Join Our Virtual DBT Skills Group in Ontario
Next 12-Week Group: Begins September 15 2026, at 6pm ET — Spaces are Limited
DBT Skills Group Details:
Date: Tuesday September 15 at 6pm ET
(12 consecutive weekly sessions delivered virtually)
Eligibility: For Adults 18+ Residing in Ontario
Investment: $840 ($70 per session)
Insurance Eligibility: Invoices can be submitted to for reimbursement for policies offering coverage for "Registered Occupational Therapists." Participants are encouraged to confirm eligibility with their insurance provider.
Skills Group Facilitator
Sara Schugt, OT Reg. (Ont.),
Psychotherapist
Our virtual DBT skills group is open to adults (18+) living in Ontario, whether you're a current client at our clinic, working with another therapist, or looking for DBT skills training online on its own.
Each week focuses on skills from one of the four core DBT modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. If you find yourself caught in emotional storms that feel impossible to ride out, reacting in ways you later regret, or struggling to stay steady in your relationships, these are the skills that help. You'll learn practical tools for managing intense emotions and improving relationships that you can use right away, in a small group that combines guided learning with self-directed practice.
Our 12-week DBT program facilitated by Sara Schugt, a Registered Occupational Therapist and Psychotherapist who works alongside Stephanie at her Oshawa practice. The skills group is also offered as one part of our comprehensive DBT therapy program which pairs weekly individual therapy, in person at our Oshawa office or virtually across Ontario, with the virtual skills group. This combination is especially helpful for people looking for DBT therapy for BPD, support after complex trauma, addictions, or help when emotions feel too big to manage on your own. If you are unsure whether this group is the right fit, please contact our clinic for a free 20 minute consultation.
DBT Therapy in Oshawa, Ontario
Comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) in Durham Region — Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Courtice & Bowmanville — Plus Virtual Therapy Across Ontario and Nova Scotia
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) in Durham Region tends to be a good fit for people who feel emotions intensely. The kind of feelings that take over your whole body and stay for hours, sometimes days. It is an extremely helpful therapy if you are struggling with symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, and it can also help with other mental health concerns or problems in everyday life.
If you live with BPD, relationships are often the hardest part. You might look at other people and wonder how it seems so easy for them. How they can disagree and recover. How closeness does not come with the same fear or intensity that yours does. One day someone feels like your whole world, and the next a slow reply has you certain they are pulling away for good. The fear that people will leave can be so strong that you find yourself bracing for it, or pushing first before they get the chance.
A lot of the people I work with have coping strategies they wish they didn't rely on. For some that has meant hurting themselves to get through, or reaching a point where life no longer felt worth living. These are some of the hardest things to say out loud, and many have never told a previous therapist. Many have tried therapy before and gotten something out of it, but it stayed on the surface and never reached the parts that really needed the work. When the same patterns keep coming back, it is easy to start believing you are the problem. You are not.
DBT is structured and skills based, so we are not only talking about what is hard, we are working on what to do when you are in it. Over time the cycles get smaller and things start to feel more manageable.
Stephanie Campoli Psychotherapy offers comprehensive DBT in Oshawa and virtually across Ontario and Nova Scotia. As an extensively trained DBT clinician, I provide the full treatment model, so you receive the structure, accountability, and research-backed outcomes this therapy is known for. Book a free 20 minute consultation to see if the DBT program is the right fit for you.
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, you do not have to wait for an appointment. Call or text 988 anytime to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline, free and available across Canada.
Curious about what DBT actually looks like from session 1 to completion? I wrote a complete guide to starting DBT in Durham Region covering pretreatment, the four stages of treatment, and what to look for in a program. You can also download it as a free PDF to read offline.
What Is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)?
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a structured, evidence-based treatment originally developed by psychologist Dr. Marsha Linehan for people living with intense emotions and ongoing distress that other therapies have not been able to reach.
DBT brings together a few things: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, acceptance and change strategies, and practical skill building.The word dialectical refers to holding two truths at once. You are doing the best you can, and you can learn new skills to build a life worth living.DBT is practical, skills based, and action oriented. It is about making real change while also learning to accept yourself as you are.
Can DBT Help Me?
Comprehensive DBT tends to help most when you are dealing with things like:
Emotions that shift fast or feel too big to manage. Relationships that keep falling into the same conflict. Hurting yourself to cope, or thoughts that life is not worth living. Impulsive patterns like spending, substance use, binge eating, gambling, or anger that gets away from you. A constant sense of emptiness. Trauma that still shows up in the present. Anxiety and mood that will not settle. Distress you cannot find a way to sit with.
DBT is considered the gold standard treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder, and there is strong research behind it for depression, PTSD, substance use, and emotion regulation.
If your emotions often take over, or your reactions do not line up with the person you want to be, DBT gives you concrete tools to get your footing back.
Wondering if DBT is right for you? Reach out for a free 20-minute call and we can talk through what is going on for you and what you are hoping therapy can help with.
Components of Comprehensive DBT
Comprehensive DBT has four parts. Plenty of therapists fold one or two DBT skills into regular talk therapy, but the DBT program at Stephanie Campoli Psychotherapy in Oshawa offers all four, and uses clinically validated measures so you can actually see your progress over time.
1. Individual DBT Therapy
Weekly one to one sessions focus on reducing behaviours that put your life or your therapy at risk, building motivation for change, putting DBT skills to work in real situations, reviewing diary cards, and looking at the patterns behind what keeps happening through behavioural chain analysis. It is structured and goal focused, and it stays validating and collaborative the whole way through.
2. DBT Skills Training
Skills training is the heart of DBT and runs a bit like a class, where you learn and practise new tools. You will work through four modules: mindfulness for staying present and grounded, distress tolerance for getting through a crisis without making it worse, emotion regulation for understanding and managing intense feelings, and interpersonal effectiveness for building relationships that hold. There is homework and practice between sessions, because change comes from repetition and use, not just insight. Learn more about upcoming groups.
3. Phone Coaching
One of the things that makes DBT different is phone coaching. It means you can reach real time support when emotions are high, use your skills in the actual moment you need them, keep things from escalating into something harmful, and build independence as you go. The point is not to lean on me, it is to help the skills travel into your real life, not just stay in the therapy room.
4. Therapist Consultation Team
As an adherent DBT clinician, I take part in a consultation team to stay true to the model. That keeps me accountable, keeps the quality of treatment high, and keeps your therapy aligned with the evidence. It protects the integrity of the work we do together.
In this video, Marsha Linehan discusses the development of DBT for the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Preparing for DBT Therapy
Making the Commitment:
Comprehensive DBT is structured and active. Clients commit to weekly individual therapy, weekly skills training, filling out diary cards, practising between sessions, and showing up consistently.
DBT works, and it works best when you are engaged and willing to be held accountable. This model is built for people who are ready to put something into real change. If you are not sure whether you are ready, that is something we can sort out together in a consultation.
Investment
Participating in a comprehensive DBT program typically involves a commitment of approximately 6–12 months of weekly therapy. Treatment includes a combination of individual therapy sessions and DBT skills training, with phone coaching available on an as-needed basis to support real-life application of skills between sessions.
While DBT is a structured model, I also recognize that each person’s schedule, readiness, and financial circumstances are unique. I work collaboratively with clients to develop an individualized treatment plan that remains adherent to the evidence-based DBT framework while identifying a sustainable level of care. This may include pacing entry into the full program, prioritizing specific treatment targets, or adjusting the sequence of components so that treatment remains both accessible and clinically effective.
My goal is to maintain the integrity of the DBT model while helping you engage in treatment in a way that is realistic, consistent, and supportive of long-term progress.
Cost for Services:
Individual DBT Therapy Session (50 min), $165
Individual DBT Skills Training Session (25 min), $80
Phone Coaching (10 min), $20 per call
Virtual DBT Skills Group (12-week program) $840
Course Materials
The DBT Skills Training manual (Revised Ed.) can be purchased by clicking the link below. Alternatively, you will be provided with a free PDF copy of all materials when you begin treatment
A hardcopy of the DBT manual can be purchased on amazon.ca
If anything on this page feels familiar, you are not alone, and you do not have to keep carrying it on your own. I offer a free 20-minute consultation so we can talk about what is going on for you and whether working together feels like the right fit.
More on This Topic: DBT in Durham Region: What to Expect from Session 1 to Completion · So You Just Got Diagnosed with BPD. Now What?
