Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in California
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a specialized form of cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to help individuals manage intense emotions, improve relationships, and build healthier coping mechanisms. At Southern California Sunrise, we offer DBT therapy in California for those struggling with emotional dysregulation, self-destructive behaviors, or other mental health challenges.
What Is DBT Therapy?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment designed to help individuals stabilize mood, tolerate distress, and improve interpersonal effectiveness. Originally developed by psychologist Dr. Marsha Linehan in the late 1980s, DBT was created to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD) and chronic emotional instability, but it has since proven highly effective for a range of mental health conditions.
Through a balance of acceptance and change, DBT teaches mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills to help clients build a life they are proud to live.
Benefits of DBT
Why should you consider DBT? This structured and supportive approach offers powerful tools such as:
Strengthens emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Reduces impulsive or self-destructive behaviors.
Improves relationships and communication skills.
Encourages acceptance and mindfulness for emotional awareness.
Provides long-term coping strategies for ongoing recovery.
Helps individuals build balance between acceptance and change in daily life.
What Does DBT Treat?
DBT is widely used for complex emotional and behavioral conditions, including:
DBT is not a quick fix—it’s a process that empowers clients to understand their emotional patterns, gain stability, and learn skills that create lasting change.
What Can I Expect from DBT Therapy?
DBT involves both individual therapy sessions and skills training groups that focus on practical tools for managing emotions and interpersonal challenges. Sessions typically occur weekly over the course of several months.
Session Structure
Therapy begins with goal-setting and identifying target behaviors. Clients learn core DBT skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Key Activities
You’ll practice mindfulness techniques, track emotions between sessions, and apply new strategies to real-life situations with therapist feedback and support.
Typical Timeline
Early sessions focus on stabilization and emotional awareness. Mid-phase sessions introduce skill refinement and practical application. Later phases emphasize long-term maintenance and relapse prevention.
How Is Progress Measured in DBT?
Progress in DBT is continuously monitored through mood tracking, behavioral logging, and ongoing collaboration between client and therapist.
Key Methods: Therapists track target behaviors (like emotional outbursts or self-harm urges) and evaluate changes over time.
Outcome Tools: Self-reports and standardized assessments measure improvements in emotional stability and interpersonal functioning.
Client Role: Clients track mindfulness practice, skill usage, and emotional responses between sessions to guide ongoing treatment goals.
DBT Therapy Results and Effectiveness
Research consistently supports DBT as one of the most effective treatments for emotional dysregulation and self-destructive behaviors. Studies show that:
DBT produces large reductions in BPD symptoms, with effect sizes around Cohen’s d = 2.45 at one-year follow-up.
About 77% of patients receiving DBT no longer meet diagnostic criteria for BPD after one year.
Suicidal behaviors are reduced by roughly 50% in DBT compared to treatment-as-usual.
Rates of self-harm and psychiatric hospitalization show significant decreases that are sustained for up to 12 months after DBT.
Over the long term, about 85% of individuals with BPD achieve remission within 10 years, often with DBT as a key component of treatment.
On standardized BPD severity measures like the BPDSI, scores typically drop from about 33 points to approximately 17–20 points following DBT, similar to outcomes with schema therapy.
In routine clinical settings, the number of BPD diagnostic criteria met drops substantially, with one study showing a 31-point reduction over 12 months of DBT treatment.
Meta-analyses show moderate-to-large reductions in suicidality with DBT, with effect sizes ranging from about 0.5 to 1.0.
Meet Our Clinical Team
At Southern California Sunrise Recovery Center, our highly trained therapists and psychiatrists provide compassionate, evidence-based DBT in a supportive environment.
- Dr. Sanjai Thankachen, Psychiatrist: Expert in mood and personality disorders, integrating DBT and other evidence-based modalities for lasting recovery.
Our Joint Commission-accredited professionals ensure that every client receives the highest standard of personalized care.
Our Approach to DBT
At Southern California Sunrise Recovery Center, we integrate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a core evidence-based component within our comprehensive holistic wellness approach.
DBT fits seamlessly into our philosophy of treating mind, body, and spirit by pairing its four core modules—mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness—with our holistic practices like yoga, nutrition counseling, and equine therapy.
Our patients receive DBT through individual therapy sessions and skills groups within our residential setting at our Mission Viejo facilities, customized alongside self-care practices. By embedding DBT within our holistic care, our patients develop practical coping skills while cultivating self-awareness and present-moment focus for sustainable recovery.
Get DBT Therapy in California
At Southern California Sunrise Mental Health, our passion is your recovery. Our team is made up of caring and compassionate individuals who take pride in their work. We take a comprehensive approach to mental health treatment using a wide range of innovative and evidence-based treatments to help you get more out of life.
If you are struggling with a mental health condition, don’t wait to reach out. Give us a call today to determine if dialectical behavior therapy in California can help you live a healthier life. We are always here to answer any questions, and all calls are confidential for your peace of mind.
Resources
Kothgassner, O. D., et al. (2024). The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy in patients with borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 167, 104363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2024.104363
Prünster, L., et al. (2014). Effectiveness of dialectic behavioral therapy in routine outpatient care: The Berlin Treatment Outcome Study in Borderline Personality Disorder (BETOS). Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 1, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-014-0020-5
Storebø, O. J., et al. (2023). Efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy in the treatment of borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 105, 102276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102276
Kliem, S., et al. (2010). Meta-analysis and systematic review assessing the efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Research on Social Work Practice, 20(6), 673-686. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731510369829
DBT-UK. (2024, October 2). Stats around DBT: Evidence, success rates, and impact. https://dbt-uk.com/stats-around-dbt-evidence-success-rates-and-impact/