Northampton Center for DBT
Enrollment-only programs that teach DBT skills you can use the same day.
Welcome.
The Northampton Center for DBT brings evidence-based modalities to the community through structured programs for adults, parents, couples, and families—all led by Kristen Joyce, LMHC. These programs were developed to truly target the issues you’re facing, empowering you with the skills and tools to get unstuck and live a healthier, happier life.
“DBT really helped me understand myself better, tolerate stress more effectively, understand what isn't socially acceptable, be easy-going, and communicate with people better.”
What DBT Helps With:
Emotional instability
Unstable Relationships
Chronic Emptiness
Stress Reactivity
Difficulty Managing Emotions
Fear of Abandonment
Self-Esteem Issues
Impulsivity
Depression
Anxiety
Trauma
Grief
If you’re ready to take the reigns in your life and relationships, DBT may be for you. The programs offered at the Northampton Center of DBT provide practical tools and insights to support real, sustainable change. This modality can help you replace unhelpful coping with skills that work; strengthen emotion regulation, increase your distress tolerance and help you implement mindfulness—all these skills compound, helping you build a life worth living.
“My partner and I were falling apart trying to navigate the challenges our family was facing. DBT had been recommended by other providers to help our teenager for years, but she was unwilling to participate. Kristen’s coaching program helped my partner and I learn the skills ourselves, which meant that we were modeling the skills for our children. Not only are we now more calm and positive parents, but our kids are starting to use the skills as well through our teaching and modeling. Even though only 2 people in our family participated in this program, all five members of our family benefited!”
DBT is an evidence-based method that has been proven to help individuals make positive and long term behavioral changes by replacing ineffective coping strategies with DBT skills. Goals of DBT include replacing destructive behaviors with healthier means of coping, increasing and enhancing emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and mindfulness skills to create a life worth living. All of the programs offered through the Center for DBT in Northampton leverage each of these invaluable tools.
Benefits of DBT
A Closer Look:
-
Mindfulness Skills focus on the quality of our awareness and presence in life. Mindfulness helps train us to decrease self-defeating thoughts and prolonged worries about the future as well as depressive thoughts about the past.
-
Emotion Regulation Skills help us to identify and label current emotions, identify obstacles to changing emotions, reduce emotional reactivity, decrease emotional intensity and accumulate more positive emotions.
-
Distress Tolerance Skills concentrate on accepting the current reality and finding ways to survive and tolerate the moment without making things worse. While all other modules focus on building a life worth living, distress tolerance skills teach us how to avoid tearing our lives apart.
-
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills teach us to build and maintain healthy relationships through a variety of strategies including : better identifying and more effectively asking for what we need, setting limits, improving our abilities to care for relationships and resolving interpersonal conflict.
Adult DBT Skills Training
A structured class teaching DBT skills in three modules—Emotion Regulation (10 weeks), Distress Tolerance (10 weeks), and Interpersonal Effectiveness (8 weeks)—with Mindfulness woven throughout. Each class includes mindfulness practice, review of last week’s skills, and introduction of new skills. Homework reinforces learning.
-
Adults (18+) who want practical skills to manage intense emotions, reduce “make it worse” moments, and improve relationships—even if therapy has stalled before.
-
Virtual (Zoom), Thursdays 6:00–7:30pm ET
Enrollment opens at the start of each module
With your permission, your therapist receives weekly updates on topics + homework
Limited availability (up to 13 per cohort)
Contact to get started (waitlist available if full)
-
Screening Interview & Orientation: $145 (45–50 min, due at scheduling)
Emotion Regulation: $800 (10 × 90-min)
Distress Tolerance: $800 (10 × 90-min)
Interpersonal Effectiveness: $640 (8 × 90-min)
A non-refundable 25% deposit reserves your place in the program, the balance is due one week in advance of each module start date. Payment may be made by Venmo or Check.
Couples DBT Intensives
A focused two-day weekend combining DBT and Gottman-based strategies to understand patterns, practice skills together, and leave with a plan you can use right away. Begins with a 75-minute intake to confirm fit and tailor goals.
-
Partners who want to reduce reactivity, repair trust, communicate needs clearly, and create durable change—fast.
-
In person (typically, but not always held at Northampton Center for DBT) or Virtual.
Select weekends; two consecutive 6-hour days.
Weekend Intensive = Two days of focused work for 6 hours each day.
Waitlist available.
-
Screening Interview & Curriculum Development: $400 (75 min, due at time of intake).
Weekend Intensive: $3,500 (in person) or $3,200 (virtual).
25% non-refundable deposit reserves your dates; balance due one week in advance of the intensive start date.
Contact to get started (waitlist available if full).
Family DBT Bootcamps
A customized series designed for one family at a time. After a 75-minute intake, Kristen creates a curriculum drawing from Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness to fit your family’s goals.
-
Families wanting shared language, calmer responses, and concrete skills for tough moments at home.
-
In person (typically, but not always held at Northampton Center for DBT),
Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm.
Enrollment opens at the start of each module.
With your permission, your therapist receives weekly updates on topics + homework.
-
Screening Interview & Curriculum Development: $400 (75 min + follow-up), Classes: $375 per 75 minute class.
The number of classes being flexible based upon the curriculum we develop together, therefore the price per program varies between families.
A non-refundable 25% deposit reserves your start date. Balance is due one week prior to the start of each module and may be made by Venmo or Check.
Parent DBT Coaching
Weekly, personalized skills coaching for parents who want to reduce household escalation, model DBT, and support their child—even if the child isn’t ready to participate. The process begins with an intake and a tailored curriculum designed to address your family’s unique needs and goals.
-
Parents seeking calmer responses, clearer boundaries, and collaborative problem-solving at home.
-
Offered Virtually
Typically held on Tuesdays 11am - 12:15pm
Coaching program will be customized and tailored around your family’s hurdles, challenges and goals.
Scheduling based around availability.
Upon completion of the program, parents have the option to continue with monthly coaching sessions or occasional “tune-up” sessions for ongoing support.
-
Screening Interview & Curriculum Development: $400 (75 min + follow-up), Classes: $375 per 2-hour class
The number of classes being flexible based upon the curriculum we develop together, therefore the price per program varies between families.
A non-refundable 25% deposit reserves your start date. Balance is due one week prior to the start of your program and may be made by Venmo or Check.
“Kristen’s sincere compassion, patience, and knowledge always help initiate a very relaxed, yet productive couple’s therapy session.”
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Originally developed byDr. Marsha Linehan, DBT is a non-judgmental, evidence-based treatment designed to support individuals struggling with emotional, behavioral, and relational instability. While DBT was initially developed for specific diagnoses, its skills are beneficial for anyone seeking greater emotional balance and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT has been found to be effective in treating symptoms of many disorders including :
Executive Functioning Disorders (including ADHD)
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Mood Disorders
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Substance Dependency
Eating Disorders
Borderline Personality Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
-
With over 20 years’ experience NCDBT offers a variety of diverse programs created by Kristen Joyce in response to needs of the community. The programming options provided all include a clear and structured plan to provide personalized DBT treatment. All programs are supportive and practical—grounded in DBT structure.
-
No. Programs focus on teaching you skills you can use in many areas of your life. We won’t have time in class to process your personal history or day-to-day situations in depth. Therapy is the place for detailed processing and a deeper level of support.
-
No. Individual DBT therapy can be wonderful, but it’s not required. If you’re already working with a therapist and it’s going well, there’s no need to change. With your permission, I’ll coordinate with your therapist when you enroll and share updates so they can support you in using DBT skills between classes.
-
I don’t accept insurance for these programs, but I’m happy to provide a superbill. Many insurers allow out-of-network submissions. If you want help with reimbursement, services like Thrizer and Reimbursify can assist for a fee.
Pricing varies by program; please see the specific programs above for details.
-
All kinds of people. DBT was developed for symptoms associated with Borderline Personality Disorder, and it’s also effective for challenges many people face: sadness and anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, and diagnoses such as ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. DBT skills are life skills that can help anyone who wants to improve quality of life.
-
Reach out and let me know which program you’re interested in. I’ll share the next enrollment window and answer your questions. We’ll schedule an intake close to that start date. All intakes are online and include an overview of how the program works, time for your questions, and a chance for me to learn your goals so we can confirm fit.
For Adult DBT Skills Training, your intake is one-on-one for 45–50 minutes.
For Parent DBT Coaching, Family DBT Bootcamps, and Couples DBT Intensives, the intake is 75 minutes and includes the first step of curriculum planning for your personalized program.
Ready to get started?
Programs at the Northampton Center for Dialectical Behavior Therapy are enrollment-only. To learn more about upcoming start dates, availability, or the waitlist, please reach out.
