The simple answer:

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, commonly referred to as DBT, is like having a personal coach for your emotions. It helps you learn new ways to handle strong or overwhelming feelings, like anger, betrayal, fear or sadness, without feeling out of control. DBT teaches you to navigate life’s challenging moments by incorporating emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness and relationship skills. It's all about finding a middle ground between accepting yourself and making positive changes that help you build a life worth living. DBT was developed as a therapy intervention for individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and is highly effective for this particular diagnosis. However, DBT has been found to be a beneficial form of therapy for many struggles including anxiety, addiction, depression, bipolar disorder, and much more. 

The more clinical answer, for us psychology nerds (I see you!): 

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that was originally developed to treat individuals struggling with emotional dysregulation, particularly those with borderline personality disorder (BPD). It combines principles of cognitive therapy with techniques from mindfulness practice. DBT focuses on helping individuals develop skills in four main areas:

• Emotion Regulation: Teaching clients how to identify, understand, validate and manage their emotions in healthy and effective ways.

• Distress Tolerance: Providing strategies for coping with intense emotions and distressing situations without resorting to harmful behaviors. Distress tolerance isn’t about avoiding distressing situations, it is learning how to tolerate the distress without making the situation worse.

• Interpersonal Effectiveness: Essentially, how to make relationships more effective, healthier, and positive for everyone involved. Improving communication and relationship skills, including assertiveness, setting boundaries, mutual validation and conflict resolution.

• Mindfulness: Cultivating present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

DBT is characterized by its dialectical approach. A dialectical situation is when two opposites both exist at the same time. Therefore, this dialectical approach emphasizes finding a middle ground or balance between acceptance and change. Therapists validate clients' experiences while also encouraging them to make positive changes toward more effective and adaptive behaviors. Thanks to DBT’s structured, collaborative and goal-oriented nature, it has been shown to be an effective therapy not only for individuals with BPD but also for those with mood disorders, self-harm behaviors, trauma, substance abuse issues, eating disorders, and other mental health concerns. Therapists trained in DBT provide a supportive environment where clients learn to manage intense emotions, navigate interpersonal conflicts, and develop a greater sense of self-awareness and resilience.