Full DBT therapy is usually not free. It is paid out of pocket, through private insurance or, in some states, through Medicaid. Free DBT is mostly self-help: printable worksheets, library workbooks and free app tiers for practicing the skills. Low-cost treatment is available at some university training clinics and community health centers with sliding scales.

How much does DBT cost without insurance?

It varies widely. One Delaware practice lists $150 per individual DBT session and $50 per skills group; Stony Brook says comprehensive DBT can cost upwards of $20,000 a year out of pocket. University training clinics can be far cheaper: the University of Kentucky’s clinic says many patients pay $5 to $10 per session. Prices checked October 2026.

Does insurance cover DBT?

Some plans do and some do not, and many DBT programs are self-pay only. Medicaid coverage depends on the state. Ask your insurer whether individual DBT and DBT skills groups are covered, which DBT-trained therapists are in network, and whether you need prior authorization.

Can I get DBT online for free?

Free online options are self-help resources rather than therapy: free worksheets, free DBT apps and educational websites. They help you learn and practice the skills. Online DBT therapy with a clinician is usually paid; ask sliding-scale clinics and networks whether they offer sessions by video.

Is a DBT skills group cheaper than full DBT?

Usually, yes. A skills group covers the four skills modules without weekly individual DBT therapy, phone coaching or the therapist team, so it costs less. Fairleigh Dickinson University’s clinic, for example, lists $215 for an 8-week group. It works well alongside a therapist you already have.

Start here7 min readOctober 19, 2026

Free DBT: Free and Low-Cost Ways to Get Dialectical Behavior Therapy

By Timo, founder and developer of DBT-Mind

Quick answer

Full DBT therapy is rarely free in the US. Out of pocket it can cost thousands of dollars a year, and coverage depends on your insurance or state Medicaid program. Free DBT exists mainly as self-help (free worksheets, library workbooks, free app tiers). Low-cost routes to real treatment are university training clinics with sliding scales, community health centers with income-based fees, sliding-scale networks such as Open Path, and skills-only groups. In a crisis, the 988 Lifeline is free, 24/7.

General information about DBT skills. It does not replace therapy, and in an emergency contact your local emergency number or crisis line.

If you have read about DBT and then looked at what a program costs, the gap can feel discouraging. This guide sorts out what is actually free, what is low-cost, and what each option can and cannot do for you. All prices are from the providers’ own websites, checked in October 2026, and they change, so confirm before you book.

It is written by the team behind DBT-Mind, an app for practicing DBT skills. An app is one of the free options below, and we say clearly where it fits and where it does not.

What DBT usually costs in the US

A full DBT program combines weekly individual therapy, a weekly skills group, phone coaching and a therapist team, usually for six months to a year. That is why it costs more than standard weekly therapy. A few published prices show the range:

Published DBT prices from three US providers

Provider	What it covers	Published price
Stony Brook Neuroscience Institute (New York)	Comprehensive DBT, paid out of pocket	Can cost upwards of $20,000 per year (the program itself accepts most insurance plans)
The Ebright Collaborative (Delaware)	Self-pay DBT	$200 intake, $150 per individual session, $50 per two-hour skills group
Fairleigh Dickinson University Center for Psychological Services (New Jersey)	DBT skills group at a university clinic	$215 for an 8-week group

Sources: the providers’ own websites (neuro.stonybrookmedicine.edu, ebrightcollaborative.com, fdu.edu), checked October 2026. Prices vary widely by region and provider.

Is DBT covered by insurance?

Sometimes. Some DBT programs are in network with private insurers or Medicaid plans, and many are self-pay only. Medicaid coverage is decided state by state: Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, for example, runs a DBT intensive outpatient policy with a list of certified providers. If you have insurance, call the number on your card and ask:

Is DBT covered?
Ask about both individual DBT therapy and DBT skills groups. They are sometimes billed differently.
Who is in network?
Ask for in-network therapists trained in DBT, and whether you need a referral or prior authorization.
What about out of network?
If the program you want is out of network, ask whether you get reimbursement with a superbill (a receipt the provider gives you to submit yourself).

Low-cost ways to get real DBT treatment

University training clinics
Psychology departments run clinics where trainees treat patients under supervision, often on a sliding scale. The University of Kentucky’s clinic, which offers DBT, says many patients pay $5 to $10 per session; Emory University’s clinic lists $10 to $100. Search for "psychological services center" plus the universities near you and ask whether they run DBT.
Community health centers
Federally funded health centers charge on a sliding scale based on income and cannot turn you away for inability to pay. Find one at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov and ask whether they offer DBT or can refer you to it. FindTreatment.gov (SAMHSA) lists licensed mental health providers too.
Sliding-scale networks
Open Path Collective is a nonprofit network of therapists who see clients without adequate insurance for $40 to $70 per individual session in the US, after a one-time membership fee. Not every therapist there is DBT-trained, so filter and ask.
Skills-only groups
A DBT skills group on its own costs much less than a full program and teaches the same four modules. Some clinics accept people whose individual therapist is elsewhere. It is a good fit if you already have a therapist who is not DBT-trained.
Certified clinician directories
The DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (dbt-lbc.org) and Behavioral Tech (behavioraltech.org) list DBT clinicians by location. Behavioral Tech notes that its directory is not an endorsement. When you call, ask directly about a sliding scale.

Free DBT resources for practicing the skills

Free self-help will not give you a therapist, but it can teach and train the skills from the DBT skills list, which is the part of DBT you use every day.

Free printable worksheets
Our free DBT worksheets include a diary card, a skills cheat sheet, TIPP and STOP sheets and a crisis plan, all in our own words and free to print.
Workbooks from the library
Linehan’s DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets (Guilford, Revised Edition 2025, list price $48) and The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by McKay, Wood and Brantley (New Harbinger, 2nd edition) are often available at public libraries, so you can borrow before you buy.
Free app tiers
Several DBT apps have a free version. Our comparison of DBT apps lists each app’s price and what we found about its free version.
A daily diary card
Tracking emotions, urges and skill use costs nothing and is central to how DBT works. The DBT diary card guide shows a filled-out example.

What free self-help cannot replace

Skills training on its own has some research support. A 2015 systematic review of 17 studies (Valentine et al., Journal of Clinical Psychology) found preliminary evidence that DBT skills training alone helps, with limitations that rule out strong conclusions. Those studies used groups led by trained clinicians, not self-study. Doing DBT on your own is a real starting point, but it is not the same as treatment.

If you are dealing with self-harm, suicidal thoughts or frequent crises, free self-help is something to use while you look for care, not instead of it. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential and open 24/7: call or text 988 (US), or call 112 (EU) or your local crisis line.

Where to start, by situation

Low-cost DBT options matched to common situations

Your situation	Start here
You have insurance	Call your insurer and ask for in-network DBT therapists and skills groups.
No insurance and a low income	A community health center or a university training clinic with a sliding scale.
You have a therapist who is not DBT-trained	A DBT skills group alongside your current therapy.
You are on a waitlist	Free worksheets, a library workbook and a free app to start on the skills now.
You are in crisis right now	Call or text 988 (US), or call 112 (EU) or your local crisis line.

General orientation, not a referral. Availability depends on where you live.

Practice it in DBT-Mind

Practicing DBT skills for free with DBT-Mind

DBT-Mind is a free DBT app for iOS and Android with a skills library, diary card and journal, and a crisis hub. The core skills and crisis tools are free; Premium ($8.99 a month or $54.99 a year on the US App Store, October 2026) adds the AI crisis chat, advanced analytics and more.

1Look up any skill in the skills library, including the crisis skills, which are free.
2Start a learning path for one of the four modules. Each skill moves through Learn, Practice, Apply and Prove, and the first stage of every path is free.
3Use the free practice tools: three audio exercises and two breathing presets (Guided Calm and Box Breathing).
4Log your mood, emotions, urges and the skills you used, so you have something concrete to bring if you start therapy.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Free DBT: DBT skills library across all four modules in the DBT-Mind app

Frequently asked questions

Is DBT free?: Full DBT therapy is usually not free. It is paid out of pocket, through private insurance or, in some states, through Medicaid. Free DBT is mostly self-help: printable worksheets, library workbooks and free app tiers for practicing the skills. Low-cost treatment is available at some university training clinics and community health centers with sliding scales.
How much does DBT cost without insurance?: It varies widely. One Delaware practice lists $150 per individual DBT session and $50 per skills group; Stony Brook says comprehensive DBT can cost upwards of $20,000 a year out of pocket. University training clinics can be far cheaper: the University of Kentucky’s clinic says many patients pay $5 to $10 per session. Prices checked October 2026.
Does insurance cover DBT?: Some plans do and some do not, and many DBT programs are self-pay only. Medicaid coverage depends on the state. Ask your insurer whether individual DBT and DBT skills groups are covered, which DBT-trained therapists are in network, and whether you need prior authorization.
Can I get DBT online for free?: Free online options are self-help resources rather than therapy: free worksheets, free DBT apps and educational websites. They help you learn and practice the skills. Online DBT therapy with a clinician is usually paid; ask sliding-scale clinics and networks whether they offer sessions by video.
Is a DBT skills group cheaper than full DBT?: Usually, yes. A skills group covers the four skills modules without weekly individual DBT therapy, phone coaching or the therapist team, so it costs less. Fairleigh Dickinson University’s clinic, for example, lists $215 for an 8-week group. It works well alongside a therapist you already have.

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