Highlands in Bloom is a licensed residential treatment center in Agoura Hills, California. Our clinical program is developed and overseen by Clinical Program Director Stacy McNeal, PhD, LMFT and Medical Director and Psychiatrist Dr. Todd Hill. Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence-based clinical approach embedded throughout our residential programming, providing clients with practical skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan that combines cognitive behavioral techniques with mindfulness and acceptance-based practices. Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, DBT is now widely used across a broad range of mental health presentations including depression, anxiety, trauma, emotional dysregulation, self-destructive behavioral patterns, eating disorders, and chronic stress. DBT is grounded in the concept of dialectics, the integration of two seemingly opposing truths, most fundamentally the balance between acceptance of oneself as one is and commitment to change. DBT builds four core skill sets: distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness.
How Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Works
DBT is structured around the four core skill modules. Distress tolerance skills provide tools for surviving emotional crises without resorting to harmful or counterproductive behaviors. Emotion regulation skills develop the capacity to understand, modulate, and work with intense emotional states rather than being overwhelmed by them. Interpersonal effectiveness skills address how to communicate needs, maintain relationships, and navigate conflict in ways that support wellbeing. Mindfulness skills, the foundation of all other modules, train present-moment awareness and the capacity to observe one’s own internal experience without reactivity. In a residential setting, DBT skills are practiced daily in both individual therapy and structured group programming.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at Highlands in Bloom
At Highlands in Bloom, DBT skills are embedded throughout both individual therapy and group clinical programming. The residential setting provides the ideal environment for DBT skill development because the daily structure, peer community, and consistent clinical contact allow for real-time skill practice and reinforcement across multiple contexts each day. For clients managing autoimmune conditions, DBT is particularly relevant because the emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills directly address the physiological stress response that drives inflammatory activity and worsens autoimmune flares. Many clients with autoimmune conditions experience significant emotional reactivity in response to unpredictable symptoms, medical uncertainty, and the cumulative burden of chronic illness, patterns that DBT is specifically designed to address. For clients managing PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, and burnout, DBT provides the practical skill foundation that makes other clinical work possible and sustainable.
Conditions Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Addresses
DBT is clinically indicated for a range of conditions treated at Highlands in Bloom including:
- Emotional dysregulation and mood instability
- Depression and persistent depressive disorder
- Anxiety disorders
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD
- Self-destructive behavioral patterns
- Burnout and chronic stress
- Autoimmune conditions with stress-driven symptom patterns
- Interpersonal difficulties and attachment-related challenges
What to Expect
DBT at Highlands in Bloom is delivered through individual therapy sessions and daily group programming. Clients learn and practice the four core skill modules with direct clinical support and peer engagement. The residential environment provides continuous opportunities to apply skills in real situations, navigating relationships, managing difficult emotions, and tolerating distress without avoidance or harmful coping. Skills practice is supported between sessions through structured exercises and reflection tools. Clients leave the residential program with a comprehensive DBT skills toolkit and the practiced capacity to use these skills independently in daily life.
FAQs
What are the four DBT skill modules?
The four DBT skill modules are distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. Each module addresses a distinct dimension of emotional and behavioral health, and all four are taught and practiced within the residential program at Highlands in Bloom.
Is DBT only for borderline personality disorder?
No. While DBT was originally developed for borderline personality disorder, it is now widely used and clinically validated across depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, substance use, and chronic stress. At Highlands in Bloom, DBT is applied based on each client’s individual clinical presentation and treatment goals.
How does DBT help with autoimmune conditions?
DBT’s emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills directly address the physiological stress response that triggers and worsens autoimmune inflammatory activity. By developing the capacity to respond to stressors with greater regulation rather than reactivity, clients can meaningfully reduce the chronic stress burden that drives autoimmune flares.
How is DBT used alongside other therapies at Highlands in Bloom?
DBT is integrated with CBT, EMDR, ACT, psychodynamic therapy, and somatic approaches as part of each client’s individualized treatment plan. DBT skills provide the emotional regulation foundation that makes deeper trauma processing and cognitive restructuring work more accessible and sustainable.
Take the First Step
Highlands in Bloom accepts clients from across California and the United States. Our admissions team is available daily for a complimentary, confidential clinical consultation. Call us at (805) 892-6313 or visit highlandsinbloom.com/contact to request a consultation. We are in-network with Blue Shield of California and Aetna and accept most major PPO plans.