DBT Therapy in Pennsylvania (PA)

Comprehensive and adherent Dialectical Behavior Therapy, provided virtually by a Linehan Board Certified DBT Counselor to clients located in Pennsylvania, Virginia, or Delaware.

DBT Therapy for People Who Feel Things Deeply

If you’re here, there’s a good chance you’ve been carrying a lot for a long time.

Maybe your emotions feel intense, unpredictable, or exhausting. You might feel like your reactions come on fast and hit hard, so hard that once you’re in it, it feels nearly impossible to slow things down. Small moments can feel overwhelming. Conflict can feel unbearable. And afterward, you’re left with regret, shame, or the familiar thought: Why am I like this?

Many people who seek Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) live with experiences associated with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or chronic emotion dysregulation. You may feel emotions more deeply than others, care more intensely, and react more strongly, especially in relationships that matter to you. Fear of abandonment, rejection, or being misunderstood may feel constant, even when part of you knows it doesn’t always match the situation.

You might notice patterns in your relationships: getting close quickly, feeling deeply connected, and then suddenly feeling hurt, angry, or afraid the relationship will fall apart. You may swing between wanting closeness and needing distance, between saying nothing at all and saying too much. And afterward, you’re left wondering how things escalated so quickly.

You may also feel a quiet, or not so quiet, sense of emptiness. Not always sadness, exactly. More like feeling disconnected, numb, or unsure of who you are when you’re not reacting to someone else. Many clients describe feeling like they don’t have a stable emotional “center,” and that can be deeply unsettling.

When emotional pain becomes overwhelming, you may turn to behaviors that help you escape the intensity, even if only for a moment. Self-harm, substance use, binge eating, overspending, impulsive decisions, or abruptly leaving relationships or jobs are often attempts to survive, not signs of failure. These behaviors may bring temporary relief, followed by shame or fear that nothing will ever change.

If you’ve tried therapy before, you may feel frustrated. Maybe you’ve talked about your past, your trauma, or your relationships, but still find yourself stuck in the same painful cycles. Maybe you felt validated, but not equipped. Understood, but still overwhelmed. Or perhaps you worried that your emotions were “too much” for therapy, or that you had to tone yourself down to be accepted.

If any of this resonates, I want you to know this: there is nothing wrong with you for feeling the way you do. Your nervous system learned how to survive in a world that often felt unsafe, invalidating, or unpredictable. DBT was created for people exactly like you! People who feel deeply and want real tools to build a life that feels steadier, safer, and more worth living.

What working together in DBT looks like

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is not about changing who you are. It’s about helping you learn how to live with your emotions without being controlled by them. In DBT, we work together to build skills that help you respond differently when emotions show up, especially in the moments that matter most.

From the beginning, my goal is to create a space where you feel understood, supported, and taken seriously. DBT is structured, but it’s also human. You’ll understand why your emotions and reactions make sense, not just what to do differently. We work from the belief that you are doing the best you can and that you can learn new ways to cope that reduce suffering over time.

In DBT therapy, we focus on four core areas:

Throughout our work, we also gently and directly address behaviors that are getting in the way of the life you want. DBT approaches these behaviors with compassion and accountability. We focus on understanding what those behaviors are doing for you and building skills that work better in the long run.

My approach to DBT is warm, collaborative, and direct. I believe you deserve a therapist who can sit with intensity without being overwhelmed and who can help you create real, lasting change.