DBT Works

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DBT Works Do what works. DBT Works. Providing comprehensive DBT in Concord, MA.

Insurance companies make crucial decisions about who can access DBT.The problem is, they often don’t seem to understand ...
09/06/2026

Insurance companies make crucial decisions about who can access DBT.

The problem is, they often don’t seem to understand what DBT actually is—or who it was designed to treat.

After two years of billing insurance for comprehensive DBT, we’ve developed a running list of things we wish insurers understood:

• Borderline personality disorder is treatable.
• Comprehensive DBT is much more than a skills group.
• DBT was developed to treat serious suicidality and self-harm.
• Higher risk does not automatically mean someone needs a higher level of care.
• And another program at the same “level of care” is not necessarily an equivalent treatment.

These misunderstandings have real consequences for clients and families trying to access appropriate care.

Insurance companies make a lot of decisions about DBT.

The problem is, they often don’t seem to understand what DBT actually is—or who it was designed to treat.

After two years of billing insurance for comprehensive DBT, I’ve developed a running list of things I wish insurers understood:

• Borderline personality disorder is treatable.
• Comprehensive DBT is much more than a skills group.
• DBT was developed to treat serious suicidality and self-harm.
• Higher risk does not automatically mean someone needs a higher level of care.
• And another program at the same “level of care” is not necessarily an equivalent treatment.

These misunderstandings have real consequences for clients and families trying to access appropriate care.

Check out the latest DBT Works blog post for more:

www.dbtworks.com/blog/what-i-wish-insurance-companies-understood-about-dbt-and-borderline-personality-disorder

Have you ever been so angry with someone that you knew staying angry was making you miserable… but you also couldn’t see...
08/23/2026

Have you ever been so angry with someone that you knew staying angry was making you miserable… but you also couldn’t seem to let it go?

Anger is often completely understandable—especially when we’ve been hurt, disappointed, or treated unfairly.

But understandable doesn’t always mean helpful.

Anger can keep us stuck, increase conflict, push people away, and make relationship repair much harder. And often, anger is actually a secondary emotion sitting on top of something more vulnerable like hurt, fear, sadness, or shame.

So how do you actually change it?

Our latest post walks through 6 concrete DBT strategies for managing and letting go of anger, including identifying the emotion underneath it, practicing nonjudgment and curiosity, and using opposite action.

One important reminder: letting go of anger does not mean approving of what someone did.

It means changing your own experience so anger isn’t deciding what you do next.

👉 How to Let Go of Anger: 6 DBT Skills for Managing Anger and Repairing Relationships: www.dbtworks.com/blog/acoe2i2gmyu97yf58up1bmqpehes0m

“If keeping my child safe means they hate me, I’m okay with that.”We hear versions of this from parents all the time—and...
08/15/2026

“If keeping my child safe means they hate me, I’m okay with that.”

We hear versions of this from parents all the time—and it comes from such a loving place.

But there’s an important catch: having a strong relationship with your child can actually help keep them safer.

If your teen trusts you, feels connected to you, and believes they can be honest with you, they’re much more likely to tell you when they’re struggling or need help.

Unfortunately, when a family has been dealing with intense emotions, safety concerns, arguments, limits, and repeated crises, the relationship can start to get caught in its own cycle:

Conflict → painful emotions → avoidance → fewer positive interactions → even more tension.

Eventually, both parent and child can become reactive to each other before anyone has even done anything.

In our newest blog post, we explain how parents can begin to reverse that cycle through something we call “reconditioning the relationship.”

The basic idea is surprisingly simple: increase the number of neutral and positive experiences together—and start much smaller than you think you need to.

We also share practical strategies like “parallel play,” minimizing demands, inviting instead of asking, and the highly technical parenting intervention known as the "drive-by." 😄

https://www.dbtworks.com/blog/nidwhautlwkj59hthgrxoze97bi91x

We have ONE opening for a full-time Clinical Associate (milieu staff) in our intensive day program—and this is an incred...
08/12/2026

We have ONE opening for a full-time Clinical Associate (milieu staff) in our intensive day program—and this is an incredible opportunity for a recent grad (or anyone!) looking for:

✔️ Meaningful, face-to-face clinical experience
✔️ Rigorous training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
✔️ An amazing, supportive, passionate team and community
✔️ A role where you can make a real difference—without needing an advanced degree

Not that I’m biased (I am, extremely 😄), but I truly don’t think you can find more rewarding work, a more supportive team, or higher-quality clinical training. Huge credit to Nora Gerardi, Psy.D. for making the training in this role so exceptional.

You might be a great fit if you:

▪️ Are passionate about working with clients with complex problems, including suicidality and interpersonal difficulties
▪️ Are genuinely excited to learn DBT
▪️ Can build real, authentic relationships with clients while maintaining strong professional boundaries
▪️ Seek and receive feedback non-defensively—and give it non-judgmentally (the vibe here is lots of learning, all the time)
▪️ Can manage your own emotions in challenging situations
▪️ Care deeply about making high-quality treatment accessible to everyone in the community
▪️ Are proactive and willing to jump into new opportunities and experiences

If this sounds like you—or someone you know—email Amanda at [email protected].

Full posting: https://lnkd.in/e8kwKxY7

Please share! We’d love to find the right person to join our team. 💙

08/11/2026

If you’re parenting a teen or young adult who struggles with emotion regulation, you probably know how quickly one person’s dysregulation can become everyone’s dysregulation.

Your child is upset. You’re trying to help. They escalate. You get frustrated. They get more upset. And suddenly the conversation is nowhere near where either of you wanted it to go.

The good news? You don’t have to regulate your child’s emotions to make a difference.

When even one person in a heated interaction can stay regulated, it becomes much less likely that things will spiral.

That’s why parents’ own emotion regulation is such an important—and sometimes overlooked—part of supporting a teen’s DBT treatment.

In our newest blog post, we talk about practical ways parents can:
• Keep their emotional “cup” from overflowing
• Recognize when their own emotions are escalating
• Use STOP and other DBT skills in the moment
• Take a break without making things worse
• Practice self-soothing and distraction
• Use TIPP to bring down intense emotions
• Take care of themselves without feeling guilty

Because parents are people too. You’re allowed to have emotions, need breaks, and take care of yourself.

And doing so isn’t taking something away from your child. It's actually one of the best ways you can support them.

Full post: https://www.dbtworks.com/blog/keeping-your-cool-when-your-teen-loses-theirs-why-managing-your-own-emotions-may-be-one-of-the-most-important-ways-you-can-support-your-childnbsp

When someone you care about is upset, it’s natural to want to make the feeling go away.You might reassure them that ever...
07/18/2026

When someone you care about is upset, it’s natural to want to make the feeling go away.

You might reassure them that everything will be fine, explain why the situation isn’t so bad, offer advice, or tell them not to worry.

The problem? These responses can unintentionally make people feel dismissed or misunderstood.

Validation offers another approach. It communicates that a person’s feelings and experiences are important and understandable—even when you don’t agree with their interpretation or approve of their behavior.

In our new post, “Emotional Validation: A Practical Guide,” we explain:

• Why validation helps with emotion regulation
• What validation is—and what it isn’t
• Practical ways to validate your child, partner, or loved one
• How to reduce accidental invalidation
• How to practice self-validation

Read the full guide here: www.dbtworks.com/blog/emotional-validation-a-practical-guide-to-validating-yourself-and-others

What response helps you feel most understood when you’re having a difficult time?

Have you ever been angry... only to realize later that you were actually hurt?Or embarrassed... and then suddenly angry?...
07/14/2026

Have you ever been angry... only to realize later that you were actually hurt?

Or embarrassed... and then suddenly angry?

That happens because we often react to our emotions with more emotions.

Learning the difference between primary emotions (our natural first response) and secondary emotions can completely change how we understand ourselves and communicate with others.

In our newest blog, we talk about:
💙 Why emotions exist in the first place
🧠 Why identifying emotions helps regulate them
💬 How expressing your primary emotion helps others understand you

One of my favorite reminders from DBT:
"Emotion identification is emotion management."

🔗 Read the full article here: www.dbtworks.com/blog/what-are-emotions-good-for-why-identifying-primary-and-secondary-emotions-is-the-first-step-to-emotion-regulation

We'd love to hear—what emotion do you find the hardest to identify?

Parenting is hard.Parenting a teen with intense emotions, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or other serious mental health c...
07/12/2026

Parenting is hard.

Parenting a teen with intense emotions, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or other serious mental health challenges can feel overwhelming.

Many parents tell us they constantly wonder:
💭 Am I being too strict?
💭 Am I not strict enough?
💭 Am I helping... or making things worse?

If you've had those thoughts, you're not alone.

Our newest blog explores three common parenting traps that many families fall into—and offers a more balanced path forward.

There isn't a perfect way to parent. But there are ways to stop getting pulled between extremes and feel more confident in your decisions.

❤️ We hope it helps.

🔗 Read thge here: www.dbtworks.com/blog/three-common-parenting-mistakes-when-raising-an-emotionally-dysregulated-teen-and-what-to-do-instead

If you know another parent who could use this today, please share this with them.

Ever sent an email or a text you instantly regretted? ✉️ That's emotion dysregulation: when your emotions end up in th...
07/05/2026

Ever sent an email or a text you instantly regretted? ✉️

That's emotion dysregulation: when your emotions end up in the driver's seat.
The goal isn't to never feel angry, overwhelmed, or hurt. It's to notice when those emotions start pulling you away from your goals.

One of my favorite ways to think about it (courtesty of Alan Fruzzetti):

💡 Emotions are like headaches. Sometimes they're uncomfortable, but you can keep going. Other times, they're more like a migraine—they completely take over. The emotional migraine - that's dysregulation.

DBT helps with building the skills to manage and experience your emotions without letting them manage you.

https://www.dbtworks.com/blog/emotion-dysregulation-when-your-emotions-get-the-best-of-you

Most people picture trauma as one terrible event. But for a lot of folks who look and feel traumatized while insisting "...
06/20/2026

Most people picture trauma as one terrible event. But for a lot of folks who look and feel traumatized while insisting "nothing bad ever happened to me," the real story is something quieter: traumatic invalidation.

Traumatic invalidation is what happens when your experiences get dismissed over and over. For highly sensitive people, those everyday moments can add up to full-blown PTSD. In fact, many clients rank traumatic invalidation as more distressing than the "capital T" traumas they've also lived through.

Why does traumatic invalidation hit so hard? Because on top of the original pain, there's a second layer: nobody recognizes it as trauma. So you end up blaming yourself.

Here's the part I ✨love✨ about this framing: It lets everyone put down the blame. A child can be genuinely traumatized and their parents can have been loving and doing their best. Sometimes what works beautifully for one kid just isn't the right fit for another — and no one's the villain.

The hopeful part? The same evidence-based treatment used for other forms of trauma (DBT-PE) works for traumatic invalidation too.

For more on traumatic invalidation, check out this week's blog post: https://www.dbtworks.com/blog/capital-t-vs-lower-case-t-trauma-an-introduction-to-traumatic-invalidation

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Concord, MA
01742

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