DBT Programme

DBT Programme

DBT UK offers a comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy programme for people experiencing emotional dysregulation, impulsive or self-destructive behaviours, relationship difficulties, and patterns that interfere with building a life worth living.

The programme combines DBT skills training, individual therapy where appropriate, and between-session phone coaching for clients accessing the full package. It is structured, practical, and skills-focused, while also offering the support, challenge, and accountability needed for meaningful change.

Assessment and Getting Started

Before joining the DBT programme, clients complete an initial assessment with an experienced member of the DBT UK clinical team.

The assessment gives us a chance to understand what has been going on for you, what kind of support you are looking for, and whether our DBT programme is likely to be the right fit at this stage. We will ask about your current difficulties and other relevant background information. You may also be asked to complete some questionnaires as part of this process.

The assessment is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about DBT, the structure of the programme, and what would be expected if you decide to continue. Following the assessment, our clinical team will consider whether DBT UK is the most appropriate service for you, or whether another form of support may be better suited to your needs.

Pre-Treatment Sessions

Pre-treatment sessions are usually offered after the assessment and before starting the full DBT programme.

These sessions are designed to help you understand how DBT works, what the programme involves, and what will be expected if you decide to continue. You and your therapist may explore the biosocial model of emotional dysregulation, identify your goals for therapy, and begin to understand how DBT could apply to your own life and patterns.

Pre-treatment also gives you an opportunity to experience some of the approaches used in DBT and to make an informed decision about whether the programme feels right for you.

Programme Structure

The DBT skills programme runs over 36 weeks and is made up of three core skills modules:

•  Distress Tolerance
•  Emotion Regulation
•  Interpersonal Effectiveness

Mindfulness skills are taught throughout the programme and revisited at the beginning of each module.

Clients are advised to complete the programme twice. The first round focuses on learning the skills, while the second helps strengthen and embed them — often compared to the difference between learning a new language and becoming fluent in it. Clients are considered graduated from DBT once they have completed two full rounds of the programme.

DBT Skills Group

DBT skills group sessions are the core component of the programme. They take place once a week for 1.5 hours. Sessions are held at the same time each week and are usually delivered online.

Skills groups are structured and educational rather than process-based. This means the focus is on learning and practising practical DBT skills, rather than open-ended group discussion. Clients are encouraged to reflect on how the skills apply to their own lives and to practise them between sessions.

Groups are facilitated by experienced DBT clinicians and are designed to be supportive, engaging, and appropriately challenging. At DBT UK, our therapists use warmth, humour, irreverence, and clear teaching to help clients understand and apply the skills in real life.

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy is recommended alongside the DBT skills group.

 These sessions provide space to explore your personal difficulties in more depth, apply DBT skills to your own circumstances, and work on the patterns that may be keeping you stuck. They also support you to identify and work towards meaningful personal goals.

Individual therapy sessions are arranged directly with your therapist at a mutually suitable time.

Phone Coaching

Clients accessing the full DBT programme (i.e. group and individual therapy) also have access to seven-day-a-week phone coaching.

Phone coaching is designed to help you use DBT skills in real time, during moments of distress or difficulty. Your therapist will discuss with you how phone coaching works and agree an individual plan for how and when to use this support.

DBT UK is not a crisis service, and phone coaching is not intended to replace emergency or urgent mental health support. Instead, it is designed to help clients build confidence in using DBT skills so they can become more effective in supporting themselves over time.

Commitment to the Programme

DBT is an active and intensive programme. To get the most from it, clients are expected to attend regularly, arrive on time, complete between-session practice, and be willing to reflect on behaviours that may interfere with therapy.

These expectations will be discussed during assessment and pre-treatment sessions so that you can make an informed decision about whether the programme is right for you.

If difficulties arise with attendance, lateness, or homework, we will usually support clients to problem-solve this within the programme. However, ongoing non- attendance, repeated lateness, or continued difficulty engaging with between-session practice may affect your place in the programme.