dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) ONLINE THROUGHOUT VIRGINIA & WEST VIRGINiA
You can feel everything and still stay in control
When you flip your lid, everything feels like too much
Maybe your emotions show up fast and hit hard, and once you flip your lid, 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. Riding the wave means learning to stay present with what you feel, without drowning in it or staying out of the water altogether.
right now, you’re still feeling…
wound up, no matter how many coping skills you’ve tried.
flat, even on the days nothing’s “technically” wrong.
off guard when grief hits, with no space to fall apart.
DBT can help you learn to ride the wave instead of drowning in it
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) is an evidence-based, skills-based approach that helps you manage intense emotions, tolerate distress, and stay grounded in the middle of what feels overwhelming.
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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 tolerate distress without making things worse in the moment. Over time, the goal isn't to stop having big feelings, it's to ride them out without losing yourself or your relationships in the process.
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DBT with me isn't a separate class or curriculum, it's woven directly into our regular sessions based on what's coming up for you. As situations arise, we'll identify specific skills that fit what you're working through and practice them together. The real work happens between sessions, though. These are daily life skills, not just coping tools for a crisis, and the more you practice them in everyday moments, the faster you'll be able to access them before your lid fully flips.
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DBT can help you feel your emotions fully without being controlled by them. Instead of swinging between shutting down and blowing up, you can learn to stay present with what you're feeling and choose how to respond, rather than reacting on autopilot. Over time, that means fewer regrets, steadier relationships, and more trust in your own ability to handle whatever comes up.
At the end of the day, I want you to know:
all of your emotions are valid, and they’re allowed to visit.
Is DBT right for you?
DBT is a good fit for you 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 actually happening right now.
need a way to get through a crisis without making it worse, even when you can’t fix it in the moment.
feel like your emotions take over completely, making it hard to think or act the way you actually want to.
struggle to ask for what you need or say no without guilt, blowing up, or shutting down.
What we’ll work on
With DBT, you can…
improve your ability to stay present in the moment instead of getting swept up in your head or your emotions.
learn how to hold two true things at once, like disagreeing with someone and still respect them, without needing them to agree with you first.
no longer feel like a crisis means you have to make it worse before it gets better.
gain new skills to ask for what you need and set boundaries without guilt or blowing up.
Your emotions are welcome here.
You can feel it all and still act like the person you want to be.
Questions?
FAQs
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DBT includes skills, but it's not a checklist you memorize and move on from. These are daily life skills, not just tools you pull out during a crisis, and real change comes from practicing them consistently, not from knowing they exist. DBT also goes deeper than symptom management. We're looking at the beliefs, patterns, and relationships underneath what keeps happening, not just handing you a strategy and calling it done.
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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. The goal isn't fewer feelings, it's a fuller life, one where you get to feel it all, including the good.
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That's actually 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. That gap usually closes with practice, not more information. We'll work on strengthening your ability to notice you're flipping your lid earlier, so you have more of a window to actually use what you know before it's too late.
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There's no fixed timeline. Since DBT isn't a separate program here, it's part of ongoing therapy, we'll keep working with these skills for as long as they're useful to what you're working through. 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.
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Item description
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You don't need to be in a group. DBT skills are woven directly into our one-on-one sessions based on what's coming up for you, so you get this work without needing a separate class or curriculum.