Artisan Counseling Blog

Artisan Counseling is dedicated to the craft of individual, couples and family counseling. In order to achieve this goal we are creating a blog that is designed to provide additional information and resources for clients, counselors and anyone a helping profession. The Artisan Blog may include information about books, articles and other helpful resources but honestly this is our first blog so we will see how it goes.

Who Benefits Most from DBT?

By: Artisan Team
May 7, 2026
7:27 pm

DBT gets talked about a lot in mental health conversations. Some people swear it changed their lives. Others have heard the term but aren’t sure who it’s actually designed for.

The result: many people who could benefit from DBT never try it — and some who try it without a clear fit walk away thinking it didn’t work.

At Artisan Counseling, our counselors offer DBT-informed treatment in Newport News, Suffolk, and via telehealth.

What DBT Is (Briefly)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy was developed in the 1980s by Marsha Linehan. It teaches skills in four areas:

Mindfulness
Distress Tolerance
Emotion Regulation
Interpersonal Effectiveness

It typically includes individual counseling and group skills training.

Who DBT Was Originally Designed For

DBT was created for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) — particularly those struggling with:

Intense emotions that arrive fast and feel overwhelming
Difficulty calming down once activated
Impulsive behavior during emotional spikes (self-harm, substance use, binge eating)
Relationships that swing rapidly from closeness to crisis
A persistent sense of feeling things more intensely than others

Early research showed DBT significantly reduced suicidal behavior, self-harm, and hospitalizations in this group.

Other Groups DBT Helps

Chronic Suicidal Thoughts or Self-Harm

DBT remains one of the most studied treatments for this group. Skills provide concrete tools for surviving crisis moments without acting on urges.

Eating Concerns

Adapted DBT is effective for binge eating, bulimia, and related struggles. Distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills target the emotional spikes driving these behaviors.

Substance Use

DBT-SUD addresses urge cycles with mindfulness and distress tolerance skills, while emotion regulation targets what’s underneath.

PTSD & Trauma

DBT is often used to build stabilization skills before deeper trauma processing begins in EMDR or other trauma-focused work.

Adolescents

DBT has been adapted for teens, often with parent involvement, for emotional intensity, self-harm urges, and family conflict.

Anyone with Strong Reactions to Stress

Even without a diagnosis, DBT skills are useful for people who:

React strongly to stress
Struggle to calm down once activated
Get caught in repetitive relational cycles
Feel controlled by their emotions

Who May Not Be the Best Fit for DBT

People Who Cannot Commit to the Structure

Full DBT programs ask for significant commitment: weekly individual counseling, weekly skills groups, between-session coaching. If this isn’t realistic right now, a less intensive approach may be the better starting point.

People Who Want to Explore Their History

DBT is present-focused and skills-focused. It’s not designed for open-ended exploration of childhood or identity. Other approaches work better for that — though you can return to DBT when skill-building becomes the priority.

People Not Yet Ready to Change Behavior

DBT works best when you’re ready to actively change patterns. If you’re still figuring out what you want, Motivational Interviewing or open-ended counseling may be a better starting point.