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Adult DBT Therapy · Seattle · Statewide WA Telehealth

DBT therapy that teaches you what to do when the feeling is big, not just to feel less.

When emotions run hot and pass slowly, DBT teaches concrete skills for the moments that feel too big. Most major insurance plans accepted. In person at three Seattle-area offices or by secure video anywhere in Washington.

Same-week first appointments Most major insurance plans accepted Skills you practice in real life
An adult sits on an open grassy hillside at golden hour, face tilted up toward the warm light in profile, a calm grounded moment
In short

DBT therapy at Counseling Services for Wellbeing teaches Seattle-area adults concrete skills for emotions that run hot and pass slowly, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. We accept most major insurance plans, book same-week appointments and see clients at our Green Lake, Burien and Smokey Point offices or by secure video statewide.

Does this sound familiar?

The feeling hits before you can think it through.

A feeling hits and it hits hard. Before you can think it through, you are already in it, the heat in your chest, the words you wish you could pull back, the urge to do something, anything, to make the moment stop. An hour later the wave has passed and you are left with the wreckage of how you reacted.

You have probably been told to calm down, to not take things so personally, to just let it go. If it were that simple you would have done it already. The intensity is not a character flaw. It is the way your system runs, and right now you do not have the tools to steer it.

So relationships swing between too close and too far. A hard moment turns into a worse one because you did not have a way through it. You leave conversations replaying every word. That is the gap DBT was built to fill, not by telling you to feel less, but by teaching you what to do when the feeling is big.

What we offer

DBT for adults who want tools they can use, not just insight to sit with.

Emotions that spike fast

Feelings come on intensely and take a long time to come down. You are in it before you can think it through.

Urges you later regret

You act on something in a hard moment, then spend the next hour cleaning up how you reacted.

Relationships on a rollercoaster

Things swing between pulling people close and pushing them away, with little steady ground in between.

Flooded the second it arrives

A difficult emotion shows up and you feel underwater immediately, with no space between the feeling and the reaction.

Talk therapy was not enough

You have done talk therapy and want something more concrete and skill-based, a real plan for the moment.

A way to ride out the wave

You want practical ways to get through a hard moment without making it worse, something to reach for in real time.

DBT skills are useful across many experiences and are not tied to one label. First-time-therapy adults are welcome. You do not need a diagnosis to start.

Our approach

How DBT therapy works here.

We pair the skills work with a whole-body view, looking at sleep, the body and nervous-system cues alongside the four skill areas, rather than teaching skills in a vacuum.

1

Reach out

A short form or a call. We hear what is going on, how your emotions tend to move, and what you have already tried. No assessment battery to clear before we talk.

2

Get matched

We pair you with a therapist whose approach fits how you learn and what you are working on. You see the same therapist each session for continuity, so the skills build on each other instead of starting over.

3

Start this week

First appointment in person at one of three Seattle-area offices or by secure video anywhere in Washington. The first few sessions are about understanding how your emotions move and giving you a skill or two to start using right away, not throwing the whole framework at you at once.

The method

The four DBT skill areas, in plain words.

DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, is a structured, skills-based approach developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan and taught in four areas, described by Behavioral Tech, the institute she founded. Where some therapy centers on insight, DBT centers on practice, skills you build and then use in the moments that actually feel too big.

Mindfulness for noticing a feeling before you react. Distress tolerance for getting through a hard moment without making it worse. Emotion regulation for turning down the volume on what takes over. Interpersonal effectiveness for asking for what you need and holding a boundary. If thought-pattern work fits better, our CBT therapy in Seattle page covers that approach, and EMDR is on the team when an intense reaction sits on top of trauma.

4 skills
mindfulness, distress tolerance, regulation, relationships
Whole-body
sleep and nervous-system cues, not skills in a vacuum
AAMFT
approved clinical supervision

How we compare

Counseling Services for Wellbeing vs. typical Seattle DBT options.

Solo Seattle therapists Online-only therapy platforms Counseling Services for Wellbeing
First appointment
4 to 6 week wait
Days, but with whoever signs on
Same-week scheduling
Insurance accepted
Cash-pay common
Limited carrier coverage
Kaiser, Premera, Regence, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna
Skills-based, not just talk
Varies by therapist
Scripted modules, little tailoring
DBT skills you practice in real life
Messaging between sessions
Rarely offered
Built-in app messaging
No 24/7 app messaging
Same therapist each session
Usually
Therapist rotation common
Same therapist, continuous care
Therapy + medication coordinated
Refers out to a separate prescriber
Med-first, little therapy
Therapy + psychiatry in one practice
  • First appointment

    • Solo Seattle therapists4 to 6 week wait
    • Online-only therapy platformsDays, but with whoever signs on
    • Counseling Services for WellbeingSame-week scheduling
  • Insurance accepted

    • Solo Seattle therapistsCash-pay common
    • Online-only therapy platformsLimited carrier coverage
    • Counseling Services for WellbeingKaiser, Premera, Regence, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna
  • Skills-based, not just talk

    • Solo Seattle therapistsVaries by therapist
    • Online-only therapy platformsScripted modules, little tailoring
    • Counseling Services for WellbeingDBT skills you practice in real life
  • Messaging between sessions

    • Solo Seattle therapistsRarely offered
    • Online-only therapy platformsBuilt-in app messaging
    • Counseling Services for WellbeingNo 24/7 app messaging
  • Same therapist each session

    • Solo Seattle therapistsUsually
    • Online-only therapy platformsTherapist rotation common
    • Counseling Services for WellbeingSame therapist, continuous care
  • Therapy + medication coordinated

    • Solo Seattle therapistsRefers out to a separate prescriber
    • Online-only therapy platformsMed-first, little therapy
    • Counseling Services for WellbeingTherapy + psychiatry in one practice

We are not the cheapest cash-pay practice in the city and we are not trying to be. We are the option that takes your insurance, gets you in this week, teaches DBT skills you can actually use, and treats them as part of a whole-body picture rather than skills in a vacuum.

Insurance & coverage

Most major insurance plans accepted

Kaiser Permanente Premera Blue Cross Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield Aetna Cigna UnitedHealthcare Optum Humana Wellpoint Carelon LifeWise First Choice Health Network Coastal Administrative Services Medicare Tricare Triwest

We confirm coverage before your first session, so getting skills-based help does not have to wait until you can afford cash-pay rates.

The team

Meet some of our therapists who work with DBT skills.

A deeper bench than the five here. We match you with a therapist whose approach fits how you learn and what you are working on.

Teryn Sahagún MSW, LICSW

Teryn Sahagún MSW

LICSW
DBT skillsCBTAdultsEmotion regulationTelehealth
Read bio Book with Teryn

Angie Blattenbauer, LMHC

Angie Blattenbauer

LMHC
DBT skillsDistress toleranceMindfulnessTrauma-informed
Read bio Book with Angie

MJ Valentine, LMHCA

MJ Valentine

LMHCA
DBT skillsEmotion regulationIFSSolution-focused
Read bio Book with MJ

Jenifer Price, PhD, LMSW, LSWAIC, LGSW

Jenifer Price

PhD, LMSW, LSWAIC, LGSW
DBT skillsDistress toleranceMindfulnessEvidence-based

Seanna Hollinger, MSW, LSWAIC

Seanna Hollinger

MSW, LSWAIC
CBTDBTAnxietyDepressionTeens
Read bio Book with Seanna

+ Meet the full team

Therapists and psychiatric providers across all three offices and by secure video.

Meet the team

Deeper bench than the five here. Tell us how your emotions tend to move and we will match you with the right therapist.

Where to meet

Three offices or secure video anywhere in Washington.

If getting to an office is hard on a week when emotions are already running high, DBT therapy is also available by secure video with the same therapist you would see in person.

Green Lake, Seattle

North Seattle, Wallingford, Ravenna, Roosevelt

View office →

Burien

White Center, SeaTac, Normandy Park, South King

View office →

Smokey Point, Arlington

Arlington, Marysville, north Snohomish

View office →

Secure video, statewide

Anywhere in Washington. Same therapist either way.

Online therapy in WA →
Frequently asked questions

What adults ask before starting DBT therapy.

What is DBT therapy?

DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, is a structured, skills-based approach that teaches practical tools for managing intense emotions and steadying relationships. It is organized around four skill areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. The focus is on building skills you practice in real life, not only talking things through.

How is DBT different from CBT?

CBT centers on thought patterns, working on the thoughts that drive a feeling and testing whether they hold up. DBT centers on concrete skills for intense emotions and relationships, what to do when a feeling is too big to think through. Many people use elements of both, and your therapist can help you find the mix that fits how things show up for you. If thought-pattern work fits better, our CBT therapy in Seattle page covers that approach.

What can DBT skills help with?

DBT skills are useful for emotions that come on fast and pass slowly, urges you act on and later regret, relationships that swing between close and distant and the flooded feeling when a hard emotion hits. We frame these as everyday patterns rather than a diagnosis. You do not need a label to benefit from learning the skills, and the same skills come up often in anxiety therapy.

Do you take my insurance for DBT therapy?

We accept Kaiser, Premera, Regence, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna. We will confirm what your specific plan covers before your first session, so you know what to expect rather than guessing. If you are unsure about your coverage, reach out and we will help you check before you book.

How soon can I be seen?

First appointments are available the same week, not weeks out. Much of the Seattle market books four to six weeks ahead or is cash-pay only, so you do not have to wait long to start. Reach out and we will find the first opening that works with your schedule, in person or by secure video.

Do you offer DBT therapy online or only in person?

Both. You can meet in person at our Green Lake, Burien or Smokey Point offices, or by secure video anywhere in Washington with online therapy in Washington, with the same therapist either way. Online sessions work well for skills-based therapy, since the practice happens in your real life between meetings no matter where the session takes place.

Where are your offices?

We see clients at three offices: Green Lake in Seattle, Burien and Smokey Point in Arlington, plus secure video sessions anywhere in Washington. The Green Lake office serves North Seattle, the Burien office serves South King County and the Smokey Point office serves north Snohomish County. You can also meet entirely online if that is easier for you.

Take the next step

You do not have to keep bracing for the next wave and cleaning up after it.

DBT can give you something to reach for in the moment that feels too big, and you can start this week. Counseling Services for Wellbeing accepts most major insurance plans, books first appointments the same week and matches you with a therapist for DBT-informed skills work, in person at our Green Lake, Burien and Smokey Point offices or by secure video across Washington.