Testimonials

I'm a 43-year veteran of the war inside my own head. I'd tried everything and nothing worked, so when my psychiatrist suggested DBT, I went into it with a chip on my shoulder. But I managed to put some effort into the program and to my immense amazement, I was starting to feel better. I'm grateful to “past me” for keeping us safe and alive. I may no longer be that person, and many of my habits and mindset have changed, but she got us through the ordeal alive and ready to do the work. 

The most awesome thing about DBT has been that it feels like the "playbook" that I was born without. Suddenly I have prescriptive, adaptable skills to accomplish things I need to accomplish. 

I'm learning to discern the difference between 'need' and 'want.' I’m learning to validate others, really listen to what they're saying and still keep my self-respect intact. And I’m learning to not over-apologize, especially for things I had no control over. 

I’m experiencing a level of recovery that I never had before doing DBT therapy. DBT is very heavy on the concept of non-judgmental acceptance and mindfulness. I meditate. I make space to choose my responses instead of being trapped by my automatic reactions. With work, I can identify my feelings and change them to something else through practice of skills. 

I have so many more tools to use now thanks to DBT, and I’ve proven to myself that even if the worst-case scenario happens (whatever that means), I can tolerate it. The most basic dialectic in DBT is, "I am enough, and I can do better". I'm just trying to live that truth. I’m grateful for all the love and support that I was shown from so many of you at Stony Brook. Thank you for loving me until I could love myself, and then beyond.

—    Lisa  

I was in your DBT-U group about a year ago and I think it’s important that I thank you. This has probably been the happiest year of my life and I owe a lot of it to the skills I learned in DBT group at Stony Brook. I’ve not only continued to use these skills in my ever day life; I also share them with many of my friends. Thank you very much for all your help and support. I now continue to do very well at college which was something I was struggling with when I started DBT. I could never handle the stress and would give up before I tried. This now makes the 3rd semester in a row I have gone full-time and made it on the Presidents list. I earned a 4.0 this semester and I aspire to go to law school after I graduate. I also have a lot healthier relationships with friends and family. I know a lot of the success is due to my own effort in working through obstacles using these skills. However, I am very thankful that each week at DBT was a positive experience for me. I believe that this is the case because of the way you ran the group. I was reluctant to join a group therapy session at the beginning. Looking back, it was the best decision I ever made for myself. I really just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve helped me with and to say that you’re fantastic at your job. You really helped me improve the quality of my life and overall emotional state. Hope you have a happy holiday season.

—    Alex