Therapy approaches · The Holistic Counselor Podcast learning guide
From the Mic to the Community
What is DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)?
Understand acceptance, change, emotions, and practical skills.
Diana S. Rice · Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP), Qualified Supervisor (QS)
4 pages · No email required · Education, not individual care
You can understand why you feel the way you do and still want to respond differently. This approach makes room for both sides of that sentence.
Acceptance and change work together
Marsha Linehan developed dialectical behavior therapy. It combines validation with work on changing harmful or unhelpful behavior. Skills include mindfulness, managing emotions, getting through distress, and navigating relationships.
A skill is not the whole program
The full program usually includes one-to-one therapy and a skills group. It also offers coaching between visits and a team that supports the therapists. Using only a few of these skills is different from providing the full program. Ask what you will receive.
Ask about the level of support
Find out what a program includes, when coaching is available, and what happens in a crisis. A downloadable worksheet cannot provide that structure or ongoing care.
Research & perspective
What to keep in mind
Research supports dialectical behavior therapy for certain needs. These include borderline personality disorder and reducing self-harm in the groups studied. A skills class or adapted program may not offer the same care. Ask about the exact program and the research behind it.
Explore the sources ↓A moment for you
Let’s pause and reflect.
Choose one question, or take your time with all three. Your answers can stay private. Skip anything that feels like too much; you do not need to revisit painful details to use this guide.
- What feeling is hardest for me to respond to?
- When do I most need a pause before acting?
- Which relationship skill would I like help practicing?
Use your own notebook or the writing space in the PDF. This page does not ask you to submit reflections.
Continue the conversation
Listen with curiosity.
Selected conversations to begin with. Guests share their own perspectives; a linked episode is not a treatment recommendation or a complete review of the evidence.
- Episode 49
- Episode 91
- Episode 55
Make room for support
Questions to bring to a professional
- Do you offer the full treatment program or use some of its skills?
- Which services and coaching are included?
- What are your training and crisis-support arrangements?
One next step
Ask a qualified clinician which level of care fits your needs. Use education to prepare questions, not as your only support in a crisis.
Keep learning
Sources & useful resources
These links support the teaching and help you explore further. Professional organizations describe their own approaches; faith organizations describe their perspectives. Directories are starting points, not endorsements.
Services, fees, rules, and links may change. Confirm current details directly.
When a guide is not enough
Need support right now?
In the U.S. and its territories, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers support for emotional distress or a suicidal crisis.
If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency in the U.S., call 911. Outside the U.S., use your local emergency or crisis service.
This website and its contact form do not provide crisis care.