Being a therapist in 2025 is hard. Being a DBT therapist in 2025? Even harder.
DBT therapists often work with clients who come to our offices with high acuity, severe mental health challenges that can lead to overwhelm and burnout.
This is where healthy community comes in. Community isn’t optional for DBT therapists—it’s foundational.
But how do you find community? Why is community important for DBT therapists? Keep reading!
Why DBT Therapist Work Amplifies the Need for Community
Complexity, Emotional Weight & Isolation
For established DBT therapists, it’s no surprise that comprehensive DBT has multi-layered demands including balancing validation and change, crisis protocols, and phone coaching.
In addition, being a therapist, especially for clients experiencing severe emotional dysregulation, requires a significant amount of emotional labor. Even the most experienced therapists who have developed the ability to compartmentalize are still human and can be impacted emotionally by their work with clients.
Being a DBT therapist also lends itself to a higher level of risk and crisis than with clients experiencing less acute struggles. These situations can leave therapists feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and unsure where to turn.
The Solo / Virtual Therapist Experience
While some DBT therapists work in group practice settings, there are also many DBT therapists who work in private practice and lack in-house peers. This takes away the opportunity for hallway consults that are commonplace in in-person work environments. DBT therapists who are practicing the model to fidelity are required to be part of a consultation team, but that is only one place of receiving support as compared to folks working in group practices who have multiple team members they can consult with daily.
Plus, a therapist working in solo practice may have no idea how to find a consultation team so they can offer fully comprehensive DBT. Rebelmente can help!
Core Benefits of Community for DBT Therapists
Emotional Holding & Therapist Resilience
When you find a community of fellow DBT therapists, you have the opportunity to find emotional support, empathy, and validation from people who get it. Community also prevents professional loneliness and helps you see that you’re not alone in the struggles you face.
Consultation, Reflection & Clinical Growth
While being part of a weekly consultation team is crucial for offering comprehensive DBT, communities like Rebelmente provide additional support for clinical challenges. It can be great to have fresh eyes on cases you’re feeling stuck on, especially if you feel like you’re hitting a wall, even with the support of your consult team. Peers in DBT therapist communities can also guard the fidelity of treatment and help you course correct, especially with the little ways that we can stray from adherent DBT.
Resource & Idea Exchange
While the internet is full of a wide variety of resources for DBT therapists, there is nothing quite like getting a personal recommendation from a fellow therapist that you trust. It can be challenging to sift through the multitude of worksheets and handouts online, so finding community with other therapists can help you find trusted resources instead of having to scroll through tons of webpages.
Rebelmente already curates free DBT tools and resources to support clinicians, however, our Rebel Minds Learning Collective includes much more, including access to our signature courses: The DBT Starter Pack, a 40+ hour training that gives you the tools you need to start providing comprehensive DBT to your clients, as well as Leveling Up In DBT, an advanced 26 hour course to help existing clinicians refine their skills across the four modes of treatment.
The Rebel Minds Learning Collective also includes access to a growing on-demand library of training, live Q&A office hours with an expert DBT therapist and trainer, a supportive community members only area aimed to help you in building a sustainable career as a DBT practitioner, and more.
Accountability & Professional Momentum
When you intentionally engage in community with other DBT therapists, you can set goals and have the group follow up with you to hold yourself accountable. In addition, seeing fellow therapists set and achieve goals can provide motivation to keep going, especially in challenging moments.
Better Client Care, Indirectly
While your community of fellow DBT therapists aren’t sitting in the therapy room with you and your clients, the power of community still transcends. When therapists are supported and feel like they have people who truly get what they are experiencing they show up better for their clients. This also leads to reduced burnout–AKA more consistency and a stronger therapeutic relationship.
Community In Action: How Rebelmente’s Rebel Minds Learning Collective Can Give You The Support You Need and Deserve
Our Rebel Minds Learning Collective has three components that will all help you be the best DBT therapist you can be.
- Hundreds of hours of on demand AND live trainings – all with NBCC and AWSB CE credits
- Live Q&A office hours to help with implementation, consultation and support in your DBT journey
- A supportive community members only area aimed to help you in building a sustainable career as a DBT practitioner
Plus, if you’re interested in pursuing Linehan Board Certification in DBT, our meticulously curated training components fulfill the certification training criteria. In addition, we can help you navigate all of the components of getting certified so that you’re not just lost, once again consulting Google to try to figure out if you’ve missed a step or what comes next.
But I’m so busy…do I even have time for community?
Many DBT therapists have busy schedules that go beyond their work responsibilities. Family, friends, household tasks, personal appointments…the list can feel endless.
However, community doesn’t have to look like a several hour per week commitment. The best way to find the benefits of being part of a community is in sustainable ways that fit your lifestyle—and the Rebelmente Rebel Minds Learning Collective has a flexible variety of offerings. Whether you want to commit to one of our signature courses or if you want to throw a question or resource request in our members-only group, this collective can meet your needs for community as a DBT therapist.
A Community For All Levels of DBT Therapists
Whether you’re brand new to DBT and haven’t completed any formal training or you’re a seasoned, Linehan board-certified DBT therapist, our community is perfect for you. Our trainings range from beginner to advanced, and our community is welcoming to providers of all experience levels.
Your work as a DBT therapist is sacred and essential—and you deserve a community that sees you, gets you, and roots for you.
