Build Mindfulness Skills in Season 4 of Thriving With DBT

Between screens that never stop asking for a glance and a mind that's usually somewhere other than where the body is, being present has become surprisingly hard, and nobody ever taught us how to get it back. That's where Mindfulness skills come in, a core part of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and it's what Season 4 of Thriving With DBT is all about.

Follow along as TheraHive co-founder Dr. Alicia Smart, PsyD sits down with a real student from our Adult DBT Skills Group and coaches them through actual moments of overwhelm happening in their lives. If you've ever wanted a real look at what DBT coaching sounds like, or you just want to learn how to notice what you're feeling without letting it run the show, this podcast is for you.

What Is Thriving With DBT?

Thriving With DBT came out of something we heard over and over from people early in DBT: they understood a skill in the classroom, but had no idea what it looked like once real life got in the way. That gap between knowing a skill and actually using it is where most people get stuck, and it's the reason this podcast exists in the first place.

Every episode follows a real TheraHive student working through our 22-week DBT Skills Group program, one module at a time, with TheraHive co-founders Dr. Alicia Smart, PsyD or Dr. Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD coaching them through whatever is actually happening in their life that week. None of it is rehearsed beforehand because the point isn't a polished performance; it's an honest look at what it takes to use these skills when it counts.

TheraHive is a psychoeducational DBT program, not a therapy practice. This podcast grew out of that same belief that shapes everything we do: DBT skills should be available to everyone, not just people sitting across from a therapist. Tuning in gives you access to the kind of coaching that usually only happens inside a DBT group, wherever you happen to be listening.

Meet Your Hosts

Dr. Alicia Smart, PsyD is a Linehan Board of Certification Certified Clinician™ and the Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer at TheraHive. She has spent her career making evidence-based DBT skills accessible to people who need them, bringing both clinical depth and genuine warmth to every episode.

Dr. Jesse Finkelstein, PsyD is also a Linehan Board of Certification Certified Clinician™ and serves as Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at TheraHive. Jesse has a particular gift for translating complex DBT concepts into practical, livable guidance, the kind you can actually remember at 2:00pm on a Tuesday.

Together, they've built TheraHive on the belief that DBT skills are for everyone. This podcast is an extension of that mission.

Coming Back to the Present: Mindfulness Skills Explained

Mindfulness is the module the rest of DBT is built on, and it's often mistaken for a relaxation technique or a synonym for meditation. Meditation is one way to practice, but DBT mindfulness is wider than that. It's a way of paying attention to your actual life, on purpose and without judging what you find. Feeling calmer can come along with it, though the real aim is seeing what's happening clearly enough to respond well.

That clarity is why the module matters so much. When you can notice a thought or an urge without being swept away by it, you get a moment of choice before you react, and that moment is where the rest of your DBT skills become usable. Attention also gets stronger with practice, which is good news if constant pings have left yours scattered.

This season, you'll hear Alicia sit down with a real TheraHive student and work through skills like Observe, Describe, One-Mindfully, and more as they tackle whatever is actually going on in their life that week.. By the end of Season 4, you'll walk away with a real feel for what these tools sound like in practice, plus a few new ones for the next time you need to come back to the present moment.

Watch Season 4 Now

Thriving With DBT is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes drop weekly on Mondays. Check out the first episode of Season 4 below!

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