What is Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT)?

​

Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT) is a cutting-edge, evidence-based treatment designed to address emotional over-control. With over 25 years of research supporting its efficacy, RO DBT has been shown to help individuals struggling with conditions like Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), chronic depression, and anorexia nervosa.​

​

Many people who experience treatment-resistant depression often find that traditional therapies don’t seem to work because the underlying causes of depression are not addressed. If you’ve been through good quality treatment and continue to struggle with depression, you may find that this approach gives you insight and skills you’ve not found elsewhere.

​

Overcontrol involves four characteristics stemming from a combination of genetic and environmental factors that culminate in particular ways of coping:

​

1. Low receptivity and openness, especially when faced with something novel, discrepant or perceived as threatening.

2. Low flexible control which often shows up as having rules, schedules, lists, structure and/or planning, preparing, fixing and/or moral certitude (the “right way”) in a way that interferes with relationships and sometimes interferes with just getting things done.

3. Inhibited emotional expression and low emotional awareness, such as smiling when angry or having a neutral expression despite feeling intense emotion or being unaware of what one is feeling.

4. Feeling emotionally disconnected from others, having aloof or distant relationships, avoiding intimacy and vulnerability.

​

In RO DBT, we take a different approach. We work on how to reign in those often well-intended qualities that are interfering in you living the life you want to lead. Through RO DBT, clients learn how to engage with life in a way that feels more fluid, fulfilling, and connected.​

​