How We Treat
Dialectical Behavior Therapy with licensed clinicians, in person in San Pedro and virtually across California.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a practical, skills-based approach for people who feel emotions intensely and struggle to come back to center once they are upset. It balances two things that can seem opposite: accepting where you are right now with compassion, and actively working to change the patterns that keep causing pain. You learn concrete skills for steadying strong emotions, getting through crisis moments without making them worse, and handling relationships more calmly.
DBT has strong research support, especially for difficulties with intense emotion. These are some of the concerns our clinicians use it for.
Intense mood swings and difficulty coming back to center once you are upset.
Well supported for BPD and related patterns of intense, fast-shifting emotion.
Skills for getting through a crisis moment without acting on an urge.
For relationships that feel like a rollercoaster, with calmer ways to ask for what you need and hold boundaries.
Intense emotions often travel with low mood and worry, and DBT pairs well with work on both.
Sessions are active and skills-focused. You and your therapist work through the same few moves, at a pace you can manage.
You and your therapist get clear on what is causing the most pain and which skills will help.
You look at a hard moment to see where a skill could have changed the outcome.
You rehearse a distress-tolerance or emotion-regulation technique you can use when things get intense.
You map out how to ask for what you need or hold a boundary, then practice the skills between sessions so they start to stick.
Several Coastwise clinicians use DBT, often alongside CBT or trauma-focused work depending on what you need. When you reach out, we match you to a therapist whose training fits your goals, rather than handing you whatever one person happens to offer.
DBT works well both in the room and over secure video. See us in San Pedro or work with a clinician anywhere in California.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy is designed for people who feel emotions very intensely and have a hard time settling back down. It is well supported for emotion dysregulation, self-harm urges, impulsivity, intense mood swings, and borderline personality disorder, and it also helps with relationships that feel like a rollercoaster.
DBT grew out of CBT and shares its practical, skills-based style, but it adds a strong focus on accepting hard feelings while also working to change them. There is more emphasis on managing crisis moments, tolerating distress without making things worse, and steadying relationships.
DBT teaches four sets of skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance for getting through a crisis without acting on an urge, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness for asking for what you need and holding boundaries. You practice these between sessions so they are available when you need them.
It depends on what you are working on. Some people use DBT skills in shorter, focused work, while others stay longer to build a steady foundation. Your therapist sets a plan with you and reviews progress so you always know where you stand.
Yes. DBT skills work well over secure video, and many people like being able to practice them in their own environment. We offer DBT in person in San Pedro and virtually across California.
Call us for a free consultation and we will match you to a clinician trained in DBT.
Call (424) 536-3002 Get Started