What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)?
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy was developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan, originally to treat chronic suicidality in people with borderline personality disorder. It's since been adapted for anyone whose emotions feel too intense or too fast to manage on willpower alone.
The full model, sometimes called comprehensive DBT, pairs weekly individual therapy with a separate skills group, between-session coaching, and a team that supports the therapists running it. What's available through First Session in Langley is DBT-informed individual therapy instead: one-on-one sessions built around DBT's skills and structure. No therapist currently listed here runs the full comprehensive program.
That's worth knowing going in, since it's what actually shapes a course of therapy.
What to know about DBT in Langley
Online and in-person
DBT-informed individual therapy translates well to video. Early research on individual sessions delivered this way hasn't shown it to be less effective than in-person delivery for adults, though the number of studies is still small.
Out-of-province therapists listed for Langley are insured specifically to provide DBT-informed therapy online to British Columbia residents.
Credentials in British Columbia
British Columbia doesn't yet license counselling therapy as a statutory profession. Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), the credential you'll see most often here, is a voluntary designation through the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.
That's changing: BC's Health Professions and Occupations Act took effect in 2026, and counsellor registration under the province's new College of Health and Care Professionals is set to begin in late 2027. Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker, by contrast, are already licensed titles in BC, regulated by their own colleges.
Checking which category a specific therapist falls into tells you more than the word "registered" on its own.
Cost and specialized training
BC's 2026 recommended fee guide puts RCC sessions at $140 to $175 for 50 minutes, rising to around $225 for specialized work. Psychologists commonly charge $200 to $300 or more.
DBT is specialized skills training added on top of a base credential, and how much of it a given therapist has completed varies. Fees are shown on every First Session profile before you book.
How to choose a DBT therapist in Langley
1Ask what a session actually includes
Session structure varies from therapist to therapist. Ask whether they use tools like a diary card, or teach specific skills such as distress tolerance or emotion regulation, so you know what to expect before you book.
2Ask about their specific DBT training
Ask where their DBT training came from and how much of it they've completed. General familiarity with DBT concepts is common; more structured, in-depth training is less common and worth confirming directly.
3Match the modality to your actual concern
DBT was built for intense, fast-moving emotions and self-harming urges, but plenty of Langley therapists use DBT skills for anxiety, relationship patterns, or stress without that being the primary focus of their practice. Say what you're bringing to it.
4Watch the intro video before you commit
A bio lists training. A short video shows how someone actually talks through a hard moment, which tells you more about fit than the modality name alone.
5Book with the vetting already done
Every DBT therapist on First Session has been interviewed, credential-verified, and filmed before being listed.
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