Dialectical Behavior therapy (DBT) informed therapy* in Eindhoven, Veldhoven & Online

* Please note that I provide DBT-based therapy, rather than full Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Full DBT typically involves several components: weekly individual therapy sessions, weekly group skills training sessions, access to phone consultations with the therapist, and support from a collaborative treatment team.

My knowledge of DBT has been developed through independent study and online PESI courses. I am not formally trained, or accredited as a DBT therapist, and I do not present myself as a DBT specialist.

About Dialectical Behavior therapy (DBT) informed therapy

DBT can be helpful when emotions feel overwhelming, or when you sometimes react in ways you later wish you hadn’t. It gives us practical tools to help you understand what’s going on for you, get through difficult moments, and feel more comfortable in your relationships.

A big part of DBT is finding a balance between accepting yourself as you are and making changes that could make things easier. We don’t need to judge or get rid of difficult feelings.

For example, imagine you’ve had an argument with someone you care about. You might feel hurt or angry and have a strong urge to send a message straight away. In therapy, we can take a step back and look at what happened. We might explore what you were feeling, what you needed at that moment, and what you could try next time.

We might focus on:

Mindfulness: Learning to slow down and notice what is happening, without getting completely caught up in your thoughts or feelings.
Getting through difficult moments: Finding ways to cope when things feel really hard, without making things more difficult for yourself.
Managing emotions: Understanding your emotions and finding ways to handle them when they feel too intense.
Relationships: Finding ways to express what you need, set boundaries, and have difficult conversations while still looking after yourself and your relationships.

DBT is practical, but it’s also about understanding you as a person. We’ll take time to understand what you’re going through, what tends to happen when things become difficult, and what you would like to be different. From there, we can find strategies together that feel realistic and useful in your everyday life.

Who DBT Can Help

DBT can be helpful if your emotions sometimes feel too strong or hard to handle. You might react quickly, find it hard to calm down, or do things in the moment that you later wish you hadn’t.

It may also help if you:

Feel anxious, down, stressed, or burned out
Have big changes in your mood
Find it hard to deal with stressful situations
Keep having the same problems or arguments with people
Find it hard to say what you need or say no
Want to find better ways to deal with difficult feelings

Illustration: DBT models:

Core elements of DBT. Reference: https://www.grouporttherapy.com/what-we-treat/dbt

Illustration: DBT skill TIPP

Example of one of the DBT skills TIPP, a set of techniques designed to help you quickly calm intense emotions. These skills work by changing your body’s physical state, which in turn helps your mind settle more quickly.

TIPP skills are especially helpful in moments of overwhelm, anxiety, or emotional distress, when it’s hard to think clearly or use other coping strategies.

Reference: https://working4recovery.com/mytoolkit/Resources_TIPP.html

Example of one of the DBT skills wise mind. Wise Mind is the integration of both rational mind and emotional mind. It’s the place where you can honor your emotions while also responding thoughtfully. This is often the goal in DBT: learning to access Wise Mind when making decisions or navigating challenges.

Reference: https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/blogs/articles/wise-mind-dbt

What to Expect in Sessions

Our sessions will be practical and based on what is happening in your life. We’ll talk about what you’re finding difficult and work out together what might help.

We may practise a skill together during a session. You can then try it out during the week. This might be something like taking a pause before reacting, finding ways to calm yourself when you feel overwhelmed, or practising how to talk about something that is difficult.

Illustration of DBT worksheet "non-judgemental stance" (examples)

AI generated image based on DBT Nonjudgmental Stance worksheet.

Clients are encouraged to keep track of situations that trigger unpleasant emotions and notice the judgments they add to these experiences. They can then explore how these judgments may make the emotions stronger and lead to unhelpful reactions. In other words, judgments can act like gasoline on the fire of our emotions.

Here is a simple breakdown:

The initial feeling: You start with a natural emotional reaction (primary emotion), such as feeling hurt or impatient.
The “extra” emotion: When you add a judgment, such as “They are jerks” or “I’m broken,” it can create another layer of emotional pain (secondary emotion), such as intense anger or shame.

DBT teaches us to take a non-judgmental approach and to notice our emotions without immediately reacting to them. This can help make difficult emotions feel more manageable.

Reference: Dijk, S. van. (2021). The DBT workbook for emotional relief: Fast-acting dialectical behavior therapy skills to balance out-of-control emotions & find calm right now. New Harbinger Publications.

radical acceptance what it is_edited.jpg

AI generated image based on DBT skill "Radical Acceptance" The content of illustrations is based by the book Dijk, S. van. (2021). The DBT workbook for emotional relief: Fast-acting dialectical behavior therapy skills to balance out-of-control emotions & find calm right now. New Harbinger Publications.

This graphic illustrates DBT skill radical acceptance.

Radical acceptance means accepting reality as it is, even when you don’t like it or wish things were different. It doesn’t mean that you approve of what happened. Instead, it means recognising and accepting the facts of the situation rather than fighting against something you cannot change. This can reduce unnecessary suffering and help you focus your energy on coping with the situation and deciding what to do next, rather than staying stuck in frustration or pain.

Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT® skills training handouts and worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Pres

AI generated image based on DBT skill "Radical Acceptance". The content of illustrations can be found in Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT® skills training handouts and worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Pres

This graphic illustrates DBT skill radical acceptance step by step guide. To practice acceptance, start by choosing a low-stakes situation like a long coffee line or the weather rather than your biggest life challenge, and commit to working on it. Next, notice when you begin "fighting reality" by catching resistant thoughts like "it’s not fair" or "it shouldn't be this way." Finally, remind yourself that accepting this reality saves your energy and brings peace, then gently repeat this process every time you feel yourself waffling back into the internal argument.

Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT® skills training handouts and worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Pres

AI generated image based on DBT skill "Radical Acceptance" example to step by step guide. The content of illustrations is based by the book Dijk, S. van. (2021). The DBT workbook for emotional relief: Fast-acting dialectical behavior therapy skills to balance out-of-control emotions & find calm right now. New Harbinger Publications.

AI generated image based on DBT skill "Radical Acceptance" additional tools. The content of illustrations is based by the book Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT® skills training handouts and worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Pres

AI generated image based on DBT skill self validation

In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), self-validation is the skill of acknowledging and accepting your own internal experiences your emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations as understandable and valid, even if you don’t like them or don’t act on them. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with every thought you have or believe your interpretations are always accurate. Instead, it’s about recognizing that your reactions make sense in the context of your history, current situation, and biology.

Self-validation is especially important because many people develop habits of automatically judging their feelings (“I shouldn’t feel this way,” “This is stupid,” “I’m overreacting”). In DBT, these judgments are seen as a major driver of emotional suffering. When you invalidate your own experience, you often intensify distress, add secondary emotions like shame, and increase impulsive or avoidant coping behaviors. Self-validation interrupts this cycle by shifting the stance from criticism to understanding.

Over time, self-validation helps regulate emotions more effectively because it reduces internal conflict. When your experience is acknowledged rather than fought against, emotions tend to settle more naturally, and you’re in a better position to choose thoughtful actions instead of reacting from shame, panic, or self-criticism.

DBT skill "Self-validation" AI generated image based on DBT skill self validation

Worksheet "Self-validation" filled example
AI generated image based on DBT skill self validation

Gemini_Generated_Image_1vt6yw1vt6yw1vt6 (2).png

Illustration of DBT skill "self validation"

The content of illustrations inspired by the book Dijk, S. van. (2021). The DBT workbook for emotional relief: Fast-acting dialectical behavior therapy skills to balance out-of-control emotions & find calm right now. New Harbinger Publications.

Dialectical Behavior therapy (DBT) informed therapy* in Eindhoven, Veldhoven & Online

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