Why DBT?

Individuals with emotional vulnerability often have high sensitivity and quick reactivity to emotional situations and may react with ineffective or extreme responses. This reactivity may contribute to a higher sensitivity to the next event and create what may feel like an emotional roller coaster or a constant state of crisis leaving them feeling out of control, hopeless, or even suicidal. The inability to regulate intense emotions can result in difficulties stopping ineffective behaviors such as substance use, self-injury, disordered eating, high conflict in relationships, and suicidal thinking and attempts at taking one’s own life. DBT has been specifically designed and researched to provide skills and support in ending these behaviors and creating a life worth living.

DBT has four primary modes of treatment delivery. This is different than many other psychotherapies that consist of just one mode or aspect of treatment, such as individual therapy. DBT is a highly researched and effective treatment for those suffering from multiple presenting problems associated with emotion dysregulation and for those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Individual Therapy

DBT individual therapy is focused on enhancing client motivation and helping clients to apply the skills to specific challenges and events in their lives. In the standard DBT model, individual therapy takes place once a week for as long as the client is in therapy, and it runs concurrently with DBT skills training.

Skills Training

Problematic behaviors evolve as a way to cope with a situation or attempt to solve a problem. While these behaviors might provide temporary relief, they often are not effective in the long-term. DBT assumes that clients are doing the best they can, AND they need to learn new behaviors in all relevant contexts. The function of DBT Skills is to help enhance a client’s capabilities. Skills training is frequently taught in groups during weekly sessions, and the full skills curriculum runs for 24 weeks. Group leaders assign homework to help clients practice the skills in their everyday lives. There are four skills modules taught in DBT:

  • Mindfulness: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment
  • Distress Tolerance: how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness: how to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others
  • Emotion Regulation: how to change emotions that you want to change

Phone Coaching

DBT uses phone and other in-vivo coaching to provide in-the-moment support. The goal is to coach clients on how to use their DBT skills to effectively cope with difficult situations that arise in everyday life. Clients can call their individual therapist between sessions to receive coaching at the times when they need help the most.

Consultation Team

A therapist’s work can be difficult for many reasons. The DBT consultation team is essential to help therapists monitor their fidelity to the treatment, develop and increase their skills, and sustain their motivation to work with high-risk, difficult-to-treat clients.

DBT Skills Training Only Option

DBT Skills Training Only is a standalone option for those interested in learning DBT skills who do not meet the requirements for the comprehensive program. You may benefit from this option if you are currently seeing a mental health provider and struggle with the following: regulating and expressing emotions, tolerating distress, and maintaining relationships. There are 4 modules reviewed in 24 weeks: mindfulness (present moment awareness), emotion regulation (understanding and changing emotions), distress tolerance (surviving crises and “riding out” intense emotions), and interpersonal effectiveness (enhancing communication). DBT Skills Training Only requires weekly attendance.

The skills training group meets in-person Monday or Thursday. 

We have rolling enrollment. Call now to secure your spot.

DBT-Adolescent Skills Training

Center for Integrated Behavioral Health is now offering a modified version of DBT-A.

DBT-A is an evidence based therapy for teens struggling with non-suicidal self-injury, suicide attempts, impulsive behaviors, labile moods and unstable interpersonal relationships.

We have adapted the treatment to provide a separate parent training skills group to address the myriad of questions and challenges parents face when their children are in crisis. At the same time, teens will receive targeted DBT skills training separate from their parents to assist in developing skills to regulate intense emotions and end problematic and life threatening behaviors. This adapted form of DBT-A will be provided in 1 hour sessions over 16 weeks. Parents will be offered the opportunity to receive telephone coaching consultations as needed over the course of skills training to assist with skill development and effective responses to crisis behaviors.

  • In-Network Insurance Accepted
  • Parent and Teen groups separated
  • Supplemental to Individual Treatment
  • Limited Availability
  • 16 weeks

Frequently Asked Questions

Is therapy right for me?

Seeking out therapy is an individual choice that will require commitment, openness, and a willingness to change. There are many reasons why people come to therapy. Sometimes it is to deal with long-standing patterns of problematic behavior, or problems with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or food. Other times it is in response to unexpected changes in one’s life such as a divorce, loss, or work transition. Working with a therapist can help provide insight, support, and new strategies for all types of life challenges. Overall, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has demonstrated overwhelming research support and can provide long-lasting benefits. Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while you may have successfully navigated through other difficulties you’ve faced, there’s nothing wrong with seeking out extra help when you need it. In fact, therapy is for people who have enough self-awareness to realize they need a helping hand, and that is something to be admired.

Do you take insurance?

Yes, but we are not in-network with all insurance plans. Please check with our office to be certain. Even if we are not in-network, most insurance companies offer out-of-network benefits. If so, you may receive reimbursement by your insurance company, even if you have to pay out of pocket at first. Some feel that this is a good strategy for finding a provider of their choosing, rather than being forced to stay within their insurance network.

How do I make a first appointment?

Please call our office to speak with our office staff. If you decide to go forward an administrative staff member will set up your first appointment, review your benefits, and direct you to download the forms you will need to complete prior to the first session. You will be guaranteed a safe, comfortable, and private environment.

Where are you located and how do I get there?

We are located at 1 East Broad Street, Suite 510 in  downtown Bethlehem, PA. Our address is 1 East Broad St. Bethlehem, PA 18018. (Melting Pot Restaurant occupies the first floor).

From U.S. 22, take the PA-378 South exit. Travel about three miles to the Center City exit (exit 3). At the stop sign at the end of the exit, turn left onto Third Avenue. Go 100 yards to traffic light. At the light, turn left onto West Broad Street. Continue through the next two traffic lights onto Broad Street.

From Interstate 78  Take exit 67 for PA-412 toward Hellertown / Bethlehem. Turn right onto PA-412 N / Hellertown Rd for 0.8 miles and turn slight left onto E 4th Street for 0.7 miles. Take a slight right onto Daly Ave for 0.3 miles and turn right onto the Minsi Trail Bridge. After .5 miles take the first left onto East Market Street. Travel for a little over 1 mile and turn right onto Main Street. Take the 2nd right onto Broad Street and we are located on the left.

Where do I park?

There is a parking lot on the east side of our building with a meter parking. In downtown Bethlehem there are also two parking garages in walking distance to our practice on Walnut Street and North Street. Meter parking is also available throughout Broad Street.

How long are appointments?

A general therapy hour typically lasts 53-60 minutes. Evaluation sessions may be scheduled longer to complete initial assessments and undergo an interview to review relevant history. Testing and Assessment sessions are considerably longer and dependent upon the nature of the evaluation. Group therapy sessions are variable based on type of session.

Will the information shared with a therapist be kept private and confidential?

The privacy of information exchanged with your therapist is protected by law. The law also requires your therapist to break confidentiality with or without your permission if you or someone else is at risk of serious harm. Revelations that a child has been or is in danger of harm or neglect are required by law to be reported to Child Protective Services. You and your therapist may decide together that it is in your best interest for Center for Integrated Behavioral Health to exchange information with another party. In that case, your therapist may ask for written consent.

What is your cancellation policy?

We ask that our clientele notify us 24 hours prior to a scheduled session if they have to cancel. Barring any emergency situation within 24 hours of their scheduled appointment, clients who do not contact us before the 24 hour window will be charged a late cancellation fee of $50.00. If you reserve an hour and fail to attend that session without notice (no show) you will be required to pay the therapists full fee for that session.

Who do we contact in the case of an emergency?

During non-business hours our phone is answered by voicemail and we cannot guarantee each call will be answered during business hours. Center for Integrated Behavioral Health has coordinated with Northampton County Crisis Center for 24 hr coverage. Please call them at 610-782-3127. You can also call 911 or proceed to your nearest emergency room.

Upcoming Events

Survive crisis situations without making them worse: Learn the Distress Tolerance Skills of DBT

  • $ / Full Event

Pain and distress are a part of life. We all need to learn how to manage crisis situations effectively. Distress Tolerance skills provide tools you can fall back on to ride out the wave of emotions and survive a crisis moment. The behavioral skills learned in this course is based…

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DBT-Adolescent Skills Training

  • Next Group will be April 30th 2024
  • $Insurance Accepted / Weekly

Center for Integrated Behavioral Health is now offering a modified version of DBT-A. DBT-A is an evidence based therapy for teens struggling with non-suicidal self-injury, suicide attempts, impulsive behaviors, labile moods and unstable interpersonal relationships. We have adapted the treatment to provide a separate parent training skills group to address…

Event Details

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Training Only Option

  • Enrolling Now
  • $ / Weekly

We are enhancing accessibility by expanding availability.  Classes are now offered Mondays or Thursdays. Now accepting new members! DBT Skills Training Only is a standalone option for those interested in learning DBT skills who do not meet the requirements for the comprehensive program. You may benefit from this option if…

Event Details