What is Radically Open DBT? - Greenwell Psychology & Consulting

Radically Open DBT

What is Radically Open Dialiectical Behavior Therapy?

RO DBT is a powerful, transdiagonstic treatment for conditions of overcontrol (e.g., perfectionism, anxiety, struggles with food and body image, overwork, and maladaptive overachieving). This skill-based intervention was developed by Dr. Thomas Lynch (2018), and after decades of rigorous study, has been found to have strong research support in treating conditions that often have not responded to typical talk therapy approaches.

How can RO DBT help with over-functioning, perfectionism, treatment-resistant anxiety and burnout?

RO DBT interventions are designed to increase psychological flexibility, build deep connections, and enhance resilience. This traditionally includes individual therapy, a weekly class, consultation, and between session skills coaching. These components allow for more lasting, meaningful change for symptoms that persisted for years. You can find a list of trained RO DBT providers here. At Greenwell Psychology, we offer both individual therapy and several RO DBT Classes available online. You do not need to be in individual therapy with Dr. Greenwell to attend her skills classes, but we do recommend that you have a current therapist.

Learn more about our available classes here!

How do I get started or learn more to see if RO DBT is a good fit?

How long Does RO-DBT Take?

Traditionally, the full RO DBT program entails attending 30 skills classes with concurrent individual sessions over a period of 6-12 months. We run our skills classes in a condensed format of 2 cycles of 12 weeks each, where new members are welcomed at the beginning of each cycle. Some individuals find that they may have reached their goals after attending all 24, while others may choose to deepen their practice and continue for longer.

WHAT IF SOME OF THE ASPECTS OF RO SEEM TO FIT ME, BUT OTHERS DON’T?

It’s common to identify with some features of RO and overcontrol, but not all of them. Also, many times over-controlled (OC) folks can feel like they don’t have enough control in their lives or would like to over-function even more despite having an above average skills at inhibition, detail-focused processing and enduring hard situations. There are also distinct subtypes of Overcontrolled (OC) folks. Learn more about them here.

We offer free consultations to help you decide if this approach might be helpful.

FOR CURRENT GROUP MEMBERS, WHERE ARE THE HANDOUTS & OUT OF SESSION PRACTICES?

You can find all key class materials here.