Build Skills for Managing Emotions, Stress, Relationships, and Life’s Hard Moments
Life can be really stressful, and overwhelming. Big feelings, intense reactions, relationship conflicts, shutdowns, or emotional overwhelm can leave you feeling exhausted and misunderstood. You might know what you want to do differently, but in the moment, it feels impossible to slow down, speak up, stay grounded, or respond the way you want.
At Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting, we offer DBT-informed therapy that is flexible, affirming, practical, and designed for real life.
Whether you are seeking therapy in Durham NC or virtual therapy across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, or one of many PSYPACT states, our clinicians help you build a personalized toolkit of coping skills that fits your brain, your identities, your relationships, and your goals.
We offer:
- In-person DBT-informed therapy in South Durham, NC
- Virtual therapy throughout North Carolina
- Online therapy across South Carolina and Virginia
- Telehealth services in many additional PSYPACT states
- Immediate availability with several DBT-informed clinicians
- Free 20-minute consultations
- Evening and weekend appointments with select providers
- LGBTQIA+ affirming and neurodivergent-affirming care
What Is DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, commonly called DBT, is an evidence-based therapy approach that helps people build practical skills for managing emotions, handling stress, improving relationships, and staying present in difficult moments.
DBT combines acceptance and change. Instead of focusing solely on changing thoughts or behaviors, DBT helps you understand your emotions, validate your experiences, and develop concrete tools for responding more effectively when life feels overwhelming.
At Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting, we use DBT in a flexible, neurodivergent-affirming, trauma-informed, and LGBTQIA+ affirming way. We recognize that every person’s brain, identities, experiences, and needs are different. Rather than expecting you to fit into a therapy model, we adapt DBT skills to fit you.
Many of our clients come to therapy feeling exhausted from masking, navigating sensory overwhelm, managing ADHD challenges, recovering from burnout, coping with trauma, or simply trying to survive in environments that were not built with them in mind. DBT can provide practical tools for navigating these challenges while helping you build greater self-understanding and self-compassion.
The Four Core Areas of DBT
DBT focuses on four core areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
At Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting, we use the four core areas of DBT as a framework for building a personalized toolkit of skills. While there is a whole “suitcase” of skills available to consider or learn, our goal is to work together and find a few skills that really work best for you. Think of it as creating your own fanny pack of coping skills that you can pull from when life feels overwhelming.
For many Autistic folks, ADHDers, trauma survivors, LGBTQIA+ clients, and others who have spent years feeling misunderstood, these skills are not about becoming someone different. They are about helping you understand yourself more deeply and navigate life with greater confidence, flexibility, and self-compassion.
Mindfulness: Understanding Yourself Without Judgment
Mindfulness is the practice of noticing what is happening inside and around you without immediately judging it as good, bad, right, or wrong.
For many people, mindfulness is not about clearing your mind or sitting perfectly still, although we can understand why you might think that! In fact, many neurodivergent people find traditional mindfulness practices inaccessible or frustrating.
At Be BOLD, mindfulness might look like:
- Noticing your emotions before they become overwhelming
- Recognizing sensory needs before reaching burnout
- Learning how your body signals stress, anxiety, or shutdown
- Paying attention to what helps you feel regulated and grounded
- Using movement, fidgets, special interests, music, creativity, or sensory supports as mindfulness tools. Maybe its drawing, gardening, a mindfulness walk, or doing a puzzle!
The goal is not perfect awareness. The goal is building a deeper understanding of yourself so you can respond intentionally rather than operating on autopilot.
Distress Tolerance: Getting Through Hard Moments Without Losing Yourself
Life includes painful moments. Distress tolerance skills help you navigate those moments safely and effectively.
These skills are designed for times when emotions feel intense, situations feel overwhelming, or circumstances cannot immediately be changed.
Distress tolerance may help you:
- Navigate anxiety, panic, or overwhelm
- Manage conflict or relationship stress
- Cope with uncertainty and major life transitions
- Get through sensory overload or overstimulation
- Reduce impulsive reactions during difficult moments
- Recover from setbacks, disappointments, rejection, or conflict
- Stay grounded during periods of acute stress
Our neuroaffirming approach recognizes that distress can come from many sources, including sensory overwhelm, chronic masking, unmet accessibility needs, identity-based stress, discrimination, trauma, and burnout.
Rather than asking you to simply tolerate distress indefinitely, we also explore what changes may help reduce distress in the long term.
Emotion Regulation: Building a Different Relationship with Emotions
Many people come to therapy believing their emotions are the problem.
We disagree.
Emotions are important sources of information. They tell us about our needs, values, relationships, environments, and experiences. They cue us in that something is going on, and how or if we need to pay attention. But they can also be overwhelming, or difficult to understand at times.
Emotion regulation is not about suppressing feelings, forcing positivity, or becoming less emotional. Instead, it is about understanding emotions, responding to them effectively, and reducing emotional intensity when it becomes overwhelming.
In therapy, emotion regulation may involve:
- Identifying emotional patterns and triggers
- Understanding the purpose emotions serve
- Reducing shame around having strong emotions
- Developing strategies to manage emotional intensity
- Building routines and supports that reduce vulnerability to burnout and overwhelm
- Learning how unmet needs, sensory demands, trauma, chronic stress, and environmental factors affect emotions
For many neurodivergent clients, emotion regulation work also includes learning to trust their experiences after years of being told they are “too sensitive,” “too emotional,” “dramatic,” or “too much.”
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Building Relationships Without Losing Yourself
Relationships can be rewarding, meaningful, and complicated. Interpersonal effectiveness skills focus on helping you communicate clearly, set boundaries, advocate for your needs, and navigate relationships in ways that feel aligned with your values.
These skills may help you:
- Ask for support when you need it
- Say no without overwhelming guilt
- Navigate disagreements more effectively
- Set and maintain healthy boundaries
- Advocate for accommodations and accessibility needs
- Build more satisfying and reciprocal relationships
- Reduce people-pleasing and masking behaviors
- Communicate needs more directly and confidently
For many LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent clients, interpersonal effectiveness also means learning that your needs matter. It means practicing self-advocacy, honoring your limits, and creating relationships where authenticity can feel safe, without the need to mask or hold back parts of yourself.
The goal is not becoming “easier.” The goal is helping you build relationships that feel healthier, more reciprocal, and more supportive of who you actually are.
These DBT skills can be particularly helpful for people experiencing anxiety, emotional dysregulation, relationship challenges, trauma, chronic stress, burnout, identity-based stress, school difficulties, workplace stress, and major life transitions. When modified to be neuroaffirming, DBT can also be helpful for ADHDers and Autistic clients.
DBT Skills You Can Actually Use in Everyday Life
One of the reasons many people appreciate DBT is that it is practical.
Rather than spending all your time talking about problems, DBT helps you build skills you can use immediately.
Examples include:
- Pausing before reacting when emotions are running high
- Managing conflict without escalating situations
- Navigating rejection, disappointment, and uncertainty
- Reducing emotional overwhelm and burnout
- Setting boundaries without excessive guilt
- Asking for what you need more effectively
- Managing anxiety during stressful situations
- Grounding through sensory and mindfulness-based strategies
- Building healthier relationships with yourself and others
At Be BOLD, we often describe DBT as creating your own personalized backpack of coping skills. Together, we identify what works for your brain and your life so you have tools available when you need them most.
DBT Therapy for ADHD, Autism, Trauma, and Emotional Regulation
Many people seeking DBT therapy are dealing with more than one challenge at a time. Our clinicians frequently integrate DBT-informed approaches to support:
- ADHD and executive functioning challenges
- Autistic burnout and overwhelm
- Anxiety and chronic stress
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Trauma and PTSD
- Identity-based stress
- Relationship difficulties
- Emotional regulation concerns
- School and workplace challenges
- Caregiver stress
- Life transitions
- Chronic overwhelm and burnout
Neuroaffirming and LGBTQIA+ Affirming DBT Therapy
Traditional DBT approaches can sometimes feel compliance-focused or rooted in neurotypical expectations of what regulation should look like. That is not our approach.
At Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting, we adapt DBT through a neurodiversity-affirming and LGBTQIA+ affirming lens.
We recognize that many Autistic folks, ADHDers, AuDHDers, queer clients, trans clients, nonbinary clients, and other marginalized communities have spent years being told that who they are is “too much,” “not enough,” or somehow wrong.
We do not believe the goal of therapy is masking.
Instead, we help clients build skills that support emotional well-being while honoring sensory needs, communication styles, cultural identities, neurotypes, and authentic ways of being.
Our clinicians have pursued training from neurodivergent clinicians and educators with lived experience and frequently incorporate concepts from neurodivergent-centered resources, including The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills (Second Edition) by Sonny J. Wise.
Validation comes first. Skills come next.
DBT Therapy for Kids, Teens, and Caregivers
Big emotions do not only affect adults. Children and teens may experience emotional overwhelm through shutdowns, meltdowns, anger, avoidance, anxiety, withdrawal, school struggles, or family conflict.
Our DBT-informed therapists work with children, adolescents, teens, caregivers, and families to build emotional awareness, communication skills, coping strategies, and stronger relationships.
We support kids, teens, and young adults with DBT Therapy in helping to navigate:
Anxiety and stress
• ADHD
• Autism
• School-related challenges
• Peer difficulties
• Identity exploration
• Family conflict
• Emotional regulation challenges
• Social stressors
Our approach is affirming, developmentally appropriate, and centered on understanding emotions rather than fighting them.
What to Expect During DBT-Informed Therapy
DBT therapy at Be BOLD is collaborative and personalized.
Together with your therapist, you will:
- Identify goals that matter to you
• Learn and practice DBT skills in session
• Explore real-life situations where skills can help
• Adapt strategies based on your experiences
• Build confidence using tools outside of therapy
There is no expectation that you do DBT perfectly.
We are interested in what works, what does not, and how we can continue adapting therapy to support your needs.
In-Person DBT Therapy in Durham NC
Our South Durham office provides a welcoming, affirming space for clients seeking in-person therapy. Many of our clients come from:
- Durham
- South Durham
- Chapel Hill
- Raleigh
- Cary
- Morrisville
- Hillsborough
- Wake County
- Orange County
If you are looking for DBT therapy in Durham NC, we would love to help.
Virtual DBT Therapy Across NC, SC, VA, and PSYPACT States
Prefer therapy from home?
Virtual DBT-informed therapy is available throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, 43+ PSYPACT states.
Telehealth allows you to access affirming mental health care from the comfort of your home while receiving the same high-quality support and skill-building opportunities.
Ready to Start DBT Therapy?
If you are looking for DBT therapy in Durham NC or virtual DBT-informed therapy across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, or PSYPACT states, our team would be honored to support you.
Self -Schedule your free 20-minute consultation today and let us help you build a toolkit of skills that supports the life you want to live.
You can also call or text us at 919-525-1873 or email info@beboldpsychnc.com!
Frequently Asked Questions About DBT Therapy
What is DBT?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based therapy approach that helps people develop skills for managing emotions, tolerating distress, improving relationships, and staying present during stressful situations.
DBT combines acceptance and change, helping people better understand their emotions while learning practical coping strategies that can be used in everyday life.
What ages is DBT therapy for?
DBT-informed therapy can be beneficial for children, adolescents, teens, adults, caregivers, and families.
At Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting, our clinicians adapt DBT skills to meet the developmental needs, goals, and experiences of each client.
Do you offer a full-model DBT program?
No.
Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting currently offers DBT-informed therapy rather than a full-model or full-fidelity DBT program.
Full-model DBT typically includes individual therapy, skills groups, phone coaching, and therapist consultation teams.
While our clinicians integrate DBT skills into therapy, we do not currently offer a comprehensive full-model DBT program. We are actively collecting interest for future DBT skills groups and expanded DBT programming. Learn more about our group therapy offerings here!
Is DBT therapy covered by insurance?
We are a private pay practice and do not participate directly with insurance companies. For clients seeking possible out-of-network reimbursement, we can provide a superbill that may be submitted to your insurance company.
You can learn more about our services, rates, payment policies, and out-of-network reimbursement options on our Rates & Insurance Page here!
Is DBT neuroaffirming?
It can be, and at Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting we intentionally make it so.
Our clinicians have pursued training from neurodivergent clinicians and educators with lived experience and frequently integrate neurodivergent-centered resources, including The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills (Second Edition) by Sonny J. Wise.
We adapt DBT skills to support Autistic folks, ADHDers, AuDHDers, and other neurodivergent clients while honoring sensory needs, communication styles, and authentic ways of being.
Is DBT therapy available virtually or in person?
Both.
We offer in-person therapy in our South Durham office and virtual therapy throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and many PSYPACT states.
Do you offer DBT therapy during evenings and weekends?
Yes.
Several of our DBT-informed clinicians offer evening and weekend appointments for children, teens, adults, couples, and families. Availability varies by provider and scheduling needs.
Where can I learn more about DBT?
Our team regularly publishes educational content about DBT skills, emotional regulation, neurodivergent-affirming mental health care, trauma-informed therapy, ADHD, Autism, and related topics.
Visit our blog to explore additional resources and learn more about DBT-informed therapy! You can view our blogs here or here
You can also schedule a free 20-minute consultation if you would like to discuss whether DBT-informed therapy may be a good fit for your goals. Learn more about our clinicians, and self-schedule here!
