Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

(In-Person and Online Counselling for Adults, Seniors, and Late Teens)

Finding Balance Between Acceptance and Change

Do your emotions ever feel too big — like waves that hit without warning?
You might feel calm one moment, then overwhelmed the next, wondering, “Why do I react this way?” or “Why can’t I stay in control?”

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) helps you find balance between accepting yourself as you are and creating meaningful change in how you respond to life’s challenges.

If you often feel emotionally reactive, have difficulty managing stress, or struggle in relationships, DBT offers structured tools to help you find stability, self-awareness, and peace within yourself.

What is DBT?

DBT was originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan to help people manage intense emotions and improve their relationships.
It combines principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with mindfulness, emotion regulation, and acceptance-based skills — helping you live with more balance and intentionality.

DBT teaches that two seemingly opposite things can be true at the same time:

“I’m doing the best I can… and I can also do better.”

This compassionate balance between acceptance and growth forms the foundation of DBT work.

Core Areas of DBT

DBT is practical, structured, and skill-based.
In counselling sessions, we focus on four key areas of growth:

  1. Mindfulness:
    Learning to stay present and observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment.

  2. Distress Tolerance:
    Building the ability to handle painful emotions and crises without making things worse.

  3. Emotion Regulation:
    Understanding and managing intense emotions before they take control.

  4. Interpersonal Effectiveness:
    Improving communication, setting boundaries, and maintaining healthy relationships.

Each of these pillars works together to help you respond to life with awareness, calm, and confidence.

What DBT Can Help With

DBT is highly effective for people who experience emotional intensity, mood swings, or challenges with self-regulation. It can help with:

  • Anxiety and panic

  • Depression and hopelessness

  • Emotional overwhelm or reactivity

  • Self-criticism and shame

  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

  • Anger management

  • Relationship difficulties

  • Impulsivity or self-sabotaging behaviours

  • Recovery from trauma or emotional neglect

DBT provides both structure and compassion — teaching you that emotions aren’t your enemy; they’re signals that can be understood, managed, and integrated.

How DBT Works in Counselling

DBT isn’t just about talking — it’s about practising.
In our sessions, you’ll learn emotional regulation skills and then apply them in real life. We’ll explore real situations that trigger emotional distress, and I’ll guide you through how to respond differently.

You’ll learn to:

  • Identify emotional triggers and thought patterns

  • Use mindfulness to stay grounded in the moment

  • Apply distress tolerance techniques when emotions feel too strong

  • Communicate needs effectively without guilt or fear

  • Balance self-acceptance with healthy self-improvement

You’ll leave sessions with clear strategies and exercises to apply between appointments — helping you see real, measurable progress.

The Emotional Side of DBT

Many people who come to DBT feel misunderstood or “too much.”
They’ve been told to “calm down” or “not take things so personally,” without learning how to do that.

DBT helps reframe those emotions — showing that sensitivity and intensity can actually be strengths when properly understood and managed.
It’s about turning emotional chaos into emotional clarity.

You’ll learn to ride the waves of emotion without being swept away, and to respond to life’s ups and downs with awareness rather than reaction.

A Holistic and Grounded Approach

At Pierre Begrand Counselling, DBT is delivered through a compassionate and down-to-earth lens.
We’ll blend emotional skill-building with mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and practical problem-solving.

This holistic approach might include:

  • Grounding and breathwork for nervous system stability

  • Journaling or tracking emotional triggers

  • Visualization for emotional awareness

  • Real-life communication role plays

  • Homework exercises for skill integration

DBT isn’t just a therapy — it’s a toolkit for life that helps you respond to challenges with wisdom, not impulse.

Who DBT Is For

You may benefit from DBT if you:

  • Feel emotions more strongly than others seem to

  • Struggle with conflict or fear of abandonment

  • Experience intense highs and lows in mood or motivation

  • Have difficulty maintaining relationships

  • Want practical tools for emotional stability and communication

  • Feel stuck between wanting change and fearing it

You don’t have to be in crisis to start DBT. It’s for anyone who wants to feel more emotionally balanced, self-aware, and in control of their reactions.

Why Work With Me

As a Registered Professional Counsellor, I bring both structure and empathy to DBT work.
Before counselling, I worked in trades and grew up on a farm — two experiences that shaped my ability to meet challenges with grounded patience and practical problem-solving.

Now, I help clients apply those same principles to their emotional world: learning to regulate, rebuild confidence, and communicate effectively — even when life feels uncertain.

My approach blends DBT’s evidence-based structure with holistic counselling, creating a safe space to both heal and grow.

Start Building Emotional Balance Today

Emotions are powerful — but they don’t have to control you.
Through DBT, you can learn to understand, manage, and transform your emotions into strength, clarity, and confidence.

📞 Book a Free 20-Minute Discovery Call to explore how Dialectical Behaviour Therapy can help you create more peace, stability, and purpose in your life — both within yourself and in your relationships.