DBT Therapy Calgary

Takeaway: Everyone struggles with their feelings from time to time. However, if your emotions feel extra intense or out of control, consider DBT therapy. This form of counselling and support can help you learn how to embrace your feelings and find new ways to manage them. Connect with one of our Calgary dialectical behaviour therapy clinicians to geta therapy session started.

For many who have tried and failed a thousand times to overcome extreme emotion dysregulation, the mindful, supportive, and structured nature of DBT offers helpful tools and treatment from a therapist.

Unlock your path to emotional balance and well-being through Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) in Calgary, Alberta. This therapeutic approach equips you with skills to navigate extreme emotions and distressing thoughts, understand self-destructive behaviours, focus on stress, and regulate reactions. If intense emotional responses lead to self-harm, depression, negative thoughts, or other conditions, your DBT therapist at Shelly Qualtieri & Associates Calgary provides a way to regain control and experience life with focus and emotional regulation.

Pioneered by Dr. Marsha Linehan and initially designed for Borderline Personality Disorder, DBT has evolved into the gold standard to treat conditions like bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, substance abuse, and ADHD. It's a life-changing option for both youth and adults.

Connect with a therapist today for a free consultation and explore how DBT Calgary is one of the counselling options at Shelly Qualtieri & Associates and can be a transformative part of your therapeutic journey.

Calgary DBT Therapists Ready for Hire

Marizabel Forno

Credentials: Registered Psychologist
Clientele: Adults, couples, families, children 6+, teens
Location: 3rd Floor, 4503 Brisebois Dr NW 3rd Floor, Calgary, AB T2L 2G3
Virtual therapy?: Yes

Laura Laidlaw

Credentials: Clinical Counsellor
Clientele: Adults, youth 13+
Location: 3rd Floor, 4503 Brisebois Dr NW 3rd Floor, Calgary, AB T2L 2G3
Virtual therapy?: Yes

What is dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)?

"Dialectical" refers to things that seem like opposites but can, in fact, both be true—like acceptance and change.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): A Transformative Therapeutic Approach

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) empowers individuals with mental health disorders to cultivate emotional focus and resilience through an evidence-based therapeutic process. Rooted in a compassionate and collaborative therapist-client relationship, Dialectical Behavior Therapy encompasses these key steps and components to support your mental health issues for adults and youth:

Mindfulness Skills:
- Description: DBT integrates mindfulness techniques, allowing patients to focus themselves on the present moment without judgment. This foundational step enhances self-awareness.
- Client Experience: Clients develop mindfulness by grounding themselves in the current moment and gaining clarity on their thoughts and emotions through counselling.
Distress Tolerance:

Description: Dialectical behaviour therapy equips a person with practical tools to navigate distressing situations without resorting to harmful behaviors. This step fosters resilience and adaptive coping mechanisms.
- Client Experience: Through skill-building, clients enhance their ability to withstand challenging circumstances, promoting healthier responses.

Emotion Regulation:
- Description: Central to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy is the development of skills to understand and manage intense psychological trauma effectively. Therapists guide patients in creating a stable emotional foundation.
- Client Experience: Clients work with therapists to identify, validate, and improve emotional regulation, creating a foundation for balanced emotional responses.
Interpersonal Effectiveness:
- Description: Dialectical Behavioural Therapy emphasizes the cultivation of communication and relationship skills to navigate interpersonal challenges. Patients will learn assertiveness and boundary-setting, enhancing their relational interactions.
- Client Experience: Clients gain strategies for effective communication, assertiveness, and boundary-setting, enhancing interpersonal effectiveness and improve self esteem.

When embarking on a therapeutic journey with DBT, behaviour therapy involves a collaborative and empathetic exploration of these components. Guided by skilled therapists at Shelly Qualtieri & Associates, clients receive personalized tools that foster growth, resilience, and lasting positive change for their emotional well-being.

We are currently accepting new patients for in-person sessions for youth and adults. Book your therapy session.

Our DBT therapists can help you feel more in control of your emotions.

DBT empowers individuals with practical tools to regulate emotions, navigate distress, and foster meaningful connections, promoting lasting distress tolerance skills.

Regain Emotional Mastery with our DBT Therapists

Discovering greater control over your emotions and mental health is achievable. You can expect DBT to excel at addressing various behaviours, symptoms of eating disorders, and mood disorders. A dialectical behaviour sessions or group therapy can treat people for various disorders.

Anger & Impulsivity: Dialectical behaviour therapy equips you with tools to cope, recognize, and regulate anger, preventing impulsive reactions and promoting healthier responses.
Anxiety & Overwhelm: Through mindfulness and treatment skills, DBT helps treat anxiety and emotional overwhelm, fostering a sense of calm and control.
Depression & Sadness: Addressing depressive symptoms dbt skills cultivates emotion regulation, offering practical tools to shift your mindset and enhance mood and psychological wellbeing.
Guilt & Shame: DBT assists in coping with feelings of guilt and shame, encouraging self-compassion and reconciliation.
Fear & Jealousy: By promoting interpersonal effectiveness and managing fears, dialectical behaviour tackles jealousy, fostering courage and resilience to cope.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Dialectical behaviour therapy is highly effective for BPD, treating and targeting emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal challenges.
Eating Disorders: For individuals with an eating disorder, dialectical behaviour provides tools for emotion regulation and improved self-image.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): DBT aids in managing PTSD by addressing emotional dysregulation, flashbacks, and heightened arousal, promoting a sense of safety and stability.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): Dialectical behaviour therapy supports individuals with NPD by addressing emotional dysregulation, interpersonal challenges, and fostering self-awareness, promoting healthier relationships and emotional balance.
Self-Harming/Suicidal Ideation: Dialectical behaviour therapy equips individuals with tools to manage intense emotions, navigate distress, and build a life worth living, reducing the risk of self-harming behaviors and promoting emotional resilience.
Sexual Abuse and Assault: For survivors, dialectical behaviour therapy provides a safe space to process trauma, offering tools for emotion regulation, fostering healing, and empowering individuals on their journey to recovery.

Dialectical behavior therapy Calgary counselling at Shelly Qualtieri & Associates is committed to guiding you toward positive self-esteem and emotional regulation. Book.

Who our DBT services are for

There is not one treatment method that is successful for every person; what works for you may not work for someone else.

Dialectical behavioural therapy proves highly beneficial for both teens and adults by providing practical tools to regulate emotions, navigate challenges, and enhance overall psychological health. This evidence-based therapy empowers individuals to build resilience, improve interpersonal relationships, making it an invaluable therapy for adolescents and adults alike. Our team is here to support you, treat people with challenging symptoms, and improve your psychological health. Connect with a therapist today to discuss your concerns.

Empowering Teens with DBT:

Dialectical behavioural therapy equips teens with valuable tools for emotion regulation, improved mental health, strategies for mood disorders, and decision-making. This transformative therapy helps teens build emotional resilience, and establish effective communication and social skills together, fostering a smoother transition through the challenges of adolescence.

Supporting Adults with DBT:

For adults, dialectical behaviour provides a transformative approach to navigating life's complexities. With practical skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, helping understand and navigate mental health disorders, and decision-making, individuals can enhance relationships and create a fulfilling life. Even with the best intentions, dysregulated adults or those with a lack of distress tolerance skills can create unintentional challenges and conflict in their homes, relationships, and workplace.

Book your 30-minute free phone coaching today to get started with our dialectical and cognitive behavioural therapy, therapy Calgary.

FAQs about DBT in Calgary

Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) a valuable counselling treatment?

What's the difference between CBT and DBT?

Who is DBT not suitable for?

Embrace your emotions with DBT therapy in Calgary.

By accepting yourself—your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs—you can find a sense of inner peace and let go of judgment, blame, and guilt.

Embark on a journey of self-acceptance and inner peace by embracing your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. At Shelly Qualtieri & Associates, one of the therapy options our expert therapists specialize in is dialectical behaviour therapy and other treatments to empower you to develop essential skills and awareness.

Therapy is a collaborative effort where the more you invest, the greater the transformation. It's not a quick fix, but a meaningful process that involves honest self-reflection and dedicated work with your therapist. Facing your truth can be challenging, yet within that discomfort lies the potential for profound healing and growth.

At the core of our treatment modality is the fusion of acceptance and change. We validate the reality of your pain while instilling the belief that change is achievable. In individual therapy, your dedicated therapist guides you to accept emotions without impulsive reactions and empowers you to replace harmful behaviours with skillful ones.

Experience the difference at Shelly Qualtieri & Associates, where there are no waitlists and rapid response times, ensure we're here for you when you need us most.