DBT-informed therapy for personality disorders
If emotions hit hard and fast, relationships feel stormy, or you've been given a personality disorder diagnosis such as BPD, DBT-informed therapy can help. We build practical skills for intense feelings and relationships, with warmth and without judgment.
Written by Laraib Fatima Ahmed, MSc Clinical Psychology, BPS Graduate Member (MBPsS).
Last reviewed 1 November 2026
This might sound familiar
- Emotions that go from zero to a hundred very quickly
- Fear of being left, or pushing people away before they can leave
- Acting on urges you later regret
- Feeling empty, or unsure who you really are
- Having been told you're 'too much'
if any of this feels familiar, you're not alone
How therapy can help
Riding the wave
DBT teaches distress tolerance and emotion regulation: concrete skills for getting through the hardest moments without making things worse, and for lowering how often those moments arrive.
Steadier relationships
Interpersonal effectiveness skills help you ask for what you need, say no, and keep self-respect, even when emotions are running high.
Both things can be true
A core DBT idea is holding acceptance and change together. You can be doing your best and still want to do better. We hold both with you.
Approaches we might use
DBT
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Practical skills for intense emotions, for sitting with deep distress without panic, and for building grounded relationships.
CBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Notice how your thoughts mould your feelings and physical reactions. Together, we gently test and reshape rigid automatic patterns.
ACT
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Make room for what's present, then take clear action toward what you genuinely value.
Curious how these work? See all my frameworks, explained simply
What sessions look like
We usually meet weekly for 50 minutes over video. We'll agree a clear plan for difficult moments early on, so you know what to do between sessions.
It always starts with a free 15-minute fit check, so you can ask questions and see how it feels before committing to anything. See the four steps