When emotions feel overwhelming and relationships seem impossible, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers practical skills to help you regulate your feelings, tolerate distress, and build the life you want. At Better Lives Building Tribes, we provide comprehensive DBT that empowers you to balance acceptance and change.

What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence-based treatment originally developed for individuals with intense emotional experiences and self-destructive behaviors. The term “dialectical” refers to balancing opposites, the central principle in DBT being the acceptance of yourself as you are while simultaneously working toward change.

DBT recognizes that some people experience emotions more intensely than others, their emotional reactions rising faster, reaching higher peaks, and taking longer to return to baseline. This isn’t a character flaw or weakness but rather a different nervous system wiring that requires specific skills to navigate effectively.

Who Benefits from DBT?

While DBT was initially created for borderline personality disorder, research has proven its effectiveness for a wide range of mental health challenges. You might benefit from DBT if you struggle with:

• Intense emotions that feel uncontrollable or overwhelming
• Impulsive behaviors you later regret
• Self-harm urges or suicidal thoughts
• Unstable relationships marked by fear of abandonment
• Chronic feelings of emptiness or identity confusion
• Difficulty managing anger or other strong emotions
• Eating disorders or substance use concerns
• Post-traumatic stress symptoms
• Depression with emotional dysregulation

DBT is particularly powerful for individuals who’ve tried traditional talk therapy without significant improvement. If you often feel misunderstood, invalidated, or like you’re “too much” for others, DBT offers both skills and compassionate understanding.

The Four Pillars of DBT Skills

DBT teaches concrete, practical skills organized into four core modules:

1. Mindfulness
Mindfulness forms the foundation of DBT, teaching you to stay present in the current moment rather than ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. You’ll learn to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment, creating space between stimulus and response. This awareness allows you to choose skillful actions rather than reacting automatically.

Mindfulness skills include:

• Observing your inner and outer experience without attaching to it
• Describing what you notice in factual terms rather than interpretations
• Participating fully in the present moment
• Taking a non-judgmental stance toward yourself and others
• Focusing on one thing at a time (one-mindfully)
• Doing what works in each situation (effectiveness)

2. Distress Tolerance
Life inevitably brings painful situations you cannot immediately change or fix. Distress tolerance skills help you survive crisis moments without making things worse through impulsive or destructive actions.

You’ll learn techniques to:

• Self-soothe using your five senses
• Improve the moment through imagery, meaning, prayer, or relaxation
• Distract yourself effectively when emotions are too intense to address directly
• Accept reality through radical acceptance rather than fighting what is
• Weigh pros and cons before acting on urges
• Practice TIPP skills (Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Progressive muscle relaxation) to change your body chemistry quickly

3. Emotion Regulation
These skills help you understand, name, and manage your emotional experiences rather than being controlled by them. You’ll learn why emotions exist, what function they serve, and how to work with them skillfully.

Emotion regulation includes:

• Identifying and labeling emotions accurately
• Understanding the function and message of each emotion
• Reducing vulnerability to intense emotions through self-care (PLEASE skills: treating Physical illness, balanced Eating, avoiding mood-altering substances, balanced Sleep, Exercise)
• Increasing positive emotional experiences
• Applying opposite action when emotions don’t fit the facts
• Building mastery and accomplishment

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Relationships become easier when you can ask for what you need, say no when necessary, and manage conflicts without damaging connections. These skills teach you to maintain self-respect while navigating relationship challenges.

You’ll practice:

• DEAR MAN skills for assertive requests (Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, stay Mindful, Appear confident, Negotiate)
• GIVE skills for maintaining relationships (be Gentle, act Interested, Validate, use an Easy manner)
• FAST skills for self-respect (be Fair, no Apologies, Stick to values, be Truthful)
• Balancing priorities in relationships and knowing which skills to prioritize when

The DBT Structure at Better Lives Building Tribes

Comprehensive DBT traditionally includes individual therapy, skills training group, phone coaching, and therapist consultation team. At Better Lives Building Tribes, we adapt this structure to meet your needs while maintaining DBT’s core effectiveness.

Your DBT treatment includes:

Individual Therapy Sessions: Weekly one-on-one sessions with Dr. Meaghan Rice where you’ll apply DBT skills to your specific life challenges, work through stuck points, and address therapy-interfering behaviors. These sessions provide personalized support for your unique situation.

Skills Training: Systematic teaching and practice of all four DBT skill modules. While traditional DBT uses group skills training, we can adapt to individual skills coaching depending on your preference and needs.

Between-Session Support: Access to skills coaching as needed to help you apply DBT tools in real-world moments. This support helps bridge the gap between learning skills and actually using them when emotions run high.

Progress Tracking: Regular monitoring of target behaviors, skill use, and wellbeing helps you see concrete evidence of growth and identifies areas needing additional focus.

What to Expect in DBT Treatment

DBT is structured and requires active participation. You’ll complete diary cards tracking your emotions, urges, and skill use between sessions. Think of DBT less like traditional therapy and more like taking a skills course where you practice new tools daily.

The full DBT curriculum typically takes 24 to 32 weeks to complete, cycling through each skill module twice. However, many people continue using DBT principles long after formal treatment ends, as the skills become a sustainable way of living.

Early in treatment, you might feel frustrated as you learn skills but haven’t yet mastered applying them under stress. This is normal and temporary. With consistent practice, skills become automatic, your emotional intensity decreases, and life becomes more manageable.

The Science Behind DBT’s Effectiveness

Extensive research demonstrates DBT’s effectiveness. Studies show DBT significantly reduces:

• Self-harm and suicidal behaviors
• Psychiatric hospitalizations
• Emergency room visits
• Substance use
• Eating disorder behaviors
• Dropout rates from treatment

DBT also improves quality of life, emotional regulation, and interpersonal functioning. Its effectiveness stems from providing both validation (you make sense, your struggles are understandable) and change strategies (here are tools to build the life you want).

Why Choose DBT at Better Lives Building Tribes?

Dr. Meaghan Rice brings specialized training in DBT with deep understanding of emotional intensity and the behaviors it drives. We provide comprehensive, principle-adherent DBT adapted to your circumstances and delivered with genuine compassion.

Our approach recognizes that struggling with intense emotions doesn’t mean something is wrong with you; it means you need specific skills you may not have learned earlier in life. We meet you with validation and practical tools, never judgment.

Start Building Your Skills Today

If you’re exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster, if relationships feel impossible, if you act in ways you regret when feelings overwhelm you, DBT can help. These skills are learnable, and life can feel different.

You don’t have to master everything at once. DBT teaches you one skill at a time, practiced until it becomes second nature. Small changes compound into life transformation.

Contact Better Lives Building Tribes to begin your DBT journey with Dr. Meaghan Rice. We’ll assess your needs, explain exactly what DBT involves, and create a treatment plan tailored to your goals.

Available through secure telehealth for clients in Colorado and Arizona.