Emotion regulation
- Learn to understand and manage your emotions
- Reduce intensity and respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively
Individual Therapy · Ontario
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) in Ontario
DBT is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps you manage painful emotions, reduce harmful behaviors, and improve relationships through practical skills for a balanced, meaningful life.
- Virtual & In-Person
- Across Ontario
- Now Accepting Clients
- Free intro call available
- 6–12+ Months
- Structured, multi-component
The Approach
What is DBT?
DBT was originally developed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and help individuals struggling with self-harm or suicidal urges. Since then, it has been shown to be effective for any condition involving intense or painful emotions, including substance use, PTSD, Complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders, and more. DBT combines behavioral strategies with acceptance and mindfulness practices, and is delivered through a structured, multi-component format that ensures skills are not just learned but practiced and integrated into everyday life. Intense emotional distress can come from natural emotional sensitivity, experiences of invalidation, trauma, or a combination, and DBT was created to help in all of these situations.
At a Glance
Duration
6–12+ months
Format
Structured, multi-component
Delivery
Virtual across Ontario · In-person in Toronto
Approach
Acceptance & behaviour-based
Concerns We Treat
Conditions DBT is used to treat at our clinic
DBT has the strongest evidence base of any treatment for BPD, and is increasingly used for any condition involving intense, painful, or difficult-to-manage emotions.
Is This Right for You
Built for people who feel deeply
DBT is a research-supported therapy for people who feel emotionally overwhelmed, reactive, or stuck in unhelpful patterns. It often lasts 6 to 12 months or longer depending on your needs. The structured, multi-component format helps ensure that skills are not just learned but practiced and integrated into everyday life.
Unlike approaches that focus on insight alone, DBT gives you concrete tools for the moments that matter most. Each skill module builds on the last, creating a foundation that strengthens over time.
DBT has the strongest evidence base of any treatment for borderline personality disorder, and is increasingly used for complex PTSD, chronic suicidality, and eating disorders. If previous therapy felt like it didn't go deep enough, DBT was designed with exactly that gap in mind.
Book a Free Intro CallYou may benefit if you experience:
- Intense or unpredictable emotions
- Trauma-related reactivity
- Difficulties with anger management
- Dangerous or impulsive behaviours (e.g., self-harm, substance use)
- Feeling flooded or emotionally shut down
- Dissociation or stress-induced paranoia
- Fears of abandonment
- Feelings of emptiness
- Difficulty with boundaries or communication
- Stress that spirals quickly
Core Skill Modules
The four pillars of DBT
DBT builds four interconnected skill sets, each one practical, evidence-based, and designed to be integrated into everyday life.
Distress tolerance
- Build practical skills to stay grounded during painful moments
- Cope effectively with crisis without making things worse
Interpersonal effectiveness
- Strengthen communication and set clear boundaries
- Build healthier, more balanced relationships
Mindfulness
- Increase awareness of the present moment and your inner experience
- Respond to life with greater clarity, calm, and confidence
Individual DBT Therapy
Weekly one-on-one sessions form the backbone of treatment. Your therapist helps you apply skills to real-life situations, track behavioural targets, and build a life that feels worth living.
Phone Coaching
Between sessions, you have direct access to your therapist during moments of crisis, to get real-time guidance on using DBT skills before defaulting to harmful coping patterns.
Our Program
How treatment is structured
Treatment is structured in phases and personalized to your symptoms, goals, and pace.
Stage I
Assessment and stabilization
A comprehensive intake and personalized treatment plan. Weekly individual sessions focus on reducing harmful behaviours using targeted DBT skills, with phone coaching available as appropriate.
Stage II
Trauma-focused work
Once stability is established, therapy shifts toward processing traumatic experiences and learning to feel emotions fully without avoidance or shutdown.
Stage III
Building a meaningful life
Consolidate gains and work toward life, relationship, and career goals, building the balanced, purposeful life you want to be living.
Specialized Variant
Looking for a more specialized trauma-therapy?
DBT-PTSD is a specialized adaptation that combines DBT skill-building with structured trauma processing, designed specifically for people with Complex PTSD.
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions about DBT
DBT typically runs 6 to 12 months, and sometimes longer depending on the complexity of your needs and goals. Because DBT is a multi-component, skills-based program, it takes time for the skills to be learned, practised, and integrated into daily life. Many clients find that the longer format is part of what makes it effective, because lasting change in how you manage intense emotions does not happen quickly. Progress is reviewed regularly and treatment length is always personalized.
CBT focuses primarily on identifying and challenging unhelpful thought patterns. DBT was built on CBT but was specifically developed for people who experience intense emotions that feel difficult to manage, adding dedicated skill modules for distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness, as well as therapist phone coaching between sessions. If you have tried CBT and found that understanding your patterns did not change how you feel, DBT may offer what was missing.
Most sessions are covered in full or in part by extended health benefit plans. We provide detailed receipts for all sessions to support reimbursement. Visit our Fees and Coverage page for full details.
Yes. We offer secure virtual DBT across Ontario, including all four skill modules and individual therapy sessions. Clients consistently report that virtual DBT is as effective as in-person delivery. In-person sessions are also available in Toronto.
No formal diagnosis is required. Many people come to us knowing they struggle with intense emotions or difficult relationships without having a clinical label for it, and that is a completely valid starting point. We begin with a trauma-informed intake assessment to understand your symptoms, history, and goals. From there we will recommend the most appropriate treatment approach.
DBT-PTSD is a specialized adaptation of DBT designed for people with Complex PTSD. It combines DBT skill-building with structured trauma processing, going further than standard DBT by directly targeting traumatic memories and trauma-linked beliefs in a phased sequence. It is particularly suited for people with a history of prolonged or repeated trauma who need both stabilization and trauma processing as part of their treatment. Learn more about DBT-PTSD.
Have a question not listed here? Visit our full FAQ page or get in touch directly.
Take the First Step
Get matched with a DBT-therapist and start building practical coping skills.
Our clinicians will help you figure out whether DBT is the right fit, and what that would look like for you.
Book an Intro CallVirtual & In-Person · Ontario
Getting Started
Starting therapy is simple and supportive.
- 1
Get in touch by booking a call online with our intake coordinator or by completing the contact form. You can also email admin@traumacarepsychology.ca or call (647) 456-7500.
- 2
Complete a 20-minute intake call so we can determine the best therapist fit and treatment direction. Alternatively, browse our clinician directory and book a free 20-minute consultation directly with a clinician you feel is a good fit.
Browse our clinician directory → - 3
Schedule your first session and begin a personalized treatment plan based on your goals and concerns.
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Contact Us
Fill out the form and our intake coordinator will be in contact shortly.
Virtual care across Ontario · In-person in Toronto.