Online DBT therapy: who gives a DBT program, and who only names it
DBT was built as a full program: individual therapy, a weekly skills group and coaching between sessions. Online, a few services give a DBT program or skills group, some let you choose a therapist who practices DBT, and many only say their therapists use it. Here is which is which, with prices and insurance, from each service's own pages.
25 services' own pages name DBT. 4 give it as a program or skills group: Charlie Health, Equip, Within Health and Lyra Health. 7 let you choose a clinician who practices it: Grow Therapy, Octave, SonderMind, Spring Health, Talkspace, Thriveworks and Open Path Psychotherapy Collective. The other 14 only say their clinicians use it among other approaches.
What to ask an online DBT service
A program that gives every part is different from a therapist who uses some of its skills; ask which one you are getting.
What a full DBT program includes
The skills group
Coaching between sessions is not a crisis line
4 services give a DBT program or skills group
Their own pages describe DBT as a program (individual therapy with a skills group, or a DBT-based intensive program) or a skills group they run.
| Service | What its pages say | Without insurance | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie HealthVisit site Intensive outpatientTeensDepressionOCDPTSD | Individual therapySkills groupIntensive outpatient | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan |
| EquipVisit site Eating-disorder careTeensAnxietyPTSDEating disorders | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Within HealthVisit site Eating-disorder careTeensAnxietyEating disorders | Skills groupIntensive outpatient | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan |
| Lyra Health Employer / EAPTeensAnxietyDepression | Individual therapySkills groupCoaching between sessions | Through an employer or plan | Employer or plan benefit |
7 services let you choose a therapist who practices DBT
A directory filter or matching that finds a clinician who lists DBT, rather than a DBT program.
| Service | What its pages say | Without insurance | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grow TherapyVisit site Insurance marketplaceBipolar | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| OctaveVisit site Insurance marketplaceBipolarEating disorders | $170-$250 individual / $190-$275 couples/family | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| SonderMindVisit site Insurance marketplaceMatched with an EMDR clinicianBipolar | $100 to $250 per session (SonderMind says its self-pay costs track national averages) | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Spring HealthVisit site Employer / EAPMatched with an EMDR clinicianAnxietyDepressionPTSD | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| TalkspaceVisit site Therapy + psychiatrySome clinicians offer itAnxietyBipolar | $69/wk | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| ThriveworksVisit site Insurance marketplaceSearch filter for EMDRDepressionBipolarEating disorders | $200-$240 intake / $160-$195 follow-up | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Open Path Psychotherapy CollectiveVisit site Therapist directorySearch filter for EMDRAnxietyPTSD | Its pricing page says Open Path therapists offer sessions at $40 to $70 for individual counseling (US), on top of a one-time membership fee. This is the price of any session, not DBT specifically. | Cash only |
14 more services say their therapists use DBT
Their pages name DBT among the approaches their therapists use. Ask before you start whether yours practices it, and whether a skills group is part of it.
| Service | What its pages say | Without insurance | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| AmwellVisit site Telehealth platformSome clinicians offer itDepressionOCD | ~$142/session | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Array Behavioral CareVisit site Therapy + psychiatryAnxietyPTSDBipolar | $60 (30 min), $75 (45 min) or $107.50 (60 min) per therapy session; $275 initial therapy evaluation | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Bend HealthVisit site Pediatric careTeensAnxietyDepressionOCD | $199.99 per month | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| BetterHelpVisit site Subscription therapyDepression | $70 to $100/week | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| CerebralVisit site Therapy + psychiatrySome clinicians offer itAnxietyDepressionBipolar | $150 per session | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Daybreak HealthVisit site Pediatric careAnxietyDepression | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Doctor On DemandVisit site Therapy + psychiatryMatched with an EMDR clinicianBipolar | $134 for a 25-minute visit, $184 for a 50-minute visit | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Eleanor HealthVisit site Addiction carePTSD | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| Headspace CareVisit site Employer / EAPDepressionPTSD | $149 per session | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| TalkiatryVisit site PsychiatrySome clinicians offer itOCD | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | |
| ADHD OnlineVisit site ADHD careAnxietyDepressionPTSD | Its teletherapy page prices each 45-minute session with a psychologist at $220. This is the price of any therapy session, not DBT specifically. | Out-of-network only | |
| CalmerryVisit site Subscription therapyDepressionPTSD | $57/wk ($49.50/wk with the first-month discount) | Out-of-network only | |
| SesameVisit site Cash marketplaceOCD | From about $79 per session (set by each provider) | Out-of-network only | |
| Modern Health Employer / EAPPTSD | Through an employer or plan | Employer or plan benefit |
What the research says about DBT by video
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Strong evidence for borderline personality disorder, chronic self-harm, and emotion dysregulation. Telehealth DBT shows large pre-post gains, though randomized comparisons against in-person delivery are still limited.
Reviewing the availability, efficacy and clinical utility of Telepsychology in dialectical behavior therapy (Tele-DBT)
Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 2021
A comparison of telehealth versus in-person group therapy: Results from a DBT-based dual diagnosis IOP
Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2022
Engagement over telehealth: comparing attendance between dialectical behaviour therapy delivered face-to-face and via telehealth for programs in Australia and New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic
Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 2023
Free directories and help finding DBT
Each verified on its own official page.
- Who
- Anyone
- What it gives
- Crisis counseling by call, text or chat (not therapy)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org
- Who
- Anyone looking for a DBT clinician or program
- What it gives
- A searchable roster of clinicians and programs certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification as delivering DBT as it was researched
- Who
- Anyone looking for a DBT team
- What it gives
- A voluntary list of DBT teams with at least one member comprehensively trained by Behavioral Tech or its affiliates
Online DBT, answered
- Can DBT be done online?
- Yes. Strong evidence for borderline personality disorder, chronic self-harm, and emotion dysregulation. Telehealth DBT shows large pre-post gains, though randomized comparisons against in-person delivery are still limited. A 2021 scoping review found little quantitative data comparing online or blended DBT with face-to-face DBT. Symptoms fell by a large amount in both the in-person and videoconference groups of a DBT-based intensive outpatient program, with no significant difference between them. Clients in Australian and New Zealand programs attended DBT sessions by telehealth as often as face-to-face sessions in the first year of the pandemic.
- Which online therapy services offer DBT?
- 25 services' own pages name DBT. 4 give it as a program or skills group: Charlie Health, Equip, Within Health and Lyra Health. 7 let you choose a clinician who practices it: Grow Therapy, Octave, SonderMind, Spring Health, Talkspace, Thriveworks and Open Path Psychotherapy Collective. The other 14 only say their clinicians use it among other approaches.
- Does BetterHelp offer DBT?
- BetterHelp's advice article says an online tool like BetterHelp can be a way to receive DBT, and that online platforms let a person match with a DBT therapist.
- Does Talkspace offer DBT?
- Talkspace's DBT page says its providers offer DBT and that a person can find a DBT therapist through its matching process or its therapist directory.
- Is there online DBT for teens?
- 5 services here name DBT for teens: Charlie Health, Equip, Within Health, Lyra Health and Bend Health.
- Does insurance cover online DBT?
- 19 of the 25 services that name DBT take insurance in network: Charlie Health, Equip, Within Health, Grow Therapy, Octave, SonderMind, Spring Health, Talkspace, Thriveworks, Amwell, Array Behavioral Care, Bend Health, BetterHelp, Cerebral, Daybreak Health, Doctor On Demand, Eleanor Health, Headspace Care and Talkiatry. Whether your plan pays depends on the plan and on the clinician.