At North Texas DBT Associates, we are focused on providing evidence-based treatment. We have amassed a list of journal articles, included below, which we think will be helpful in providing more insight into the efficacy of DBT and what to look for in a DBT provider to ensure that you are getting access to the safest and most effective care available for your needs. Please reach out to us by clicking the button below if you would like to learn more.

Evidence-Based Treatment for Trauma, Self-Harm, and Emotional Dysregulation

The North Texas DBT Associates team provides Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to individuals across Texas through in-person and secure telehealth sessions. If you are searching for effective DBT therapy in Texas, especially for concerns like self-harm, suicidal ideation, or trauma, our program is designed to deliver the most evidence-based care available.

What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured and research-supported treatment model originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan for individuals struggling with chronic emotional pain and self-destructive behaviors. It is now widely used to treat a range of serious conditions, including:

Borderline Personality Disorder
Suicidal ideation and self-injury
Complex trauma and PTSD
Emotion dysregulation
Eating disorders and substance misuse

BUT… Does DBT Actually Help?

Unlike traditional therapy models, DBT is explicitly designed to address life-threatening behaviors and emotional dysregulation by balancing two key principles: acceptance and change. Clients learn to manage overwhelming emotions and make lasting behavioral changes through skills-based training and personalized support.

Standard DBT, or Comprehensive DBT, is DBT that includes structured weekly individual sessions with a diary card, weekly group skills classes, access to between session phone coaching support, and treatment by a provider who is on a weekly DBT Consult Team. For an exhaustive list of Peer-Reviewed Randomized Control Trials (RCT’s) on the Efficacy of Standard DBT. look here: https://behavioraltech.org/evidence/

DBT for Suicidal Ideation, Self-Harm, and Trauma

At North Texas DBT Associates, we specialize in DBT for suicidal ideation, DBT for self-harm, and DBT for trauma. These are areas where traditional therapies like general talk therapy often fall short, especially when clients are navigating multiple risk factors or have not found relief through other treatments.

Comprehensive DBT provides a unique set of tools for managing thoughts of suicide or self-injury. Skills in distress tolerance, mindfulness, and emotion regulation help clients break the cycle of emotional pain and impulsive behavior, without judgment or shame.

DBT when conducted alongside DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol for PTSD (DBT-PE) is also one of the most effective therapeutic approaches for individuals with trauma histories, especially those with complex PTSD or emotional dysregulation stemming from invalidating or abusive environments.

What is Comprehensive DBT?

While many clinicians offer “DBT-informed therapy,” this is not the same as Comprehensive DBT. A DBT-informed approach may integrate a few principles or coping skills from the DBT model, but often leaves out critical elements necessary for real, lasting progress.

At North Texas DBT Associates, we follow the full Comprehensive DBT protocol, which includes:

Weekly individual sessions with a DBT-trained therapist
Weekly DBT skills training groups
24/7 phone coaching for skills use in real life
Weekly therapist consultation teams to ensure fidelity and quality of care

This full-model approach ensures that clients receive the support, structure, and skill-building required to create meaningful, long-term change. Studies have repeatedly shown that DBT therapy for borderline personality disorder treatment is most effective when delivered with adherence to this comprehensive model.

DBT-Informed vs Comprehensive DBT: What’s the Difference?

Understanding the difference between DBT-informed vs Comprehensive DBT is vital for anyone seeking treatment. DBT-informed therapy may use worksheets, coping skills, or one-off mindfulness strategies, but without the full program, clients often don’t get the structure or crisis support needed to address life-threatening behaviors or high-risk symptoms.

In contrast, Comprehensive DBT has been shown to reduce suicidal behavior, self-harming actions, and psychiatric hospitalizations significantly more than treatment-as-usual or other therapy models. According to a 2006 randomized controlled trial published in Archives of General Psychiatry, participants receiving full-model DBT had fewer suicide attempts, fewer hospital stays, and greater improvements in functioning than those receiving standard treatment.

Who Benefits from DBT?

Our program is ideal for people who:

Have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
Are experiencing suicidal ideation or urges to self-harm
Have lived through complex trauma or abuse
Feel emotionally overwhelmed or unable to manage intense feelings
Have tried therapy before but haven’t found lasting benefit

We also provide DBT for teens and families who are navigating high-risk behaviors and emotional crises at home.

Why Choose North Texas DBT Associates?

We deliver DBT therapy in Texas, both in person and via secure telehealth
All our clinicians are trained in Comprehensive DBT
Our practice follows the treatment model with strict adherence and fidelity
We serve adolescents, adults, and families throughout the state with compassionate, evidence-based care

Contact Us to Start Creating a Life Worth Living

If you’re seeking effective borderline personality disorder treatment or need support for suicidal ideation, self-harm, or trauma, we encourage you to explore Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) with us. When undertaken with full fidelity, DBT offers a powerful path toward healing and a life worth living.

Research about DBT: What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

Find a general overview of the treatment on the Behavioral Tech website. Behavioral Tech is an institute started by Dr. Linehan herself that is dedicated to the training of DBT providers as well as supporting and disseminating research on DBT. This link will take you to their own explanation of what the pieces are that should be present for DBT to be an evidence-based treatment: https://behavioraltech.org/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt/

You can review a list of RCT’s by topic below:

What is Standard or Comprehensive DBT?

*The Original Study Conducted by Dr. Linehan in 1991: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/21311206_Cognitive-Behavioral_Treatment_of_Chronically_Parasuicidal_Borderline_Patients

*Linehan’s Follow Up Two Year Randomized Control Trial (RCT) Comparing DBT to Treatment by Experts in Suicidal Behaviors (2006): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16818865/

*DBT and Women with BPD in The Netherlands (2018): https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/dialectical-behaviour-therapy-for-women-with-borderline-personality-disorder/B18DBB959BC4613E920EA330E1625E5F

*DBT and MDD with Co-Occurring BPD in Women over 55 Vs. Medication-Only: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/gps.1703

*DBT and Individuals with BPD traits and History of Suicide Attempts and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (2012): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-16938-001

*DBT and Recent Self-Harm (2012): https://karger.com/pps/article/81/6/356/282694/Effectiveness-and-Cost-Effectiveness-of

*DBT and Substance Use Disorders Compared to Treatment As Usual (TAU) (2010): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/105504999305686

*DBT and Female Veterans with BPD (2001): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789401800095

*A Meta-Analysis of Treatments for Individuals with BPD (2020): https://www.cochrane.org/CD005652/BEHAV_psychological-therapies-borderline-personality-disorder

What is DBT for Adolescents? (DBT-A)

*DBT–A Compared Vs Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) for Suicidal and Self-Harming Teens (2016): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27015720/

*DBT-A Vs Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) in Adolescents with History of Suicide Attempts (SA), Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI), and BPD traits (2014): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890856714004997

*DBT-A for Suicidal and Self-Harming Teens with One Year Follow Up (2011): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037874/

*DBT-A and Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder (2015): https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cap.2013.0145

What is DBT for Children? (DBT-C)

*An Overview of DBT-C (2020): https://www.childdbt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Overview-of-DBT-C-primary-targets_in-DBT-in-Clinical-Practice-2020-1.pdf

*DBT-C for Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD): https://www.childdbt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DBT-C-for-DMDD_JAACAP-2017-1.pdf

**For more information on DBT-C and its efficacy, please visit the DBT-C website: https://www.childdbt.com/child-dbt-research-on-dbt-c/

What is DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol for PTSD? (DBT-PE)

*Standard DBT vs DBT-PE for PTSD (2014): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796714000151

*Preliminary Evaluation of the Efficacy of DBT-PE (2012): https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10597-018-0358-1?author_access_token=ENPfs1TxMQ-ccl7wW3DnFve4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY6C02LpQIPliViHfiktSkRqMy-p6xlrZJt9WbSyeQ1q295lWB9wmNX3qDQLfdBQLsDAeBC5QmSv2Tkal2ceNVOOVY-ykbVgzai0LXkFh5o8sg==

*Treatment Preferences Among Suicidal and Self-Harming Women (2013): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075754/

*Perspectives on Stage-Based Treatment Among DBT Consumers (2018): https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10597-018-0358-1?author_access_token=ENPfs1TxMQ-ccl7wW3DnFve4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY6C02LpQIPliViHfiktSkRqMy-p6xlrZJt9WbSyeQ1q295lWB9wmNX3qDQLfdBQLsDAeBC5QmSv2Tkal2ceNVOOVY-ykbVgzai0LXkFh5o8sg==

*For more information on DBT-PE and its efficacy, please visit the DBT-PE website: https://dbtpe.org/research

What is DBT-PTSD for Complex PTSD?

*DBT-PTSD for Co-Occurring BPD and PTSD in Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (2013): https://karger.com/pps/article-abstract/82/4/221/282823/Dialectical-Behaviour-Therapy-for-Post-traumatic