DBT teaches that everyone has access to Wise Mind — where emotional experience and rational thought come together. This section explains the states of mind that shape how people think, feel, and act, and how recognizing them helps people pause, step out of automatic reactions, and respond more deliberately.
In DBT, dialectical dilemmas describe patterns in which behaviour becomes polarized between two opposing coping styles used to manage emotional pain and life stress. People may become stuck at one extreme or swing between the two, and therapy focuses on helping them develop a more balanced and flexible way of responding.
In DBT, mindfulness refers to the deliberate practice of training attention. By learning to observe thoughts, emotions, urges, and interpretations as they arise, people develop greater awareness of the activity of their mind, creating the space needed to respond intentionally instead of reacting through habits that no longer serve them.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is guided by a set of fundamental assumptions about human behaviour, emotional suffering, and the conditions that make change possible. These principles shape how therapists understand problems, respond to difficult behaviour, and help people develop more effective ways of living.
Most psychiatric diagnoses describe recurring ways people respond to emotionally charged situations rather than isolated symptoms. From a DBT perspective, these difficulties are understood as a sequence: emotions intensify, situations are interpreted through a particular lens, and behaviours follow in response. Over time, these reactions can become self-reinforcing, shaping how a person experiences relationships, stress, and everyday life. In this practice, diagnoses are viewed less as fixed identities and more as learned patterns that can be observed, understood, and gradually changed.
The office is close to all three subway lines: Museum Station (2 minute walk), Wellesley Station (9 minute walk) and Bay Station (9 minute walk). Street and lot parking available.