Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Calgary AB
Stop the cycle of crisis and chaos. Our specialized DBT therapists help you master your emotions instead of being controlled by them.
OUR EXPERTS FEATURED IN
Is DBT Therapy Right For You?
Do your emotions go from 0 to 100 before you even know what hit you?
Have you been told you're "too intense" or "too much" for people to handle?
Do you destroy relationships you care about through fear of abandonment or angry outbursts?
When you're upset, do you turn to self-harm, substances, or risky behaviors because nothing else helps?
Do you see everything as all good or all bad, with no in-between?
Do you find yourself wondering, "Will I always be this exhausting to myself and everyone around me?"
If you're nodding yes to these questions, DBT can teach you the concrete skills you've been desperately searching for. This isn't about changing who you are - it's about finally having tools that match your intensity.
What Sets Our DBT Therapists Apart
Therapists Who Get Your Intensity
We don't flinch when emotions explode or crises hit. Our team understands that your "too much" is actually unmet needs seeking skills. You won't overwhelm us or be told to find someone else.
Skills That Stick When You're Spiraling
We teach you TIPP for intense moments, PLEASE for emotional vulnerability, and radical acceptance for what you can't change. These are step-by-step tools that work when your mind goes blank with emotion.
Validation Meets Lasting Change
Our therapists know two things can be true: your pain makes complete sense AND you need new patterns. This means you're accepted exactly as you are while learning skills to become who you want to be.
Meet Our DBT Specialists
Rod Mitchell, MC, MSc, Registered Psychologist
Hi! I'm Rod, founder of Emotions Therapy Calgary Counselling: Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Cognitive & EMDR.
My team offers psychotherapy services in Calgary AB rooted in DBT because we believe intensity isn't a flaw - it's a strength that needs the right tools. We've seen how DBT transforms chaos into capability, giving people actual strategies that work in the heat of the moment.
Rather than judge you for needing skills, we teach proven techniques that become second nature when emotions surge. Our approach balances validation with change - because you deserve both understanding AND practical tools.
Your life can be different. Let's talk about how DBT can help you build it.
Alexis (Alya) Serghanuk, MSc, Registered Provisional Psychologist
Hi, I'm Alya. If you've been told you're "too emotional" or "overreacting," I have a different perspective: your powerful emotions are valid - you just need skills that match them.
I provide DBT because it gives you actual tools for impossible moments. When emotions hit 100, TIPP brings you down. When relationships explode, DEARMAN helps you communicate without destroying everything.
My neuroscience background helps me explain why these skills work. Understanding your nervous system makes the techniques click faster and stick when you need them most.
You're not broken for feeling deeply. Book a consultation to start building your DBT toolkit.
Your Dialectical Behavior Therapy Journey With Us
1. Crisis-Proofing Your Life
We start with distress tolerance skills - the emergency toolkit for when emotions hit 10/10. You'll learn TIPP, self-soothing techniques, and crisis survival strategies that actually work when you're on the edge.
2. Mastering Your Emotional Waves
Through emotion regulation skills, you'll understand what triggers your 0-to-100 reactions and how to surf them instead of drowning. PLEASE skills keep you emotionally balanced, while opposite action helps you respond wisely.
3. Building Relationships That Last
Interpersonal effectiveness means learning to ask for what you need, say no without guilt, and handle conflict without burning bridges. DEARMAN, GIVE, and FAST become your scripts for relationships that actually work.
4. Staying Present When It Matters
Mindfulness isn't meditation - it's radical acceptance and wise mind skills that keep you grounded in reality. You'll learn to observe without judging, participate without losing yourself, and find the middle path between extremes.
5. Living Your Life Worth Living
As skills become second nature, we help you apply them to your specific challenges. Whether it's work stress, family dynamics, or intimate relationships, you'll have a personalized toolkit that turns chaos into capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No, we won't abandon you for struggling with the exact issues that brought you to DBT. Our team understands that setbacks are often part of the journey, not reasons to end treatment.
We view these behaviors as ineffective coping strategies, not moral failures. When they happen, we:
Explore what triggered the urge
Review which DBT skills might help next time
Adjust your treatment plan if needed
Increase support, not decrease it
Your therapist is prepared for ups and downs. DBT recognizes that change isn't linear - you're learning to replace deeply ingrained patterns, and that takes time. Relapse doesn't mean failure; it means you're human and still building your toolkit.
The only reasons we'd end counselling are if you're consistently unable to participate in sessions or if we genuinely believe another approach would serve you better - and we'd help you find appropriate support. Your struggles won't make us give up on you. That's exactly why we're here.
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You're not too much - you're exactly who DBT was designed for. Our team specifically chose to specialize in DBT because we want to work with people who've been labeled "difficult" or "treatment-resistant."
Think about it: DBT was created for individuals who experienced:
Multiple suicide attempts
Severe self-harm
"Untreatable" borderline personality disorder
Therapy dropout after therapy dropout
If you were "easy," you wouldn't need DBT - you'd be fine with regular counselling. Your intensity, your crises, your big emotions - these aren't obstacles to treatment. They're exactly what we're trained to handle.
Our therapists don't see "too much" - we see unmet needs and missing skills. Every time you've been told you're too intense, too emotional, or too complicated, you were simply in the wrong type of therapy. DBT exists specifically because traditional approaches weren't enough for people like you.
Your complexity requires specialized treatment, not judgment. That's what we offer.
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Many clients notice small changes within the first few weeks - maybe using TIPP to avoid self-harm once, or catching themselves before an emotional explosion. These early wins show the skills are working.
Typical timeline our therapists see:
Weeks 1-4: Learning crisis survival skills, immediate relief tools
Months 1-3: Noticeable reduction in crisis frequency
Months 3-6: Better emotional regulation, improved relationships
Months 6-12: Skills become automatic, life feels manageable
The full DBT journey typically takes 6-12 months of consistent counselling, but you don't wait that long to feel different. Each module builds on the previous one, creating cumulative change.
Progress depends on several factors: session consistency, homework practice, and complexity of your challenges. Some clients need longer for trauma work or deeply ingrained patterns.
Remember: You've likely struggled for years. Giving yourself 6-12 months to learn life-changing skills isn't slow - it's an investment that pays dividends forever. Every DBT skill you master is yours to keep.
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Our DBT works because we combine rigorous skills training with personalized therapy. While teaching all four DBT modules - mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness - our team tailors every skill to your specific triggers and patterns.
Key factors in our effectiveness:
Individualized pacing - move through skills at your speed, not a group's
Real-world application - practice skills on your actual life challenges
Consistent therapeutic relationship - one therapist who knows your whole story
Integrated approach - address trauma and other issues alongside DBT skills
Our therapists don't just teach DBT from a manual. We help you understand why each skill works for your unique nervous system and history. When you grasp the neuroscience behind TIPP or the logic of opposite action, the techniques stick better.
Most importantly, we create a judgment-free space where you can be honest about what's working and what isn't. This collaborative approach means we can adjust techniques until you find what actually helps when emotions hit hard.
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Absolutely. DBT helps anyone struggling with emotional intensity, regardless of a borderline personality disorder diagnosis. Our therapists use DBT successfully for:
Anxiety and panic disorders - when worry spirals out of control
Depression - especially with self-harm or suicidal thoughts
PTSD and trauma - managing triggers and flashbacks
Eating disorders - breaking cycles of restriction or binging
Substance use - replacing destructive coping with DBT skills
Relationship chaos - patterns of conflict or abandonment fears
The common thread isn't a specific diagnosis - it's emotional dysregulation. If your feelings go 0-to-100, if you struggle with impulsive behaviors, or if relationships feel impossible, DBT can help.
Our team often works with clients who have multiple challenges or no formal diagnosis at all. They simply know that traditional counselling hasn't given them concrete tools for when emotions overwhelm them.
DBT was designed for "multi-problem" people. If you're dealing with several issues at once, that doesn't make you complicated - it makes you exactly who DBT serves best.
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We understand - when you're in crisis mode, homework can feel impossible. Our therapists work with where you are, not where you "should" be. We'd rather have you in counselling doing what you can than avoiding therapy because you can't do homework perfectly.
We make homework manageable by:
Starting with tiny, doable assignments
Practicing skills together in session first
Adapting exercises to your capacity that week
Focusing on one skill that matters most when you're overwhelmed
Some weeks, "homework" might just be noticing one emotion or trying TIPP once. Progress happens even with imperfect practice. Many clients who thought they "couldn't do homework" discover they can when it's tailored to their real life.
Our team also explores what makes homework hard - is it perfectionism? ADHD? Depression? Understanding the barrier helps us find solutions.
The goal isn't perfect completion - it's building skills gradually. Even practicing 20% is better than avoiding DBT altogether because homework feels overwhelming.
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If you're asking this question, you likely need DBT. The fact that you're searching for specialized help in Calgary suggests that regular counselling hasn't been enough. You don't need to be in acute crisis to benefit from DBT skills.
Consider DBT if you experience:
Emotions that feel too big to handle
Difficulty in relationships that keeps repeating
Any urges to self-harm (even if you don't act on them)
Feeling like you're "holding it together" but barely
Exhaustion from managing your emotional life
"Sick enough" isn't the criteria - suffering is. Our therapists work with clients across the spectrum, from those managing daily overwhelm to those in active crisis. If your emotions interfere with the life you want, you deserve effective tools.
Many clients tell us they wished they'd started DBT sooner, before things got severe. Learning these skills when you're struggling - but not at rock bottom - often means faster progress and preventing future crises.
You don't need to earn help by suffering more.
Your emotions aren't too much. You just need the right therapist.
Let's talk about building a life that feels worth living - with skills that actually work.