Dialectical Behavior Therapy

One of the primary goals of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is to “Create a Life Worth Living” by bringing our life into balance. It offers ways to bring balance to our emotions, thoughts, activities, and relationships.

Dialectical Behavior therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapeutic approach that has been proven effective for helping those who experience intense emotional distress, engage in impulsive maladaptive coping behaviors, have difficulty maintaining stable interpersonal relationships, and struggle with their self-image. DBT teaches strategies to regulate and manage emotions, tolerate emotional distress, develop healthy coping behaviors, improve interpersonal communication, and gain insight through mindfulness. DBT has been extensively researched as an effective treatment for a wide range of mental health issues including Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, self-harming behaviors, and more.

I completed Foundational Training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy in 2013 through Behavioral Tech, the institute founded by Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT. I practiced for 5 years as a DBT therapist in an Intensive Outpatient DBT program that adhered to Linehan’s treatment model and met rigorous standards for State-certification by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MN DHS). In this program I provided Individual DBT Therapy for clients, facilitated DBT Therapy Skills Training Groups, and offered Telephone Coaching Calls for clients in distress. This program provided continual opportunities for improving proficiency in DBT therapy through weekly case consultations, advanced training workshops, and direct supervision with DBT-certified consultants. In 2015, I was promoted by my agency to the role of DBT Team Leader and Coordinator which included serving as the liaison with the MN DHS, renewing and maintaining State-certification, ensuring adherence to Linehan’s DBT model, and providing supervision for DBT team therapists. After moving to Guelph, Ontario in 2018, I continued to provide DBT Therapy at Homewood Health Centre in the Comprehensive Psychiatric Care (CPC) Unit and Program for Traumatic Stress Recovery (PTSR) Unit.

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