Insurances Accepted

 Virtual and in-person support for emotional regulation, overwhelm, and relationship stress.  

 At Affirming Psychological Services, we offer DBT-informed therapy to help you understand your emotions, respond to stress more effectively, and improve communication in your relationships. If you experience emotions that feel too big, shut down when things get hard, or find yourself in patterns that repeat, DBT skills can help you build steadier ground.

Our clinicians who are foundationally trained in DBT provide support online across California and in person in our Irvine office, offering a space where you can learn practical tools that actually work in daily life.

 DBT is often assumed to be only for severe distress. In reality, many people who benefit from DBT are:

• Trying to manage strong emotions without feeling overwhelmed
   
• Wanting to build healthier communication and boundaries
   
• Feeling stuck in on-again off-again relationship cycles
   
• Dealing with stress, burnout, or chronic anxiety
   
• Struggling with shame, impulsivity, or emotional shutdown
   

You may be functioning well on the outside, while internally trying to keep it together. DBT offers skills for staying present, grounded, and connected, even when things feel intense.

 You might benefit if you are experiencing:

• Intense emotional reactions or mood swings
   
• Difficulty calming down once activated
   
• People-pleasing paired with resentment or exhaustion
   
• Avoiding conflict until it erupts
   
• Feeling “too sensitive” or “too much”
   
• Trouble naming needs, boundaries, or feelings
   
• Patterns in relationships that feel familiar and painful

 DBT-informed therapy can support challenges related to:

• Anxiety and chronic stress
   
• Trauma responses and emotional reactivity
   
• Depression, numbness, or emotional shutdown
   
• Relationship conflict and attachment wounds
   
• Identity stress, rejection sensitivity, and internalized shame
   

We also understand these experiences can look different for LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent clients, and our approach adapts to your identity and lived context.

 Our work together may include:

• Mindfulness practices that help you notice emotions without being swept away
   
• Distress tolerance strategies to get through overwhelming moments safely
   
• Emotion regulation skills to reduce intensity and increase stability
   
• Interpersonal effectiveness tools for clearer, more connected communication
   
• Collaborative treatment planning that honors your pace, values, and autonomy
   
• Trauma-informed support that avoids pushing too fast or retraumatizing
   

Sessions focus on learning skills, practicing them, and applying them in real-life situations so you can build patterns that last.

•  Online therapy across California and in-person sessions in Irvine
   
• Clinicians trained in DBT foundations, trauma, anxiety, and relational dynamics
   
• Inclusive care for LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, BIPOC, and gender-expansive clients
   
• Practical skills you can use immediately, not surface-level coping tips
   
• A nonjudgmental therapy space where you don’t have to perform or have it together
   

DBT-informed therapy is not about perfection. It is about building emotional steadiness, self-respect, and relationships that feel more grounded over time.