Dialectical Behavior Therapy
When Your Emotions Run You, DBT Gives You the Wheel Back
A proven approach that teaches practical skills for managing intense emotions, surviving crisis moments, and building relationships that actually work.
Feeling Everything at Full Volume Is Exhausting
Your emotions come fast and they come big. A small comment derails your entire day. You know your reaction is disproportionate — but you can't stop it. You've promised yourself you'd handle things differently, and then the moment comes and the old patterns take over.
This isn't a character flaw. For some people, the nervous system is simply wired to feel more intensely. That's biology. DBT doesn't try to make you feel less — it teaches you skills for living with the intensity without being controlled by it.
At Lotus Rose, we use DBT to help clients who struggle with emotional overwhelm, reactive patterns, and the relationships that suffer because of it.
The Four Skill Modules
What DBT Actually Teaches
DBT was developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan in the 1980s. Unlike therapies that focus mostly on insight, DBT is built around teaching concrete skills in four areas:
1. Mindfulness
The foundation of everything else. Learning to observe your thoughts and feelings without getting swept up in them — to notice, not judge.
2. Distress Tolerance
Surviving emotional crises without making them worse. Skills for when the feelings are too big to solve — you just need to get through the next hour.
3. Emotion Regulation
Understanding what emotions are, where they come from, and how to reduce vulnerability to intense reactions. How to feel emotions fully without being destroyed by them.
4. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Asking for what you need, saying no without guilt, and maintaining your self-respect — all at the same time. Relationships without losing yourself.
Ready for skills that actually work in the moment? Schedule a Free Consultation →
What DBT Treats
Conditions DBT Is Highly Effective For
Emotional Dysregulation
Feeling emotions too intensely, for too long, with recovery that takes forever. DBT was built for exactly this experience.
Self-Harm & Suicidal Thinking
DBT is the most evidence-backed treatment for chronic suicidality and self-harm behaviors. It works where other approaches often fall short.
Borderline Personality Disorder
DBT was originally developed for BPD and remains the gold-standard treatment. It addresses emotional instability, relationship patterns, and identity struggles.
Anxiety & Panic
Distress tolerance skills are game-changers for panic attacks. Emotion regulation skills reduce baseline anxiety. Mindfulness disrupts the anxiety loop.
Eating Disorders
Binge eating, restrictive eating, and emotional eating often involve difficulty tolerating emotions. DBT addresses the root, not just the behavior.
Relationship Struggles
If you fight the same fight with every partner or can't set a boundary without feeling guilty — interpersonal effectiveness skills rewrite those patterns.
In Session
What DBT Therapy Actually Looks Like
DBT is both practical and relational. You'll spend time learning and practicing concrete skills — and you'll spend time understanding the emotional patterns that bring you into therapy in the first place.
Between sessions, you'll often track emotions, practice specific skills in real-life situations, and come back ready to review what worked and what didn't. DBT isn't passive. But it isn't punishing either — every skill you learn is a tool you keep for life.
A note on format: Full formal DBT programs include individual therapy, skills group, phone coaching, and therapist consultation. At Lotus Rose, we integrate DBT skills into individual therapy based on what you need. If you're looking for a full DBT program with skills group, we can help you find one in Utah County and work alongside it.
DBT at Lotus Rose
Our Therapists Use DBT
All of our therapists are trained in DBT and integrate its skills into their work — particularly for clients dealing with intense emotions, distress tolerance, and interpersonal patterns. We can help you find the therapist whose approach feels right for you.
Meet Our Therapists →Common Questions
DBT Therapy FAQs
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
DBT is an evidence-based therapy that combines cognitive behavioral techniques with mindfulness and acceptance practices. It was originally developed for people struggling with intense emotions and self-harming behaviors, but it's now widely used for anyone who feels emotionally overwhelmed, reactive, or stuck in destructive patterns.
What does 'dialectical' mean?
Dialectical means holding two opposing truths at the same time. The core dialectic in DBT: you're doing your best right now, AND you can grow and change. Acceptance doesn't mean giving up. Change doesn't mean you're broken. Both are true — and that shift alone often changes how you relate to yourself.
What are the four DBT skills?
DBT teaches four skill modules: (1) Mindfulness — staying present without judgment, (2) Distress Tolerance — surviving emotional storms without making them worse, (3) Emotion Regulation — understanding and changing unwanted emotions, and (4) Interpersonal Effectiveness — asking for what you need and protecting relationships.
What conditions does DBT treat?
DBT was originally developed for borderline personality disorder but is highly effective for emotional dysregulation, self-harm, suicidal thinking, PTSD, eating disorders, substance use, depression, anxiety, and relationship struggles. If you feel like your emotions run you instead of the other way around, DBT was built for you.
How is DBT different from CBT?
DBT grew out of CBT but added something crucial: acceptance. CBT focuses on changing unhelpful thoughts. DBT adds mindfulness and distress tolerance — skills for accepting painful reality without being destroyed by it, while also working to change what can be changed. That combination is why DBT works for people CBT alone didn't reach.
Take the First Step
Ready to Start Healing?
Your first step is a free 15-minute consultation. No pressure — just a conversation about what you're going through and how we might help.
Serving Orem, Provo, Lehi, American Fork, Pleasant Grove, Lindon & surrounding Utah County. In-person and telehealth sessions available.