Radically Open DBT

RO-DBT is a powerful, transdiagnostic 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.

They’re designed for opposite problems. Standard DBT helps people who experience emotions intensely and act on them impulsively — difficulties of undercontrol. RO-DBT was developed for the reverse pattern: people who manage emotions by suppressing, planning, and holding themselves to exacting standards — difficulties of overcontrol. If you’ve tried standard DBT (or traditional talk therapy) and felt like it was built for someone else’s problems, that’s a common experience for overcontrolled clients, and it’s part of why RO-DBT exists. Rather than teaching more self-control, RO-DBT builds flexibility, openness, and genuine social connection.

Overcontrolled coping often looks highly functional from the outside. Common signs include holding yourself to perfectionistic standards; feeling responsible for keeping everything running; difficulty relaxing, playing, or doing things “just for fun”; rarely showing others how you really feel; a strong sense of duty that crowds out ease; and feeling lonely or unseen even when you’re around people. Many high-achieving professionals recognize themselves in this pattern. Identifying with some but not all of these is normal — a free consultation is the best way to explore whether this framework fits your experience.

Currently, we are able to include residents from the following states in our classes:

Alabama AL, Arizona AZ, Arkansas, Colorado CO, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia (DC), Florida, Georgia GA, Idaho ID, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine ME, Maryland MD, Michigan MI, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada NV, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina NC, North Dakota ND, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas TX, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington WA, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming WY.

No. Our RO-DBT skills classes are held online and are open to residents of the 40 states listed above. Individual therapy availability across state lines depends on licensure — reach out and we’ll help you sort out what’s possible for your state or point you toward a well-matched RO-DBT provider near you.

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!

Contact us at info@greenwellpsychology.com to set up your free consultation!

Yes — RO-DBT is grounded in more than two decades of research, including randomized controlled trials, and was developed specifically for conditions that often haven’t responded to traditional talk therapy, such as treatment-resistant anxiety and depression, perfectionism, and restrictive patterns around food and body image. It’s a structured, skills-based treatment with a clear rationale you’ll understand from the start — consistent with our practice-wide commitment to evidence-based care and outcome tracking.

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.

You can find all key class materials  HERE.

My slides and the full recording will be posted here.