Yes. Rural loneliness is real, you might be surrounded by land but far from people, or in a small community where you don't really fit in. Therapy addresses the isolation, helps you find ways to connect even in limited social environments, and works on the depression or anxiety that comes with chronic loneliness. Online group therapy can be especially good because you're connecting with other people even if they're not physically near you. You're less alone just by being in regular contact with your therapist and potentially a therapy group.

Sometimes. Psychiatrists (MDs) often charge more than licensed therapists. Among therapists, rates vary more by experience, location, and specialization than by credential type (LCSW vs. LPC vs. LMFT). There's no universal pricing based on credential letters.

Anger and substance use reinforce each other. It’s important to assess whether substance use is the primary issue or is anger driving the substance use. Many therapists can help you address both together, but sometimes it requires addressing the substance abuse and anger issues separately as part of your treatment plan. If you're experiencing both, it’s important to address both.

Many people experience anxiety without a specific trigger. You just feel anxious most of the time and can’t pinpoint a cause. Generalized anxiety often works this way. You don't need a specific trigger for therapy to help. Anxiety management skills work regardless of whether you know why you're anxious.

Depression significantly affects relationships. You may withdraw, feel like you have nothing to offer, feel like a burden, or push people away. Depression wants you isolated, but isolation only worsens depression. Therapy ultimately helps break this cycle. Many depressed people describe a relationship paradox that they desperately want connection but push people away because of what they are feeling. Your therapist helps you navigate this by teaching you to accept support and communicate needs. Relationships often improve as depression is treated.

DBT-trained therapists expect BPD challenges and have structures supporting them. DBT therapists expect intensity. DBT also helps you commit to reducing therapy-interfering behaviors as part of treatment. Most DBT therapists are quite persistent if you're genuinely trying to put in the work and change. You're not too much and DBT therapy will help you make progress over time.

DBT has four main skill sets, Mindfulness (being present, observing without judging, participating fully in the moment), Distress Tolerance (getting through crisis situations without making them worse, accepting reality as it is), Emotion Regulation (understanding and managing your emotions instead of being controlled by them), and Interpersonal Effectiveness (asking for what you need, saying no, maintaining relationships and self-respect, avoiding lashing out, rage, fear of abandonment). You typically learn all four modules because they work together—mindfulness is the foundation, then the other skills build on that.

Traditional DBT skills training takes about 6 months, you go through all four modules twice. But you can start using skills immediately, you don't need to complete the whole program before they're helpful. Some people get significant benefit in a few months. Others practice DBT skills for years, using them as ongoing life skills. The learning curve varies, some skills click immediately, others take months of practice before they become natural. Don't expect to master everything quickly. These are skills like playing an instrument, you get better with practice over time. So don't get discouraged if it feels awkward at first.

Depends how much you go through the materials and practice. Skills work when you use them consistently. Some people notice improvement within a few weeks, and for others it takes months of consistent practice. You're rewiring how you respond to emotions and that takes time and consistent practice.

It’s recommended to go sequentially. The modules, videos, and lessons build on each other. But if you want to jump around, nobody's stopping you. We do suggest to go through it sequentially, and then as you go through everything you can always come back to certain videos or materials that you want to reference that specific topic again and re-enforce those skills. Lifetime access means you can always return to any content for a refresher or deeper practice.

DBT skills are management tools, not cures. They help you function better and manage symptoms more effectively. Most mental health conditions are chronic so no program or therapy cures mental health conditions but rather they're managed. Many people achieve substantial symptom reduction, long periods of stability, and ability to live fully despite symptoms. These are meaningful outcomes even without being cured. The DBT Self-Guided program provides evidence-based skills proven to help people manage conditions more effectively and that’s a tremendously valuable outcome in of itself.

Our program is very thorough. It’s run by a specific therapist who has years of experience as a clinician practicing DBT and the therapist through their videos goes through a years worth of curriculum on DBT. In addition to these videos that you can watch and re-watch at your own pace, you also get access to reading manuals, worksheets, homework assignments, and a community forum where you can engage with others who have gone through the program. So, the program is very comprehensive and you're getting the full curriculum across various types of mediums in an organized easy to use format. Often people are visual and audio learners, so being able to watch at your own pace is often a game changer for your understanding and ability to commit to practicing the skills over time.