By Stacy Boroff and Lenora Everhart, Clinicians at San Diego Detox
We believe in combining evidence-based structure with warmth and personalization. DBT is a powerful framework for emotional regulation, but it becomes transformative when delivered with genuine care, consistency, and collaboration—values we live out at San Diego Detox.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Its focus is on helping individuals manage intense emotions and improve their relationships. Created by Dr. Marsha Linehan in the 1980s, DBT combines traditional therapy techniques with mindfulness practices so clients are empowered to find a balance between acceptance and change in their lives.
In our program, DBT is more than a treatment—it’s a culture. It allows us to meet clients where they are, validate their struggles, and guide them toward personal growth through structured emotional tools.
DBT emphasizes the development of skills to help with managing emotional and relationship challenges. At its core, it is designed to help people regulate emotions, improve their relationships, and cope with distressing situations in healthier ways.
Created as a response to limitations in traditional CBT for treating borderline personality disorder, DBT integrated mindfulness and acceptance into behavioral therapy. Over time, it evolved into a versatile approach used across various emotional and behavioral challenges.
At San Diego Detox, we reinforce these practices across the entire care experience. Everyone on our team—therapists, BHTs, even kitchen staff—plays a role in creating an environment of emotional safety and trust.
DBT is grounded in four key principles that structure our approach:
Encouraging clients to accept the present while working toward change.
Teaching presence and nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings.
Providing clients with tangible tools to manage emotions and relationships.
Creating trust and open communication between clients and the treatment team.
At San Diego Detox, the consistency of our team enhances these principles. As Stacy explains, our team reinforces each other’s messages, which helps clients absorb and apply new concepts more quickly and confidently.
DBT uses a structured approach that combines individual therapy with group skills training. Clients explore their emotional responses, learn coping strategies, and engage in skills practice in a supportive peer environment.
We go beyond just providing therapy. We create an immersive environment where lessons from DBT are echoed throughout the day—whether it’s a conversation during lunch or a moment of reflection after group. This program-wide alignment provides a sense of security that’s essential for healing.
Teaches clients to stay present and aware without judgment. This is essential for slowing down reactive cycles and developing clarity in the moment.
Provides techniques to navigate emotional crises without reverting to harmful behaviors. Clients build tools to self-soothe and withstand difficult emotions.
Helps clients understand and label their emotions, reduce emotional intensity, and build positive emotional experiences.
Equips clients with communication and boundary-setting tools to maintain healthier relationships and advocate for their needs.
DBT works because it addresses both acceptance and change. Clients are seen and validated—often for the first time—and then supported in making lasting behavioral improvements.
Our team’s commitment to growth, both for ourselves and our clients, means that the DBT curriculum isn’t static. We’re continuously learning, updating our methods, and tailoring sessions to meet the specific emotional energy of each cohort. As Lenora puts it, the power of DBT starts with creating a space where it’s safe to be cared for again.
DBT is used to treat a wide range of conditions characterized by emotional dysregulation, including:
Our clients often present with co-occurring disorders. DBT allows us to address the underlying emotional drivers behind many of their struggles.
The DBT journey at San Diego Detox includes:
Initial assessment and goal setting: Identifying emotional needs and aligning on treatment goals.
Individual therapy: Weekly sessions that personalize DBT tools and apply them to daily challenges.
Group skills training: Building peer connection while practicing DBT modules.
Ongoing evaluation: Regular check-ins to adapt care and track progress.
With each step, we maintain a unified voice across departments so that DBT is more than therapy—it becomes a lived experience throughout the day.
Dialectical behavior therapy at San Diego Detox is not just about managing emotions—it’s about changing lives. Our team brings passion, collaboration, and consistency to ensure every client feels safe, supported, and empowered to grow. To learn more or speak with a member of our team, contact us anytime.
DBT can help with addiction recovery by teaching skills for managing intense emotions, cravings, impulsive decisions and relationship stress. Many people use substances when their emotions feel unbearable or conflict becomes overwhelming. DBT gives you the tools to pause, tolerate distress, regulate emotions and make healthier choices in tough moments. At San Diego Detox, DBT may be used as part of a broader treatment plan also including detox, residential support, relapse prevention and other therapies.
No. DBT was originally developed for people with intense emotional distress, but it’s now used in a lot of treatment settings, including addiction treatment. You don’t need a borderline personality disorder diagnosis to benefit from DBT skills. The approach can help people struggling with cravings, emotional reactivity, impulsive behavior, self-criticism or unstable relationships. In recovery, these skills can be especially useful because early sobriety often brings emotions to the surface. DBT helps clients respond with more control and less self-destructive behavior.
Useful DBT skills during early recovery can include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Mindfulness helps you notice cravings and emotions without immediately acting on them, while distress tolerance helps you get through uncomfortable moments without resorting to substances. Emotional regulation supports healthier responses to anger, sadness, shame or anxiety. Interpersonal effectiveness can help with boundaries and communication. At San Diego Detox, DBT skills may be part of relapse prevention efforts and can help our clients build more stable coping strategies.
Yes. DBT can help with managing cravings and emotional triggers because it’s an approach that creates space between the urge and the action. Instead of automatically reacting, you learn how to identify what you’re feeling, name the trigger, tolerate discomfort and choose a safer response. It’s especially helpful when substance use has become a way to escape stress, conflict, loneliness or anxiety. DBT doesn’t remove all the cravings you might experience, but it can make them feel less controlling and give you practical tools to rely on to stay grounded.
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