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The coordinated full-model pathway

Comprehensive DBT

A coordinated approach that brings individual therapy, skills training, between-session coaching, and therapist consultation together around your treatment plan.

You don’t need to choose a program before contacting us. Intake does not commit you to treatment.

Your care at a glance

Individual therapy

Weekly DBT focused on your own priorities.

Skills training

Structured learning and practice alongside individual therapy.

Between-session coaching

Help applying skills within agreed contact and response boundaries.

Therapist consultation

A consultation team supports your clinicians. You do not attend this team.

Plan for individual therapy, skills training, and practice between appointments. The length of treatment is agreed with you.

Fit and safety

Could this support fit your needs?

This service may be right for you if…

  • You need both individualized behavioural treatment and systematic skills training
  • Patterns include life-threatening behaviour, severe impulsivity, repeated crisis, or major relationship and functioning disruption
  • A coordinated treatment team is clinically useful
  • You are willing to work within a clear hierarchy and practise between sessions

A different pathway may be safer or more useful when…

  • A skills-only or guided pathway may fit when less support is needed
  • Immediate danger, medical instability, acute mania, psychosis, or withdrawal requires emergency or medical care first
  • Another specialized treatment may be more directly matched to the primary problem
Program structure

How the treatment modes work together

Each mode has a distinct function. None is expected to do the whole job alone.

Set the hierarchy

Life-threatening behaviour comes first, followed by patterns that interfere with therapy and then quality-of-life targets.

Build capability

Skills training increases the behavioural options available when emotion and urges are intense.

Apply to the chain

Individual therapy identifies exactly where a different response could interrupt the pattern.

Use skills in everyday situations

Between-session support helps use skills in the situations where they are actually needed.

Review outcomes

Progress, barriers, attendance, target behaviour, and treatment fit are reviewed explicitly.

Coordinate care

When consented and clinically indicated, treatment can be coordinated with physicians or other professionals.
Comprehensive DBT

A coordinated treatment system.

One coordinated treatment plan
  1. Individual therapy

    Targets, behavioural analysis, treatment priorities and individual practice

  2. Skills training

    Mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness

  3. Between-session coaching

    When included, brief support to apply skills in real situations

  4. Therapist consultation team

    Clinicians support adherence, problem-solving and effective treatment delivery

Comprehensive DBT brings all four modes together. At intake, we explain how each mode works, who provides it, and the support available between sessions.

Treatment priorities

We do not try to address everything at once.

01 · Life-threatening behaviours

Start with safety and behaviours that threaten life.

02 · Therapy-interfering behaviours

Address barriers on either side of the therapeutic relationship.

03 · Quality-of-life interfering behaviours

Work on patterns that disrupt relationships, health, work, and daily living.

04 · Skills acquisition and life-building

Build capabilities throughout treatment while moving towards meaningful goals.

These are Stage 1 treatment priorities. Skills are taught and practised throughout; life-building is not a promise of a fixed or linear recovery sequence.

Illustrative example · not client data

Your week in DBT.

Reviewed together

What happened? What came before it? What helped, and what did not? What will we practise next?

The public report is fictional. Your clinician will explain whether reports are included, how to submit your diary card, and when it is reviewed. Diary submissions are not continuously monitored or an emergency contact channel.

A fictional diary-card entry for discussion in treatment
Important eventA difficult conversation
Emotion intensityAnger: 4 out of 5
UrgeSend repeated messages: 4 out of 5
Target behaviourRepeated messages: 0
Skills usedPause, observe, check the facts
Progress markerWaited, then made one clear request
Between-session and practical support

Commitment is collaborative and explicit

Comprehensive DBT is demanding because it is designed for high-impact patterns. The clinic reviews expectations, barriers, willingness, safety, attendance, practice, and the amount of support that can realistically be provided before treatment begins.

Clear expectations

Roles, boundaries, attendance, communication, homework, and safety processes are discussed rather than assumed.

Ongoing commitment work

Ambivalence and avoidance are expected topics for treatment—not reasons for moral judgement.

Support that fits your needs

If the full model is not needed or cannot be delivered safely, the clinic recommends a different pathway.

Messaging and learning materials

When included in your treatment plan, secure messaging can help clarify assigned practice and connect it to the next appointment. Selected clients also receive learning materials through the STG Online Clinic. Your clinician explains what is available and the agreed response boundaries.

Fees and access

Fees and practical details

Comprehensive DBT combines multiple treatment modes, so fees and coverage are confirmed by component. Individual psychotherapy, skills training, and between-session supports may be treated differently by private insurance or public benefits.

YOUR QUESTIONS

Questions you may have

Is any therapy that uses DBT skills “comprehensive DBT”?

No. Comprehensive DBT refers to a coordinated treatment system with distinct modes, a hierarchy, behavioural methods, consultation, and structured skills training.

Do I have to participate in both individual therapy and skills training?

In the comprehensive model, both are core components. A different DBT-informed pathway may be recommended when the full model is not indicated.

What is between-session coaching for?

It helps apply skills in the environment before ineffective behaviour occurs. It is not a replacement for the weekly individual session.

Why does the therapist need a consultation team?

Comprehensive DBT asks therapists to maintain a demanding balance of acceptance, change, strategy, boundaries, and risk management. Consultation supports adherence and effective care.

Can my physician be involved?

With consent, care can be coordinated when medical, medication, or diagnostic information is relevant.

You can work out the next step with us.

Tell us what has been difficult and what you hope to change. A clinician reviews your needs and explains the recommended support, practical arrangements, and next steps.

No referral is needed to contact the clinic. Your funding provider may have separate referral or authorization requirements.