DBT Self Help

DBT Self Help is a nonprofit educational resource that has been freely available since 2001, providing self-guided training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills. The site does not offer therapy itself but instead serves as a companion resource for people already in DBT treatment, those between therapists, and people studying the approach on their own. The resource is run by DBT practitioners and graduates, with content reviewed for accuracy by people who have completed DBT training themselves.

How the Site Works and What You Get

The core of DBT Self Help is four modules covering the four main skill areas taught in formal DBT: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Each module contains approximately ten lessons, for a total of 40+ lessons on the site. Each lesson follows the same structure: a short five-minute learning component explaining the skill or concept, followed by a ten-minute exercise with an accompanying worksheet that users repeat several times a week as they practice.

The mindfulness module serves as the foundation, teaching you to observe your own thoughts and emotions without judgment. The distress tolerance module covers techniques for surviving crisis moments and painful emotions without resorting to self-harm or other destructive coping. The emotion regulation module provides tools for managing difficult emotions, changing unproductive emotional states, and building positive emotions. The interpersonal effectiveness module addresses relationships, teaching assertiveness, boundary-setting, conflict management, and friendship-building skills.

Beyond the four core modules, the site offers additional resources. Mindfulness exercises provide guided practice options beyond just the lessons. Diary cards, a central tool in formal DBT therapy, help users track moods, urges, behaviors, and which skills they used. The site explains how to create and use these cards and provides example templates. DBT flashcards are available to use online, print yourself, or purchase as a pre-made set, helping reinforce skill learning through repetition. A glossary of DBT-specific terminology breaks down jargon that can confuse newcomers. The site also maintains a blog with ongoing posts from community members sharing their experiences with DBT practice.

A major feature for anyone seeking a formal therapist is the provider search page, which aggregates multiple therapy directories so users can search by DBT practice area. The site links to Behavioral Tech (Marsha Linehan's official DBT training company), Psychology Today, Good Therapy, Therapy Den, Inclusive Therapists, Open Path Collective (for sliding-scale providers), Melanin and Mental Health, Latinx Therapy, South Asian Therapists, and Mental Health Match. The site notes helpful details about each resource, such as which require paid listings and which offer free or affordable placement.

For mental health providers who want to deepen their DBT knowledge, the site offers a separate section listing educational opportunities including PESI's continuing education courses and Online DBT Skills, which offers training and consultation for therapists. The site explicitly permits providers to print and share worksheets with clients free of charge, making it a practical classroom resource.

Who Runs It and the Site's History

DBT Self Help was founded in 2001 by Lisa Dietz, who was herself a Borderline Personality Disorder patient who completed DBT. Dietz created the site because at the time, free DBT information on the internet was extremely rare, and she and her DBT cohort needed a way to continue learning skills after their formal treatment ended. The site grew to become the largest free DBT resource on the web, now receiving over 20,000 visits per month.

In 2019, Dietz handed stewardship of the site to Alicia Paz, a DBT-trained therapist with a master's degree who holds credentials as an LPC Associate and runs a therapy practice called Online DBT Skills in Portland, Oregon. Paz's business has reached over 10,000 students in 119 countries with DBT skills training. The site's content is managed by Kat Schultz, a social work graduate with a master's degree who is a DBT graduate themselves and works as a peer educator and program manager at Paz's business. The current team describes the site's mission as making DBT accessible to everyone who wants to build what DBT calls "a life worth living."

What the Pages Explain About DBT Itself

The site's overview explains that Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a structured therapy focused on teaching four core skills to help you build a good life for yourself. DBT is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that combines CBT's approach to changing unhelpful thought patterns with additional elements: mindfulness, acceptance, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills. The "dialectical" part refers to combining two seemingly opposite ideas, change and acceptance, into one approach.

The site describes DBT's original purpose: it was developed by Marsha Linehan, a psychologist who created it to treat Borderline Personality Disorder. From that origin, its use has expanded to address anxiety, depression, ADHD, substance abuse, self-harm, eating disorders (particularly bulimia and binge-eating), PTSD, bipolar disorder, and anger management. The site notes that DBT is premised on the idea that many problems arise from skill deficits, and that teaching better coping skills enables people to live more productive and fulfilling lives. Traditional DBT, delivered in a clinical setting with both skills training groups and individual therapy, typically takes six months to learn all the skills.

The site states that DBT has become one of the most studied forms of therapy, citing trials showing effectiveness in reducing self-harm, increasing treatment adherence, shortening time in treatment, reducing serious episodes, and improving how patients feel. Users report reduced emotional distress, improved relationships, increased ability to tolerate distress, better emotion regulation, stronger mindfulness, reduced suicidal thoughts, and greater self-acceptance.

What the Site Does Not Provide

DBT Self Help explicitly states that it cannot offer advice or mental health counseling. The staff notes on their contact page that they are unable to provide guidance on personal mental health issues and direct readers to seek professional services in their area. The site's resources are educational materials meant to supplement, not replace, therapy with a qualified provider. The site does not offer live coaching or emergency support, though it does link to crisis services and includes a crisis information page.

The site offers no pricing information because everything is free to access. It maintains the resource through a combination of optional donations and affiliate commissions from book sales through Bookshop.org (which also supports independent booksellers) and from commission-based advertising partnerships with mental health providers and organizations. Advertising spots are available on the site.

The site does not charge for downloads of worksheets or exercises, nor for creating an account. There is no membership tier, no paywall, and no premium features. The site explicitly states its commitment to keeping all resources available at no cost.

Who This Fits

DBT Self Help works well for several groups. People currently in DBT therapy can use it as a companion resource to review skills between sessions, understand terminology, or download worksheets to bring to their therapist. People who have completed DBT but want to continue practicing skills can use it for ongoing self-guided practice. Therapists and counselors who are learning DBT or want teaching materials can use worksheets and modules with their clients. Mental health providers looking to deepen their DBT knowledge can find educational opportunities listed.

People seeking formal DBT treatment with a provider can use the site's aggregated search tools to find therapists in their area, which is especially valuable since the site notes that formal DBT is still expensive and hard to find in most places. The site emphasizes that DBT is one resource among many, not a complete mental health solution.

DBT Self Help is less suitable if you need real-time crisis support, though the site provides links to crisis lines. It is not suitable as a replacement for therapy if you are actively struggling with suicidal thoughts or self-harm urges. The site's self-paced structure requires motivation and discipline; it does not include accountability or coaching from a therapist. The materials are presented as text, video, and worksheets, so they are not well-suited to people who need intensive one-on-one support or who struggle with self-directed learning.