Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Build Skills to Regulate Emotions, Navigate Relationships, and Create Stability
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, skills-based approach that helps individuals learn how to regulate intense emotions, tolerate distress, improve relationships, and stay grounded in the present moment. DBT balances acceptance and change, supporting clients in honoring their experiences while also developing practical tools to respond differently.
DBT is especially helpful for individuals who feel overwhelmed by their emotions, experience frequent emotional swings, struggle with impulsive behaviors, or find themselves stuck in intense relational patterns. Rather than focusing on why emotions occur, DBT emphasizes how to respond to them in healthier, more effective ways.
How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Help You
Many emotional and relational challenges are driven by difficulty regulating emotions, managing stress, or responding effectively in moments of overwhelm. DBT helps by:
✔ Teaching emotion regulation skills – Learning how to understand, name, and manage intense emotions without becoming overwhelmed.
✔ Building distress tolerance – Developing tools to cope with painful moments without resorting to impulsive or self-destructive behaviors.
✔ Improving relationships – Strengthening communication, boundaries, and assertiveness through interpersonal effectiveness skills.
✔ Increasing mindfulness – Learning how to stay present, grounded, and aware rather than reactive or shut down.
✔ Reducing emotional reactivity – Creating more stability and choice in how you respond to stress, conflict, and triggers.
DBT is particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, mood instability, emotional dysregulation, relationship difficulties, trauma responses, and chronic stress.
What to Expect in Dialectical Behavior Therapy
DBT is an active and collaborative process focused on skill-building and real-life application. In therapy, we will:
✔ Identify patterns that contribute to emotional overwhelm or relational conflict.
✔ Learn and practice DBT skills related to mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
✔ Apply skills to real situations you are currently facing in your life and relationships.
✔ Build a stronger sense of emotional stability, self-trust, and resilience over time.
DBT is designed to support meaningful, sustainable change by giving you concrete tools you can use both in and outside of sessions.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Across Montana
At Bozeman Therapy & Counseling, we offer virtual DBT-informed therapy statewide for individuals seeking practical tools and emotional support. Whether you’re in Missoula, Billings, Helena, Great Falls, or a rural area, our therapists provide accessible, compassionate care wherever you are in Montana.
Many clients choose virtual therapy because it:
✔ Allows for flexible scheduling and greater accessibility.
✔ Supports skill practice in real-life environments.
✔ Provides consistent care regardless of location.
Meet Our DBT-Informed Therapists
-
Sarah Loux, LCPC
Specializes in DBT-informed therapy, emotion regulation, and attachment-based work.
-
Cindy Poulsen, LCSW
Uses DBT skills alongside trauma-informed approaches to help clients build emotional stability and healthier coping strategies.