2nd Story Counseling | DBT Therapy in Chicago’s Lakeview
📍 655 W Irving Park Rd #204, Chicago, IL 60613 | 📞 773-528-1777
Are you searching for a DBT therapist in Chicago? At 2nd Story Counseling in Lakeview, Dialectical Behavior Therapy is one of the most powerful tools in our practice — particularly for clients who experience emotions intensely, struggle with impulsive behavior, or find themselves in the same painful patterns no matter how hard they try to break free.
DBT is a skills-based therapy. That means you don’t just talk about your problems — you learn concrete, practical tools for managing them. And at 2SC, we integrate DBT with other approaches including Internal Family Systems (IFS) to create change that goes deeper than skill-building alone.
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy was developed by psychologist Dr. Marsha Linehan in the 1980s, originally to treat borderline personality disorder. Since then, its evidence base has expanded significantly — DBT is now recognized as highly effective for a wide range of conditions, particularly those involving emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and difficult relationships.
The word “dialectical” refers to the balance at the heart of DBT: the balance between acceptance and change. DBT acknowledges that you are doing the best you can with what you have — and that you also need to change. Both things are true at the same time. That tension, held skillfully, is where growth happens.
DBT is organized around four core skill modules, each targeting a different dimension of emotional and behavioral health. Together they form a comprehensive toolkit for building a more stable, fulfilling life.
🧠 What DBT Treats at 2SC
DBT has strong research support for a wide range of challenges. Our Chicago DBT therapists commonly work with:
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) — the condition DBT was originally developed for; highly effective at reducing symptoms and improving quality of life
- Depression — particularly depression accompanied by intense emotions or self-destructive patterns
- Anxiety and emotional overwhelm — building tolerance for distress without making things worse
- Addiction and substance use — reducing impulsive behavior and building distress tolerance without substances
- Eating disorders — addressing emotional triggers and impulsive behaviors around food
- Self-harm and suicidal ideation — DBT has the strongest evidence base of any approach for reducing self-harm
- Trauma and PTSD — building stability and distress tolerance as a foundation for trauma processing
- Relationship difficulties — chronic conflict, communication breakdowns, fear of abandonment
- Anger and emotional reactivity — learning to respond rather than react
- Bipolar disorder — mood regulation and building structure around emotional cycles
The Four Modules of DBT
DBT skills are organized into four interconnected modules. Think of them as four different angles on the same goal: a life that is more stable, more meaningful, and less controlled by your emotions.
🌿 Module 1: Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the foundation of all DBT work — the ability to observe your thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the present moment without judgment. In DBT, mindfulness is not just a relaxation technique. It is the core skill that makes all the other skills possible.
When you are mindful, you can notice what is happening inside you before you react to it. That pause — brief as it is — is where choice lives.
DBT introduces the concept of Wise Mind — the balance between your emotional mind and your rational mind. Wise Mind is where you make decisions that honor both how you feel and what you know. Developing access to Wise Mind is one of the most practical outcomes of DBT mindfulness training.
🌊 Module 2: Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance skills help you get through a crisis without making things worse. When emotions are running at a 9 or 10, the goal is not to solve the problem — it is to survive it without creating new ones.
One of the most powerful distress tolerance skills is Radical Acceptance — the practice of fully acknowledging reality as it is, rather than fighting against it. Radical acceptance does not mean you approve of what is happening. It means you stop spending energy on a war with reality you cannot win, freeing you to focus on what you actually can change.
Another key concept is Riding the Wave — recognizing that intense emotions, like waves, will naturally rise to a peak and then subside. You don’t have to act on the wave. You can observe it, stay present, and let it pass without being swept away.
⚖️ Module 3: Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation skills help you understand your emotions, reduce your vulnerability to emotional flooding, and change emotions you want to change. This is different from suppressing emotions — it is about developing a more skillful relationship with them.
A key skill in this module is Opposite Action — when an emotion is driving you toward a behavior that will make things worse, you intentionally do the opposite. Anger wants you to attack; opposite action might mean doing something kind. Fear wants you to avoid; opposite action means approaching. The behavior change actually sends a signal to the brain that the original emotion is no longer warranted — and the emotion shifts.
Emotion regulation also covers building a life that reduces vulnerability to emotional dysregulation — sleep, exercise, nutrition, meaningful connection. DBT takes the whole person seriously.
🤝 Module 4: Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal effectiveness skills help you navigate relationships more skillfully — asking for what you need, setting limits, maintaining self-respect, and preserving relationships you value even when conflict arises.
DBT uses three memorable frameworks for different relationship goals:
- DEAR MAN — for getting your objective met: Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, stay Mindful, Appear confident, Negotiate
- GIVE — for maintaining the relationship: be Gentle, act Interested, Validate, use an Easy manner
- FAST — for maintaining self-respect: be Fair, no unnecessary Apologies, Stick to your values, be Truthful
These are not just communication tips — they are systematic frameworks for navigating high-stakes conversations without losing yourself or burning the relationship down.
DBT at 2SC: How We Deliver It
At 2nd Story Counseling, DBT skills can be integrated into your individual therapy in two ways:
- Integrated DBT — your therapist weaves DBT skills into regular individual therapy sessions as relevant to what you bring each week. This is the most common approach for clients whose primary concerns are not severe emotional dysregulation
- Skills-focused DBT — a more structured approach where you systematically work through the four DBT modules with a DBT-trained therapist, building a comprehensive toolkit over time. This is the approach for clients dealing with more significant emotional regulation challenges
Your therapist will discuss which approach fits your situation during initial sessions.
DBT + IFS: Deeper Than Skills Alone
DBT is exceptionally good at what it does — giving you practical tools for managing intense emotions and difficult situations. But skills alone don’t always get to the root of why emotions are so intense in the first place, or why certain patterns are so hard to break.
That is where Internal Family Systems (IFS) comes in. IFS works with the inner parts that carry emotional pain, protective strategies, and the deep beliefs formed by difficult experiences. When DBT skills are paired with IFS parts work, clients often find that the skills become easier to access — because the underlying burden driving the dysregulation has been addressed, not just managed.
This integration is one of the things that distinguishes 2SC’s approach to DBT from practices that deliver it as a standalone protocol.
⭐ Why Choose 2nd Story Counseling for DBT?
- DBT-trained therapists with experience across the full four-module curriculum
- Integrative approach combining DBT with IFS for deeper, more lasting change
- Flexible delivery — integrated or skills-focused, based on your needs
- Comfortable, private office in Lakeview on Chicago’s North Side
- Telehealth available throughout Illinois
- Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO accepted; self-pay options available
- Flexible scheduling including evening appointments
- Over 20 years serving Chicago clients
If you are ready to stop being controlled by your emotions and start building the skills to change that, our Chicago DBT therapists are here to help. In-person sessions in Lakeview and telehealth throughout Illinois.
Ready to get started? Call us at (773) 528-1777 or reach out through our confidential online contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions: DBT Therapy in Chicago
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
DBT is a skills-based, evidence-based form of psychotherapy developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan. It teaches practical tools for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, improving relationships, and building a more stable life. It is organized around four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Who is DBT for?
DBT was originally developed for borderline personality disorder but is now used effectively for depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, trauma, self-harm, relationship difficulties, and anyone who experiences emotions intensely or struggles with impulsive behavior. If you feel like your emotions run your life rather than the other way around, DBT is worth exploring.
What is the difference between DBT and CBT?
CBT focuses primarily on identifying and changing distorted thinking. DBT builds on CBT but adds a strong emphasis on acceptance, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and relationship skills. DBT also places more explicit focus on the balance between acceptance and change — the “dialectical” core of the approach.
What is the difference between DBT and ACT?
Both DBT and ACT emphasize acceptance and mindfulness. DBT is more structured and skills-focused, with a specific four-module curriculum. ACT is more values-focused and process-oriented. For clients with significant emotional dysregulation, DBT’s structured skill-building tends to be the stronger starting point.
Do you offer full DBT or just DBT skills?
At 2SC, we offer DBT skills integrated into individual therapy — either woven into regular sessions or delivered in a more structured skills-focused format. We do not offer the full multi-component DBT program (which includes skills groups and phone coaching). If full DBT programming is what you need, we are happy to help you find the right resource.
Is DBT available via telehealth?
Yes. Virtual therapy sessions are available for clients anywhere in Illinois. DBT skills work translates well to telehealth — the structured, practical nature of the sessions is fully available via secure video.
How does DBT work with IFS at 2SC?
DBT gives you practical skills for managing emotions and behavior. IFS goes deeper — working with the inner parts that carry the pain and patterns driving dysregulation in the first place. Used together, they produce change that is both practical and rooted — skills that are easier to access because the underlying burden has been addressed.
How do I get started with DBT therapy at 2nd Story Counseling?
Call us at (773) 528-1777 or use our online contact form. We will match you with a DBT-trained therapist whose background fits your situation and get you scheduled for an initial consultation.