Treatment approach
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at MindView
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a structured form of talk therapy for people who feel emotions intensely and react fast. It teaches four sets of concrete skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. You learn them in session and practice them in real life.
Booking takes about two minutes. It is a short form, mostly checkboxes. Opens our secure client portal.
- Queens (Jamaica), NY
- UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Medicare, Oscar Health, Meritain Health, Oxford Health Plans, Cigna, Optum, MagnaCare
- Buffalo, NY
- UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Medicare, Oscar Health, Meritain Health, Oxford Health Plans, Cigna, Optum, Highmark BCBS, Highmark BCBS WNY, Univera Healthcare
- Carmel, IN
- Aetna, Cigna, Anthem
- Now accepting new clients
- We respond within one business day
- Telehealth in NY and IN
Might this approach fit you?
- Your emotions arrive fast and hit hard, and they take a long time to come down.
- You react in ways you regret, then feel ashamed about the reaction.
- You want concrete skills for the worst ten minutes, not theory.
- Your relationships swing between too close and too far.
- You want to be told you are not broken and still be asked to change.
- You have tried talk therapy and needed something more structured.
You do not have to be in crisis to start. If several of these sound familiar, therapy can help.
If this sounds like the support you want, we can help.
Booking takes about two minutes. It is a short form, mostly checkboxes. Opens our secure client portal.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a structured, evidence-based form of talk therapy. It grew out of CBT and was designed for people who feel emotions strongly and react quickly. The word dialectical points to its core balance: accepting yourself as you are while also working to change what is not working.
What actually happens in a DBT session?
Sessions are structured. You review the week, usually with a diary card or a simple log of emotions and urges. Then you and your therapist pick the hardest moment and take it apart step by step: what happened, what you felt, what you did, and what came next.
This is not a lecture about doing better. It is a close look at a real moment, so you can find the point where a skill would have changed the outcome. Your therapist then teaches or reviews that skill and you plan how to use it.
The tone matters. DBT holds both truths at once: you are doing the best you can, and you need to do things differently. Neither half works alone.
The structure around the work is the same for every client. Session one is an intake. Session two is a psychosocial assessment. In session three you build the treatment plan together. After that, weekly sessions teach and apply the skills, and once a month you review progress using standardized measures.
What are the four DBT skills?
Mindfulness teaches you to notice what is happening without immediately reacting to it. It is the base skill, and every other skill sits on top of it.
Distress tolerance is for the worst moments. These are the skills you use when the emotion is at a ten and the goal is simply to get through it without making things worse. Cold water, paced breathing, and distraction are common tools here.
Emotion regulation works on the longer game. You learn to name emotions accurately, understand what sets them off, and reduce your vulnerability to them through sleep, food, and movement.
Interpersonal effectiveness covers asking for what you need, saying no, and keeping your self-respect in a hard conversation. Many people who feel emotions intensely lose the most in relationships, so this set often matters most.
Is DBT backed by research?
DBT has a strong evidence base, particularly for people who experience intense emotions, chronic suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. Research support has since extended to mood problems, eating concerns, and substance use. The Cleveland Clinic publishes a plain-language overview, and the National Institute of Mental Health places it within the wider field.
Evidence describes what has helped groups of people in studies. It is not a prediction about you. Your therapist tracks how you are actually responding and adjusts.
How is DBT different from CBT?
CBT asks what you are thinking and whether it holds up. DBT asks how strong the emotion is and what will help you survive it and act well anyway. CBT works well when the thought is the problem. DBT works well when the intensity is the problem.
DBT also adds something CBT does not emphasize: radical acceptance. Some situations cannot be changed. Fighting that fact adds suffering on top of pain. Accepting it does not mean approving of it. It means stopping the second fight.
The two are not rivals. Many people at MindView use CBT tools and DBT skills in the same course of therapy.
What is a diary card, and do I have to use one?
A diary card is a simple daily log. You note the emotions you felt, the urges you had, whether you acted on them, and which skills you used. It takes a couple of minutes a day.
It exists for one reason: memory is unreliable, especially about emotion. By Thursday, most people cannot accurately reconstruct Monday. The card gives you and your therapist real data instead of a guess.
It is a tool, not a test. A week with no skills used is still useful information. Your therapist will adapt the format if the standard card does not work for you.
Do I need a full DBT program?
Full adherent DBT includes individual therapy, a skills group, phone coaching between sessions, and a therapist consultation team. That is the model used in the original research and it is the right level of care for some people.
MindView provides DBT-informed individual therapy. Your clinician teaches and practices DBT skills with you inside individual sessions. If your needs call for a full comprehensive program or a higher level of care, we will tell you plainly and help you find it. We do not keep people in the wrong level of care.
How do I start DBT at MindView?
Book online at mindviewtherapy.clientsecure.me or call (646) 493-4007. We see adults 18 and over in Jamaica in Queens, Buffalo, and Carmel, Indiana, with telehealth available everywhere we practice.
We are in-network with most major insurance plans and confirm your benefits before your first session. If you are in immediate danger, call or text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room.
At a glance
| Best suited for | People who feel emotions strongly and quickly and want concrete skills for managing distress, urges, and conflict. |
|---|---|
| What sessions look like | A structured session that reviews the week, works through a specific hard moment step by step, and teaches a named skill you practice next. |
| Typical length | Skills work often runs several months, though it depends on your goals and how much you want to cover. |
What can it help with?
- •Intense or hard-to-manage emotions
- •Impulsive behavior and urges
- •Relationship and communication conflict
- •Self-harm thoughts and crisis moments
- •Anxiety and depression
Who might it suit?
- •People who feel emotions strongly and quickly
- •Anyone who wants concrete coping skills
- •Those who struggle with impulsive reactions or conflict
What we use it to treat
What does therapy here actually look like?
The first three sessions follow a clear structure, so you always know what is coming next.
- Session 1: Intake
Your therapist asks what brought you in, your history, and what you want to change. You rate the intensity of what you are feeling on a 0 to 10 scale, and that rating becomes the baseline. You set a recurring weekly time before you leave.
- Session 2: Psychosocial
Your therapist walks through your life across stages. DBT-informed work listens for how your emotions were handled and responded to over time, what you do when the intensity peaks, and which relationships tend to set it off. You can decline any question.
- Session 3: Treatment plan
You and your therapist build the plan together. Goals name the DBT skills that will be used: mindfulness, distress tolerance for crisis moments, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, along with tracking and chain analysis of the behaviors you want to change. You also set one personal goal that matters to you.
- Ongoing
Weekly sessions take apart the week's hardest moments link by link, teach the skill that fits, and hold you to practicing it. Once a month you and your therapist review progress using standardized measures, and the plan is adjusted based on what they show.
Therapy here is measured, not guessed
Once a month you have a Psycho-Measurement-Based Care Review (PMBCR). You complete standardized measures, such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, and your therapist reviews the trend with you. If something is not working, the plan changes. Regular therapy is the work. The review is the navigation system that keeps it pointed at the right target.
Sessions are weekly for the first two months to build a foundation, then frequency is reassessed with you. You set the pace, and you share only what you are comfortable sharing.
You do not have to figure this out alone.
Booking takes about two minutes. It is a short form, mostly checkboxes. Opens our secure client portal.
Common questions
Is DBT covered by insurance?
We are in-network with most major plans. In Queens: UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Medicare, Oscar Health, Meritain Health, Oxford Health Plans, Cigna, Optum, and MagnaCare. In Buffalo: UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Medicare, Oscar Health, Meritain Health, Oxford Health Plans, Cigna, Optum, Highmark BCBS, Highmark BCBS WNY, and Univera Healthcare. In Carmel, IN: Aetna, Cigna, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. We confirm your benefits before your first session.
What happens in the first DBT session?
Your therapist asks about the emotions and situations that overwhelm you, checks on safety, and explains how the skills work. You are not asked to relive anything or perform. You leave knowing what the first skills will be.
How long does DBT take, and does it work?
Skills work often runs several months, though it depends on your goals. DBT has a strong research base for intense emotions and impulsive behavior and is used more broadly today. No clinician can promise a specific outcome on a specific timeline.
Do I need a diagnosis to start DBT?
No. DBT was first developed for a specific population, but you do not need a diagnosis to learn the skills. Many people come in simply because their emotional reactions feel too big and too fast.
Can I do DBT by telehealth, and how soon can I start?
Yes. DBT skills work translates well to secure video, and telehealth is available at all three of our locations. We are accepting new clients and respond within one business day.
Is DBT different from CBT?
DBT grew out of CBT and shares its structure, but it adds acceptance, mindfulness, and a heavy focus on emotion regulation and relationships. CBT targets thoughts and behavior. DBT targets the intensity of the emotion itself.
How do I get started?
- 1
Check your insurance
Confirm your plan is in-network. Most major plans are accepted, and it takes about two minutes.
- 2
Book online
Pick a time in our secure client portal. It is a short form, mostly checkboxes, and takes about two minutes.
- 3
Meet your therapist
Your first session is an intake. Your therapist asks what brought you in, and you set a weekly time together.
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Take the first step
You do not have to figure this out alone. Book a session or check your insurance in under two minutes.