individual sessions focus on addressing personal challenges, while group sessions teach specific DBT skills that can be applied in everyday life. Homework and practice outside of sessions are essential components of the therapy.

Is DBT Right for You?

If you struggle with managing emotions, maintaining relationships, or engaging in self-harming behaviors, DBT may provide the skills you need to lead a more balanced and fulfilling life. Consulting with a DBT-trained therapist can help determine if this approach is right for you.

Therapists in Brighton & Hove

Browse our verified therapists — many work across a range of approaches and may be able to help.

Andy Wolage Brighton

Andy Wolage

Therapeutic Counsellor

Sometimes life is really hard. Everything feels like too much. We can get overwhelmed with guilt for not coping, shame for having failed in the past and sometimes we can end up not really liking ourselves very much. We might self medicate with substances or other behaviours which we know don't really help, but they seem better than nothing. But they just perpetuate the cycle. I can offer you a safe, non-judgemental and confidential space to organise and reframe those overwhelming feelings and see the wood for the trees. I can help you understand yourself better and to begin to look in the mirror and like what you see. 

BACPRegisteredNCPSAccredited

Tony Austin Brighton

Tony Austin

Integrative psychotherapist

Common feelings such as anxiety, a lack of self-worth or sadness colour our experience and often leave us feeling we have lost our way. Sometimes we can feel like our own worst enemy, giving ourselves a hard time because others can manage, so why can’t I?I chose to train as a psychotherapist after being in therapy myself. Through the process of talking with a skilled therapist I was able to reflect on how my past had shaped my present, understand myself better, value myself more and create a happier, more fulfilled life and I want to help others do the same. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than having a client say they feel “unburdened” at the end of a session or, at their final session, seeing them leave with greater confidence ready to make the changes necessary to create the life they want.After completing my training as a counsellor at Lambeth College, I worked for an NHS counselling service in West London. I helped many clients dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship breakdown and many other common issues and seeing so many people find positive solutions fuelled my passion for therapy and I would like to help you.  I believe everyone deserves to be heard and with the right support can create positive, lasting change. Through our work together, I can help you reduce anxiety, rebuild your confidence, learn how to recognise unhelpful habits such as “people pleasing”, or “self-sabotage” and create better relationships with yourself and others.If you want to learn more about how counselling can help you, get in touch through the link at the bottom of this page and take the first step to happier, more fulfilling life.

BACPAccredited

Joanna Miller Brighton

Joanna Miller

Integrative Psychotherapist

I’m an accredited psychotherapist with 15 years experience.I believe that the counselling relationship should be a creative space for both parties. It should feel comfortable and open enough to be free from anxiety and pressure in which new perspectives can emerge. In my view most mental activity takes place below the level of conscious awareness and my role is to help people gain access to it and insights from it.As an accredited therapist I am affiliated with several private healthcare companies including BUPA and AXA. I have an up-to-date DBS certificate which is registered on the update service. As well as working with individual adults, including trainee therapists, I have many years' experience working with children, couples and families. I have been a university counsellor so have a lot of experience working with students and young people and have also worked in secondary schools.  

BACPAccredited

Gabrielle Lake Mitchell Brighton

Gabrielle Lake Mitchell

Integrative Counsellor

Thinking about starting counselling and looking for a counsellor, can feel daunting. So I warmly welcome you to my profile and hope that you get in touch to see if I am the right counsellor for you. There are many reasons why people seek counselling. Perhaps you are feeling lonely or disconnected from the people around you? Perhaps you would like to talk to someone about making changes in your life? Maybe you are feeling stuck, anxious or depressed, and would like a little extra support to help you through a difficult time? Perhaps you can't quite put your finger on what is wrong, and would like somewhere to express yourself and make sense of your thoughts and feelings?Whatever brings you to counselling, I will endeavour to offer you a confidential and safe space, where you can talk and explore all of your thoughts and feelings, and express them freely without judgement or opinion. Counselling can be useful in helping you to gain insight and a fresh perspective. It can help you to gain understanding about yourself and others, or help to make sense of a problematic situation. It can help you move towards acceptance, emotional freedom and healthy psychological growth.

BACPRegistered

Ayesha Daly Brighton

Ayesha Daly

Humanistic Integrative Counsellor

​I am an experienced Humanistic counsellor practising in Lewes and Brighton, East Sussex and believe everyone has the capacity to heal and move forward. I understand how difficult starting counselling can be and will hope to answer any queries you have. For me therapy has been incredibly important, healing and rewarding. As a counsellor I hope to offer you what I have gained.

BACPAccredited

Joana Miranda Brighton

Joana Miranda

Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

I am a qualified counsellor offering online and face to face sessions in Brighton (Kemptown), with an interest in supporting women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. My personal experiences of stress and anxiety have given me an understanding of how incapacitating it can be when life feels overwhelming, your mind won't shut up, and you find yourself putting pressure on yourself to stay afloat. Alongside my professional training, these experiences have shaped my warm and non-judgemental approach to counselling. I believe that having a space where you can be truly heard, without judgement or expectations, can make a difference. Whether you are struggling with anxiety or stress, feeling indecisive, lacking self confidence, navigating relationships or simply feeling that something fundamental needs to change, counselling can give you an opportunity to press pause and come home to yourself. I have a particular interest in mindfulness and meditation, and in how these practices can support greater awareness, calm and connection in everyday life. These interests naturally form part of my approach, alongside my counselling training and experience.

NCPSAccredited


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