TheraHive Blog

Chronic pain brings fear, frustration, and avoidance that can make flares harder to live with, and DBT skills target that emotional layer rather than the pain signal itself. This post reviews what recent trials show, where DBT fits alongside CBT and ACT, and how the four skill modules apply to pain.

Growing concerns about AI replacing human workers are taking a toll on young professionals’ mental health. This article examines how DBT skills and online skills groups can help young workers manage anxiety, tolerate uncertainty, and cope with the emotional impact of an AI-driven workforce.

A recent study highlights the potential of structured group programs to support mental well-being and empowerment for people facing incurable blood cancer. Discover what these findings suggest about the role of peer connection and skills-based learning in DBT groups and beyond.

AI-powered wearables can flag stress and sleep disruption in real time, but data alone does not change how a person responds. This post explains how DBT skills groups turn biosensor signals into practiced coping skills, and where wearable data falls short.

Low self-esteem is one of the central features of borderline personality disorder, and researchers are now asking whether DBT-informed music therapy could help. This post looks at what that early research does and does not show, and how online DBT compares with in-person delivery.

New APA survey data reveals more people are turning to AI chatbots for mental health support, often without telling their therapist. Dr. Alicia Smart explores the clinical risks of "artificial intimacy" and why online DBT skills groups provide the structured, evidence-based human connection that chatbots can't replicate.

Eating disorders are frequently less about food and more about an inability to tolerate difficult emotions. This post walks through how DBT's four skill modules address that root cause and what the current research says about DBT compared to CBT-E and other established treatments.

Chain analysis moves clinicians beyond naming a problem behavior and into understanding how it unfolded and what keeps it going. By working through the five chain components, spotting common assessment pitfalls, and matching each link to a DBT solution strategy, clinicians can build interventions that fit what is actually driving the behavior.

Family conflict often escalates on reflex, and DBT offers parents specific skills to interrupt it, from mindfulness to validation. This post covers what the early research shows and what a skills group looks like for households who want structured practice.

Ever did something and had no idea why? This mini course teaches chain analysis, the DBT tool for tracing exactly what led up to a behavior, so you can finally see your patterns instead of just repeating them.

A new research framework warns that AI companion tools may weaken social skills in the people who need connection most. Dr. Alicia Smart explores why evidence-based DBT skills groups, available online, offer a powerful alternative that builds real relational capacity.

Learn how to stay present, respond instead of react, and pay attention on purpose with Season 4 of Thriving With DBT. Each episode shows Dr. Alicia Smart coaching a real student through DBT mindfulness skills in real time.

PTSD can leave a nervous system braced for danger long after a traumatic event has passed, and DBT offers a way to work with that response through four skill areas rather than asking someone to revisit the trauma before they're ready. This post looks at how mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness apply to trauma specifically, and where DBT skills groups fit alongside trauma-focused therapies like EMDR and prolonged exposure.

DBT skills groups teach concrete, practical tools for getting through a craving without making it worse, addressing everything from the moment of urge to the relationships substance use has strained. This post walks through how DBT's four skill modules apply specifically to substance use and what the research says about online delivery.

Codependency trains a habit of managing someone else's feelings instead of your own, and DBT's four skill modules were built almost entirely to interrupt that exact pattern. This post walks through how mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness apply to codependency, and what the research says about skills-based group therapy as an approach.

Join this free webinar on DBT Chain Analysis showing attendees how to map the five hidden links behind a reaction and catch them before they take over. It includes a live demonstration plus guided practice mapping a real moment of your own.

TheraHive's podcast returns for Season 3, centered on Distress Tolerance, the DBT skills for riding out a crisis instead of being consumed by it. Real students work through real situations with Dr. Alicia Smart coaching in the moment, turning skills like TIPP from theory into practice.

For many people with ADHD, the hardest part isn't distraction but the impulsivity and strained relationships that come with it. This post explores how DBT's four skills modules address those exact challenges, helping people manage their emotions and build a life that feels more workable.

Not sure whether to act on a feeling or let it pass? Learn how to tell whether an emotion fits the facts and whether acting on it would actually help with this free worksheet.

Anyone can put "DBT" on a therapist profile, but not everyone using the term actually practices it. This post breaks down the real signals to watch for so you can tell a genuinely DBT-trained therapist from someone borrowing the label.

Anger has a way of moving faster than the mind can keep up with, but DBT offers a way to catch it mid-flight. This post walks through the skills that turn a slammed door into a real conversation, and shows what it looks like to finally feel steady instead of stuck on the edge of the next blowup.

Motivation fades fast, but the right rewards can help a new habit stick long after day five. This worksheet offers a gentle, values-aligned framework for building a reward system that supports change instead of working against it.

Racing thoughts and constant worry don't have to run the show. DBT gives anxious minds a concrete set of skills backed by research showing real reductions in anxiety severity. Explore the full breakdown in this DBT for anxiety guide.

Choosing a DBT therapist for a child or teen requires more than finding someone who claims to "use DBT." This post breaks down what qualifications actually matter, how to navigate confidentiality and teen resistance, and when a DBT skills group may be the right place to start.