What does DBT stand for?

DBT stands for dialectical behavior therapy. "Dialectical" refers to bringing opposites together, in DBT acceptance and change. "Behavior therapy" means it builds on cognitive behavioral therapy and works on concrete behaviors and skills.

Is DBT only for borderline personality disorder?

No. DBT was first developed and tested for chronically suicidal people with borderline personality disorder, and that is where the evidence is strongest. It has since been adapted for other problems, including binge eating and recurrent depression, and its skills are taught to many people with intense emotions.

How long does DBT therapy take?

The full skills curriculum takes about 24 weeks of weekly group sessions, according to Behavioral Tech, and individual therapy runs alongside it. The original DBT trials lasted one year, and many people repeat the skills modules.

What is the difference between DBT and CBT?

DBT is built on cognitive behavioral therapy but adds acceptance and validation to CBT’s focus on change. A full DBT program also teaches the skills in a separate group and includes phone coaching between sessions.

Can I do DBT without a therapist?

You can learn and practice the DBT skills on your own with a workbook, worksheets or an app. That is skills practice, not the full therapy, which also includes individual therapy, phone coaching and a therapist team. If you are dealing with self-harm or suicidal thoughts, look for professional care.

Start here6 min readOctober 15, 2026

What Is DBT Therapy? Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Plain Language

By Timo, founder and developer of DBT-Mind

Quick answer

DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) is a structured talk therapy developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan for people whose emotions are intense and hard to control. It was first tested with chronically suicidal women with borderline personality disorder. DBT combines acceptance and change: accepting what is happening right now while learning skills to change what you can. A full program has four parts: individual therapy, a weekly skills group, phone coaching between sessions and a consultation team for the therapists.

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

You may have heard of DBT from a therapist, a friend or social media, usually alongside a list of skills with odd acronyms. This guide explains what is behind them: what DBT therapy is, how a program is put together, how long it takes and what the research does and does not show.

It is written by the team behind DBT-Mind, an app for practicing DBT skills. We name our sources, and we are clear about where an app fits (between sessions) and where it does not (as a replacement for treatment).

Where DBT comes from

DBT was developed by Marsha Linehan, a psychologist at the University of Washington, for a group that standard therapies were failing: people who were chronically suicidal and harming themselves, many of them diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Her team published the first randomized trial in 1991 (Linehan et al., Archives of General Psychiatry). Over one year, women in DBT had fewer and less severe episodes of self-harm and spent fewer days in psychiatric hospitals than women in treatment as usual.

"Dialectical" means bringing two opposites together. In DBT the two opposites are acceptance and change. Behavioral Tech, the training organization founded by Linehan, describes DBT as adding acceptance strategies (validation, accepting the person as they are) to the change strategies of cognitive behavioral therapy. In practice that sounds like: "Your pain makes sense, and we will work on doing something different with it."

How a full DBT program works

Standard outpatient DBT has four parts, called modes. They run at the same time, and each has its own job.

Individual therapy
Weekly sessions with one DBT therapist. You work on your own goals and use the skills on the situations from your own week, often starting from your diary card.
Skills group
A weekly class, usually in a group, where the skills are taught and practiced. It works more like a course than group therapy and comes with homework.
Phone coaching
Short contacts with your therapist between sessions, so you get help using a skill in the moment it is needed. How available it is depends on the therapist and the program.
Consultation team
The therapists meet regularly to support each other and stay faithful to the treatment. You never attend it, but it is part of what makes a program "comprehensive DBT".

Not every program offers all four parts. If a clinic says it offers DBT, it is fair to ask which parts are included.

What you learn: the four skills modules

The skills group teaches four modules. Mindfulness is the base: noticing what is happening without judging it. Distress tolerance skills get you through a crisis without making it worse. Emotion regulation skills lower how often and how strongly painful emotions hit. Interpersonal effectiveness covers asking for what you need and saying no, for example with DEAR MAN.

The full map of skills, what each is for and where to start is in the DBT skills list.

DBT at a glance

Key facts about dialectical behavior therapy

Question	Answer
Who developed it?	Marsha Linehan, University of Washington. First randomized trial published in 1991.
Who was it built for?	Chronically suicidal people with borderline personality disorder. Programs have since been adapted for other groups.
Core idea	Balance acceptance and change. Validation plus concrete skills.
Parts of a full program	Individual therapy, skills group, phone coaching, therapist consultation team.
Skills curriculum	Four modules over about 24 weeks of weekly group sessions.
How it differs from CBT	Adds acceptance and validation to CBT’s change strategies, and teaches skills in a separate group.

Sources: Behavioral Tech, "What is DBT?" (behavioraltech.org); Linehan et al., Archives of General Psychiatry, 1991. Checked October 2026.

How long DBT takes

Behavioral Tech describes the full skills curriculum as 24 weeks, usually one group session a week, with individual therapy every week for as long as you are in treatment. The original trials ran for one year, and many people go through the skills modules more than once. Some programs use shorter schedules for particular groups or settings.

Learning the skills is faster than mastering them. Being able to reach for a skill automatically when you are at 9 out of 10 takes repetition, which is why DBT asks you to practice and track skills daily, not only in sessions.

Who DBT helps and what the evidence says

Borderline personality disorder is where the evidence is strongest. A 2020 Cochrane review (Storebø et al.) pooled 75 randomized trials with 4,507 participants across many therapies. Compared with usual treatment, DBT appeared better at reducing the severity of borderline symptoms and self-harm and at improving day-to-day functioning. The authors rated the quality of the evidence as low, so the results are encouraging, not settled.

DBT has also been adapted for other problems where emotions drive harmful behavior. NHS Scotland’s guide to psychological therapies lists it mainly for personality disorder, binge eating and recurrent depression. If you are unsure whether DBT fits your situation, a clinician who knows several therapies can help you compare.

Where skills practice between sessions fits

DBT expects work between sessions: homework from the skills group, a daily diary card, and trying skills in real situations. That is where workbooks, printable worksheets and apps help. They do not replace the therapy, but they make the practice part easier.

If there is no DBT program near you, or you are on a waitlist, you can still start with the skills. How to do DBT on your own explains what self-guided practice can and cannot do. If you are in crisis right now, call 988 (US), 112 (EU) or your local crisis line.

Practice it in DBT-Mind

Practicing DBT skills 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. It is built for the practice between sessions, not as a replacement for a DBT program.

1Pick 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.
2Look up any skill in the skills library when you need it, including the crisis skills, which are free.
3Log your mood, emotions, urges and the skills you used, so you have something concrete to bring to individual therapy.
4If you are in therapy, connect your therapist with their code and choose what they can see. A PDF therapy report is part of Premium.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

What is DBT therapy: DBT-Mind home screen with DBT skills, diary card and crisis tools

Frequently asked questions

What does DBT stand for?: DBT stands for dialectical behavior therapy. "Dialectical" refers to bringing opposites together, in DBT acceptance and change. "Behavior therapy" means it builds on cognitive behavioral therapy and works on concrete behaviors and skills.
Is DBT only for borderline personality disorder?: No. DBT was first developed and tested for chronically suicidal people with borderline personality disorder, and that is where the evidence is strongest. It has since been adapted for other problems, including binge eating and recurrent depression, and its skills are taught to many people with intense emotions.
How long does DBT therapy take?: The full skills curriculum takes about 24 weeks of weekly group sessions, according to Behavioral Tech, and individual therapy runs alongside it. The original DBT trials lasted one year, and many people repeat the skills modules.
What is the difference between DBT and CBT?: DBT is built on cognitive behavioral therapy but adds acceptance and validation to CBT’s focus on change. A full DBT program also teaches the skills in a separate group and includes phone coaching between sessions.
Can I do DBT without a therapist?: You can learn and practice the DBT skills on your own with a workbook, worksheets or an app. That is skills practice, not the full therapy, which also includes individual therapy, phone coaching and a therapist team. If you are dealing with self-harm or suicidal thoughts, look for professional care.