DBT Therapy
in Islington, London
If your emotions feel overwhelming — if you go from fine to flooded faster than other people seem to, if relationships feel intense and difficult to navigate, if you sometimes cope in ways that cause you harm — DBT was specifically designed for exactly this kind of experience.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is one of the most effective approaches available for people who struggle with intense emotions, impulsivity, and the particular pain of feeling things more deeply than the world seems to expect. At City Road Therapy, our DBT therapists in Islington offer both full DBT and DBT-informed therapy — in person at our Angel therapy rooms and via online therapy across London and the UK.
Book a free 15-minute consultation
You can either choose the therapist yourself or you can let us help you find a good match.
What is dialectical behaviour therapy?
DBT — Dialectical Behaviour Therapy — was developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Marsha Linehan, originally to treat people experiencing chronic suicidal ideation and self-harm, many of whom had a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). It has since been extensively researched and adapted for a wide range of presentations involving emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal difficulty.
The word “dialectical” refers to the central tension at the heart of DBT: the balance between acceptance and change. DBT holds that you are doing the best you can with what you have — and that you also need to change. Both things are true simultaneously. This balance — being fully accepted as you are, while also being supported to develop — is what makes DBT distinctive and, for many people, profoundly different from therapy experiences they’ve had before.
DBT combines cognitive behavioural techniques with mindfulness-based approaches and skills training. It is structured, practical, and skills-focused — giving you concrete tools to manage intense emotions, navigate difficult relationships, and tolerate distress without making things worse.
DBT is recommended by NICE for the treatment of borderline personality disorder and is supported by a substantial body of research evidence across a range of other presentations.
Full DBT and DBT-informed therapy — what’s the difference?
At City Road Therapy, we offer both full DBT and DBT-informed therapy. Understanding the difference helps you know what to expect:
Full DBT
The complete DBT programme involves individual therapy sessions, skills training, telephone coaching between sessions, and a therapist consultation team. Full DBT is intensive and highly structured — it is the gold-standard treatment for BPD and for people with the most complex presentations involving self-harm, suicidal ideation, and severe emotional dysregulation. Some of our therapists offer individual full DBT — with skills training integrated into one-to-one sessions rather than a separate group format.
DBT-informed therapy
DBT-informed therapy draws on the core DBT skills and framework without following the full structured protocol. It is well-suited to people who have significant emotional regulation difficulties but do not require the full DBT programme, or who want to develop specific DBT skills alongside broader therapeutic work.
Our therapists will always be transparent about what they offer and will recommend what they genuinely believe will be most helpful for your specific situation.
The four DBT skill areas
DBT is built around four core skill areas — practical skills you learn, practise, and apply to real situations in your life:
Mindfulness
The foundation of all DBT work. Mindfulness in DBT means learning to observe your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without immediately reacting to them — developing the ability to pause, notice, and choose rather than being swept along. This is the skill that makes all the others possible.
Distress tolerance
Skills for surviving crisis moments without making things worse. When emotions are overwhelming and the urge to do something — anything — to escape the pain is intense, distress tolerance skills help you get through the moment without causing harm.
Emotion regulation
Skills for understanding and managing intense emotions — identifying them, reducing vulnerability to emotional flooding, and changing emotional states when needed. This module addresses the core difficulty that brings most people to DBT: emotions that feel too big, too fast, and too hard to control.
Interpersonal effectiveness
Skills for navigating relationships — asking for what you need, saying no, maintaining self-respect, and managing conflict without destroying the relationship. Particularly relevant for people who find relationships either overwhelming or consistently disappointing.
What DBT can help with
DBT was developed for BPD but its applications are considerably broader. At City Road Therapy, our DBT and DBT-informed therapists work with:
Emotional dysregulation
Intense, rapidly shifting emotions that feel overwhelming or out of proportion — regardless of diagnosis. If you’ve been told you’re “too sensitive” or “too intense” your whole life, DBT was designed with your nervous system in mind.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
DBT is the NICE-recommended, gold-standard treatment for BPD — more strongly evidenced for this presentation than any other psychological approach. → Trauma Therapy in Islington _(BPD is frequently connected to early trauma)_
Self-harm and suicidal ideation
DBT was specifically developed for people experiencing chronic self-harm and suicidal thoughts, and has the strongest evidence base of any treatment for these presentations. If this is part of your experience, please mention it when you get in touch so we can match you with the right therapist.
Eating disorders
DBT is particularly effective where eating behaviour functions as emotional regulation — using food, restriction, bingeing, or purging to manage overwhelming feelings. → Eating Disorders Therapy in Islington
Anxiety and depression with emotional intensity
Where anxiety or depression is characterised by emotional flooding, DBT skills provide practical tools that CBT alone sometimes doesn’t address. → Anxiety Therapy in Islington → Depression Therapy in Islington
Trauma and complex PTSD
DBT skills — particularly distress tolerance and emotion regulation — are often used in the stabilisation phase of trauma work, building the internal resources needed before trauma processing begins. → Trauma Therapy in Islington
Substance use and addictive behaviours
Where substance use or compulsive behaviour functions as a way of managing emotional pain, DBT addresses the underlying emotion regulation difficulty directly.
What to expect from DBT at City Road Therapy
Assessment and orientation
Your first session is a conversation about your experience, your history, and what you’re hoping for from therapy. Your therapist will want to understand the patterns of emotional intensity, the behaviours you’re trying to address, and your goals — to ensure DBT or DBT-informed work is the right fit for you.
Individual sessions
DBT sessions are 50 minutes, typically weekly. Sessions will involve a combination of skills teaching, reviewing how skills have been applied between sessions, and addressing the specific targets and behaviours you’re working on.
Diary cards and between-session practice
Full DBT involves keeping a daily diary card — tracking emotions, urges, and skill use between sessions. This is an important part of the approach. DBT-informed therapy is more flexible about between-session structure.
Duration
A standard full DBT programme typically runs for 6–12 months. DBT-informed therapy may be shorter or longer depending on what you’re working on. Your therapist will give you a realistic picture in the first session.
We offer both in-person sessions at our Islington therapy rooms and online sessions via secure video.
Our DBT therapists in Islington
The following therapists at City Road Therapy offer DBT and DBT-informed therapy — available in person at our Islington therapy rooms and online across London and the UK:
Dr Aisling McQuaid
Clinical Psychologist, HCPC
Sabbir Ahmed
Integrative Psychotherapist, UKCP
→ Browse the full therapist directory
Not sure which therapist is right for you? Let us help you find the right match — we’ll take your specific needs, presentation, and preferences into account.
DBT therapy in Islington — specialist support at City Road Therapy
City Road Therapy is based at 335 City Road, Angel, Islington, London EC1V 1LJ — a short walk from Angel tube station (Northern line) and easily accessible from Old Street and Highbury & Islington. We serve clients from across North London and beyond — and offer online therapy via Zoom or Teams for clients across London and the UK.
Our DBT therapists hold specialist training in dialectical behaviour therapy and work in accordance with Marsha Linehan’s DBT framework. All are registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), HCPC, or other recognised professional bodies.
We approach DBT work without stigma and without judgment. Many people who benefit from DBT have had difficult experiences with mental health services in the past. We take that seriously.
Common questions about DBT therapy in Islington
Do I need a BPD diagnosis to access DBT?
What is the difference between DBT and CBT?
Is DBT available on the NHS in Islington?
Can DBT be done online?
I’ve been told I have BPD. Is that a permanent condition?
You deserve support that actually fits your experience
If you’ve felt too much for too long — if you’ve been told you’re too sensitive, too intense, too difficult — DBT was built for exactly that experience. You are not too much. You just need the right approach..
📍 City Road Therapy, 335 City Road, Angel, Islington, London EC1V 1LJ
In-person DBT sessions in Islington. Online DBT available across London and the UK.
If you are currently in crisis or experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please contact the Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24 hours) or go to your nearest A&E.
Please note: Our building at 335 City Road is a period property and is not currently wheelchair accessible. Online therapy via Zoom or Teams is available to all clients and works just as well as in-person work for most presentations.