Click to buy it!
DBT is a proven approach to help manage emotional ups and downs. It offers practical strategies for handling emotion regulation, relationship issues, impulsivity, self-harm, depression, and emotional numbing through substances, food or other behaviours.
Our DBT programme includes weekly one-to-one therapy, skills groups, and phone coaching. Initially designed for those with intense emotions, often diagnosed as “borderline personality disorder,” DBT now supports a broader audience, including autistic people and those with ADHD.
Anyone struggling with “roller-coaster” emotions, regardless of diagnosis, can benefit from DBT tools to manage overwhelming distress, safely experience and express emotions, resolve both inner and outer conflicts and build more satisfying relationships.
King’s Cross, Islington, London
SATURDAY 10AM-12PM* OR 12:15PM-1:45PM: These in-person DBT skills groups are held at Barnsbury Community Centre, 12 Jays Street, London, N1 0FE . Nearest stations are King’s Cross (12 minutes walk), Caledonian Road & Barnsbury (14 minutes walk), Angel (15 minutes walk) or Caledonian Road (22 minutes walk).
The next opportunity to join either of these groups is on 25th January 2025 when we begin the 12-week module in Emotion Regulation Skills. The fee is £1,020 which covers 12 sessions (£85 per session). After this module, the following classes are scheduled:
- Core Mindfulness & Middle Path (26th April 2025)
- Distress Tolerance (21st June 2025)
- Interpersonal Effectiveness (16th August 2025)
Sessions will not be held on Saturdays that fall on or close to Bank Holidays, i.e. 21st and 28th December 2024, 19th April, 3rd and 24th May, 23rd August 2025.
Online via Zoom
MONDAY 5:45PM-7:15PM: The next entry point to this group is on 10th March 2025 when the 8-week module in Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills is scheduled to begin. The fee is £680 (£85 x 8 sessions). After this module, the following classes are scheduled:
- Core Mindfulness & Middle Path (19th May 2025)
- Distress Tolerance (7th July 2025)
- Emotion Regulation (8th September 2025)
Sessions will not be held on Bank Holiday Mondays, i.e. 23rd and 30th December 2024, 21st April, 5th and 26th May and 25th August 2025.
TUESDAY 4PM-5:30PM OR 6PM-7:30PM: The next opportunity to join either of these groups is on 18th March 2025 when the 8-week module in Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills is scheduled to begin. The fee is £680 which covers 8 sessions (£85 per session). After this module, the following classes are scheduled:
- Core Mindfulness (13th May 2025)
- Distress Tolerance (24th June 2025)
- Emotion Regulation (19th August 2025)
Sessions will not be held on 24th and 31st December 2024.
WEDNESDAY 6PM-8PM*: The next opportunity to join this group is on 29th January 2025 when the 6-week module in Core Mindfulness & Middle Path Skills is scheduled to begin. The fee is £510 which covers 6 sessions (£85 per session). After this module, the following classes are scheduled:
- Distress Tolerance (12th March 2025)
- Emotion Regulation (7th May 2025)
- Interpersonal Effectiveness (30th July 2025)
Sessions will not be held on 25th December 2024 and 1st January 2025.
THURSDAY 5:30PM-7:30PM*: The next opportunity to join this group is on 9th January 2025 when the 12-week module in Emotion Regulation Skills is scheduled to begin. The fee is £1,020 which covers 12 sessions (£85 per session). After this module, the following classes are scheduled:
- Interpersonal Effectiveness (3rd April 2025)
- Core Mindfulness & Middle Path (29th May 2025)
- Distress Tolerance (24th July 2025)
Sessions will not be held on 26th December 2024 and 2nd January 2025.
10-WEEK ADVANCED RELATIONSHIP SKILLS IN ACTION MODULE: This module is offered only twice a year. The next entry point is on Wednesday 26th March 2025 and it will be held weekly from 6pm to 7:30pm via Zoom. The fee is £85 per session (£850).
* Should a lower number of participants sign up for (or attend) the 2-hour group we reserve the right to shorten the group to 90 minutes. This is because in smaller groups less time is required for mindfulness and homework review. The group might also be facilitated by one facilitator at a time instead of two.
What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy?
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a leading, evidence-based treatment designed to help individuals who experience intense emotions and struggle to manage them effectively. Developed in the late 1980s by Dr. Marsha Linehan, DBT was originally created for people with high emotional sensitivity, including those with experiences are commonly labelled in medical circles as “borderline personality disorder” (BPD) or or “emotionally unstable personality disorder” (EUPD). Studies show that up to 77% of individuals no longer meet the criteria for BPD following one year of DBT treatment. Today, DBT is also widely recognised for its effectiveness in treating conditions such as bipolar disorder, substance misuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, and depression. DBT has also evolved from a BPD-focused therapy to a powerful tool for managing ADHD and emerging evidence suggests it is also beneficial for individuals with autism.
We offer two tailored DBT options, providing flexibility to suit your needs, lifestyle and finances:
- Comprehensive Programme: This full programme includes weekly individual therapy sessions, skills group, and phone-based skills coaching available seven days a week, supported by a dedicated DBT team consultation*.
- Skills Group Programme: For those unable to commit to the comprehensive programme, the skills group programme is an alternative option, following a few initial one-to-one orientation sessions. This option focuses on teaching DBT skills in a supportive group setting. Should you encounter any difficulties engaging with the group, one-to-one check-in sessions are available to support you and enhance your learning experience. We also recommend that clients arrange additional one-to-one support outside of the programme for the best outcomes.
* Individual therapists and group facilitators meet on a weekly basis and work as a DBT consultation team to ensure that they are all applying DBT appropriately and to assist you in getting the maximum benefit from the programme.
What will I learn?
Our DBT programme includes four core modules, each offered on a rolling basis. You can join as part of the full programme or one module at a time, giving you flexibility to fit your needs. Completing all modules takes 34 weeks, and based on your progress and individual circumstances, our team may recommend repeating some modules or extending your time with us to strengthen your skills even further.
If your goals focus on building stronger, more meaningful connections, take a look at our advanced module, Relationship Skills in Action. This is your chance to dive deeper, gain practical insights, and transform your relationships further.
- 6-week Core Mindfulness and Middle Path module is crafted to help you heighten your awareness, reduce reactivity and unhelpful habits, and become less judgmental. Through this module, you’ll learn to focus your attention, embrace present-moment experiences without avoidance, and cultivate self-compassion. You’ll also discover ways to step away from extreme positions, finding balance by appreciating the value of different perspectives. This module offers powerful tools for a more mindful, centred, and compassionate approach to life.
- 8-week Distress Tolerance module is all about learning to handle challenging situations and emotions in a healthier way, empowering you to face tough moments without resorting to harmful behaviours like self-harm, conflict, or substance misuse. You’ll develop skills to manage overwhelming emotions by involving both body and mind, with a balanced focus on strategies for both acceptance and change. This module provides essential tools for staying resilient, grounded, and in control during life’s toughest moments.
- 12-week Emotion Regulation module is designed to help you understand and label your emotions, overcome barriers to change, and reduce emotional vulnerability and reactivity. You’ll learn to cultivate positive emotions, harness a more optimistic long-term outlook, and transform unhelpful emotional patterns. This module also guides you in reducing avoidance and becoming more comfortable with your feelings, empowering you to engage more fully with your emotions for a balanced and fulfilling life.
- 8-week Interpersonal Effectiveness module equips you with skills to build healthier relationships, handle conflict, and grow in self-confidence to communicate assertively. You’ll learn techniques for asking for what you need, saying no, setting boundaries, and managing tension in ways that both influence others and strengthen your relationships and self-respect. This module is especially valuable for anyone who experiences relationships as chaotic, intense, or unstable, or who feels their needs often go unmet. It’s a powerful step toward creating balanced, fulfilling connections in your life.
- 10-week Advanced Relationship Skills in Action module is perfect for those who have completed Interpersonal Effectiveness and are ready to elevate their relationship skills even further. You’ll dive into the social engagement system to understand how interactions influence your nervous system—and that of others—while exploring the theory and practice of dialectical thinking and balancing opposites. Learn how to balance the desire to influence with acceptance of the moment, strengthen your skills in self and other validation for better conflict resolution, and build emotional resilience in the face of invalidation. You’ll also gain insights on forming new relationships, enhancing likeability, and using relational reinforcement strategies effectively. Plus, you’ll have two immersive practice sessions where you can apply these skills to your own real-life scenarios and receive tailored guidance from the group trainer. This module offers a deep, hands-on approach to mastering advanced relationship skills in a supportive setting.
How will I learn?
DBT programme is structured on a rolling basis. This approach fosters a dynamic group learning environment where individuals at different levels of progress on the programme can share experiences and refine their skills through therapist guidance and peer insights.
DBT classes are designed to be highly interactive, with therapist-led discussions, engaging demonstrations, and practical exercises to help you immerse yourself in the real-life application of the skills. Expect to be challenged and supported as you actively participate each week. New skills are introduced in every session, and weekly homework allows you to practice and apply them in real-life situations. At the start of each class, participants’ progress and inter-session tasks are reviewed, enhancing your understanding and confidence.
For those in the full DBT programme, you’ll also have access to phone skills coaching, available seven days a week during times of heightened distress, to help you use your skills when they’re needed most—whether during intense emotions, crisis, or conflict. This hands-on approach ensures you’re well-prepared to apply your skills effectively in any situation.
Who should join the programme?
There is no specific diagnostic requirement for participation in our programme. If any of the following challenges interfere with the quality of your life, whether you were given a formal diagnosis or not, DBT can help.
- Emotional sensitivity and difficulties returning to a calm emotional baseline
- Episodes of extreme emotional pain and attempts to stop it with self-harm, alcohol, substances or sex
- Enormous fear of abandonment and trying to avoid it at all costs
- Rapidly changing moods, anger, recurrent depression, feelings of guilt and shame and high stress
- Chaotic relationships where you either frantically pursue or impulsively cut others off
- Intense emotions and unmanageable distress which lead you to behaving in ways that you don’t understand
- Impulsive urges and behaviours that lead to feelings of shame, regret or self-hate
- DBT has also been shown to help those who experience emotion dysregulation in the wider context of living with autism and neurodiversity and is now the go-to treatment for improving emotional regulation skills in those diagnosed with ADHD and ADD
- The skills classes are also suitable for people who are on the DBT for Complex Trauma programme with our team, and for those who are engaging in the stabilisation and safety stage of trauma-focused therapy outside of our team
- The skills classes can be adjunct to outside care or a part of a larger treatment plan and can be applied as a treatment for some eating and mood difficulties, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress and substance misuse.
Exclusion criteria
- Uncontrolled psychosis
- Severe developmental delay or intellectual disabilities
- Cognitive impairment
- Active addictions
- Certain narcissistic personality presentations
- Behaviours and presentations which might impact on group learning
- DBT focuses a lot on finding coping methods to stop impulsive behaviour and learning to appropriately respond to stressful events. If changing behaviour and increasing your repertoire of skills aren’t the main thing you want to get out of treatment, DBT might not be right for you
How to begin?
All individuals interested in joining the full programme will be assessed by a member of our team. To find out more about the team please visit the About Us section of this website and if you have a preference let us know which therapist you wish to be assessed by. Following the assessment we meet as a team to carefully consider your therapy plan.
Following the assessment, you will be offered three one-to-one orientation sessions which will introduce you to some fundamental DBT theories, tools and crisis skills (in some circumstances these sessions might be optional). We will also talk you through a roadmap of your treatment going forward, answer your questions and agree on a start date in the skills group.
It is possible to be referred to our team by a psychiatrist or current therapist who can provide a letter of recommendation describing your mental health and developmental history and send it to the assessing therapist before the initial session. It would be helpful if the letter outlined patterns of dysregulation in emotion and behaviour, history of risk (including self-harm, suicide attempts and hospitalisations), current and/or previous engagement with other services and therapeutic endeavours.
Fees
Fees for the comprehensive DBT programme—which includes individual therapy, weekly skills class and phone coaching—range from £185 to £220 per week. For a detailed breakdown of fees, please click here.
Alternatively, you may choose to attend the DBT skills groups on their own, with a fee of £85 per class and a commitment to one module at a time. We also have a limited number of concessionary places available in the skills groups for individuals on low incomes. If this applies to you, please feel free to email us with details of your financial circumstances.
To secure a place in the skills group, we kindly ask for 50% of the module fee to be paid at the time of booking. This payment is non-refundable. The remaining balance is due one week before the module begins. Please note that participants commit to the full module, and the fee covers all sessions, including those that are missed or cancelled for any reason.
If you have any questions or need further clarification, please reach out!