What we’re about
Psychologist Marsha Linehan developed DBT in the late 1970s at the University of Washington to treat severely suicidal and self-injuring patients with borderline personality disorder. These patients needed a way to control the intense emotions driving them to take dangerous actions, and that’s what Linehan delivered. By building skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships, DBT helps people “turn the knob down on emotional reactions, so they’re not driven to impulsive behaviors,” explains Matthew McKay, PhD, author of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook. 2nd edition and codirector of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinic in San Francisco. Since it's start, DBT has been shown to help individuals with many disorders.
Lifespan Psychotherapy offers DBT therapy individually and in a group format. Groups are led by individuals certified and/or trained in DBT.
