dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) ONLINE THROUGHOUT VIRGINIA & WEST VIRGINiA

You can feel everything and still stay in control

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When you flip your lid, everything feels like too much

Maybe your emotions show up fast and hit hard, and in the moment it feels impossible to think clearly or slow down. You might swing between feeling too much and shutting down completely, with nothing that feels like the middle.

dbt may be a good fit if you…

feel two things that seem to contradict each other, like loving someone and being furious with them at the same time.

get so caught up in your head or your emotions that you lose track of what’s happening right now.

need a way to get through a hard moment without making it worse, even when you can’t fix it yet.

struggle to ask for what you need or say no without guilt or a blowup.

DBT can help you learn to ride the wave instead of drowning in it

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) is a well-researched, skills-based approach that helps you manage intense emotions, get through hard moments, and stay grounded when things feel overwhelming. I’m a Certified DBT Therapist (C-DBT), and I often use DBT alongside deeper work like EMDR, so you have steadiness now while we get to the root of what’s driving it.

  • Riding the wave means learning specific skills to stay present with intense emotion instead of being swept away by it or shutting down completely. That might mean noticing what you’re feeling before it takes over, using tools to bring your body back to a calmer state, or finding ways to get through distress without making things worse in the moment. Over time, you can still have big feelings and ride them out without losing yourself or your relationships.

  • With me, DBT is woven into our regular sessions rather than taught as a separate class. As things come up, we’ll pick skills that fit what you’re working through and practice them together. The real progress happens between sessions, though. These are everyday skills, not just crisis tools, and the more you use them in ordinary moments, the sooner you’ll reach for them when emotions start to rise.

  • DBT can help you feel your emotions fully without being controlled by them. Instead of reacting on autopilot, you can pause and choose how you want to respond. Over time, that means fewer regrets, steadier relationships, and more trust in your ability to handle whatever comes up.

At the end of the day, I want you to know:

Every emotion is allowed to visit. None of them get to take over.

what we’ll work on

With DBT you can…

  • notice an emotion rising and calm your body before it takes over.

  • hold two true things at once, like disagreeing with someone and still respecting them.

  • get through a hard moment without making it worse.

  • ask for what you need and set boundaries without the guilt.

  • trust yourself to handle big feelings.

Your emotions are welcome here

Steadier days are possible

Schedule a Free Consultation

Questions?

FAQs

  • DBT includes skills, but they’re meant to be practiced until they become part of how you live, not memorized and forgotten. And in my work, DBT is only one piece. Alongside it, we look at the beliefs, patterns, and relationships underneath what keeps happening, so you’re not just handed a strategy and sent on your way.

  • No, and that’s actually the opposite of the goal. If you block out or shove down painful emotions, the joyful ones often get pushed down too, or stuffed off to the side where you can’t fully feel them either. DBT gives you the tools to let emotions come and go, fully feeling them without either drowning in them or shutting them out completely. That way, you get to feel it all, including the good.

  • That’s one of the most common things people run into with DBT. Knowing a skill and being able to use it in the moment are two different things, and that gap usually closes with practice, not more information. We’ll work on noticing your emotions rising sooner, so you have more of a window to use what you know.

  • There’s no fixed timeline. Because DBT is part of our ongoing therapy, we’ll keep working with these skills for as long as they’re useful to you. Some people notice changes within weeks, especially with skills like staying grounded in the moment. Deeper shifts, like trusting yourself in relationships or responding instead of reacting, usually take longer and build over time.

  • No. DBT was first developed to help people with borderline personality disorder, but it’s now used for many struggles, including anxiety, depression, people-pleasing, and anyone whose emotions feel bigger than they can handle. You don’t need a diagnosis to benefit from the skills.

  • You don’t need to be in a group. DBT skills are woven into our one-on-one sessions based on what’s coming up for you.