Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Colleen Doucette is certified in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based approach that helps people build practical skills for navigating intense emotions, difficult relationships, and overwhelming life stressors. DBT is especially effective for concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma, emotion dysregulation, self-harm urges, and relationship challenges, because it focuses on both acceptance and meaningful change. Through DBT, clients learn concrete tools for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and healthy communication—skills that support greater stability, self-understanding, and resilience in everyday life. My DBT training allows me to tailor these skills to each individual, helping clients feel more grounded, empowered, and capable of creating lasting change.
DBT vs CBT
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), while rooted in CBT, places a stronger emphasis on emotional regulation, acceptance, and the context in which behaviours developed. DBT is especially helpful for individuals who experience intense emotions, relationship instability, or difficulty coping with distress. A key difference is DBT’s balance of change and acceptance—validating a person’s lived experience while also teaching concrete skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Rather than focusing only on changing thoughts, DBT helps people learn how to survive emotional crises, build a life worth living, and respond more skillfully across all areas of life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that contribute to emotional distress. It works from the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are interconnected, and that by challenging distorted or inaccurate thinking, people can reduce symptoms such as anxiety and depression. CBT is often structured, goal-oriented, and present-focused, with an emphasis on problem-solving, thought records, and behavioural experiments to create change.
Expectations for DBT
You are doing your best!
In DBT, we recognize that you are always doing the best you can with the skills, resources, and capacity you have in this moment.
You are responsible for a skillful response!
DBT emphasizes personal responsibility by empowering you to choose skillful responses, even when situations feel unfair or emotionally charged.
Skills help you do better!
DBT teaches that learning new skills allows you to respond more effectively when old patterns are no longer serving you.
Skills work when you work the skills!
DBT reminds us that consistent practice—especially during difficult moments—is what transforms skills into lasting change.
Skills apply to all areas of your life!
DBT skills are practical and transferable, supporting emotional balance, healthier relationships, and clearer decision-making across all areas of life.
Treatment Strategies
These treatment strategies focus on helping clients feel understood and supported through validation, while building practical skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance to navigate emotions and life challenges more effectively.
Validation
Validation helps clients feel seen, heard, and understood by acknowledging their emotional experiences without judgment.
Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation skills support clients in understanding, managing, and responding to emotions in ways that reduce suffering and increase stability.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness encourages present-moment awareness, helping clients observe thoughts and feelings without becoming overwhelmed by them.
Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance skills help clients cope with intense emotions and crises without resorting to harmful or impulsive behaviours.