If you're searching for DBT therapy in Wellesley, you're likely looking for help with intense emotions, difficult relationships, or self-destructive patterns that haven't responded to general talk therapy. Dialectical Behavior Therapy was designed precisely for those challenges — and few practices in MetroWest Boston bring the level of DBT training and experience we do at Onto.
What is DBT?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence-based approach originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan for the treatment of chronic emotion dysregulation. It teaches four core skill sets:
Mindfulness. Building present-moment awareness as the foundation for everything else.
Distress tolerance. Skills for getting through emotional crises without making them worse.
Emotion regulation. Tools for understanding, naming, and shifting emotional intensity.
Interpersonal effectiveness. Communication skills for asking, saying no, and protecting relationships.
Who DBT helps
DBT was originally developed for people experiencing intense, hard-to-regulate emotions and self-harming behaviors. Today, it's used effectively for a much wider range of challenges. We work with adults, teens, and young adults experiencing:
• Emotions that feel overwhelming or unmanageable
• Chronic relationship difficulties or repeated patterns of conflict
• Self-destructive behaviors, including self-harm or substance misuse
• Difficulty tolerating distress without escalating
• Teen and young adult mental health challenges, especially when emotions feel out of control
• Borderline traits, mood instability, or complex trauma
Why Onto for DBT
Direct McLean 3-East lineage. Onto is led by Kerry Rivard, LMHC, former Program Director of the 3-East DBT Residence at McLean Hospital — a program nationally recognized as one of the most rigorous DBT settings in the country. Few outpatient practices anywhere can offer that depth of DBT experience.
DBT-informed care, delivered well. We provide individual DBT-informed therapy and skills coaching. Our approach maintains the structure and discipline that make DBT work — not a watered-down version that uses the name without the substance.
Particularly strong with teens and young adults. Kerry's background in residential DBT care for adolescents and young adults gives Onto unusual depth for this age group. Many of our DBT clients are families of students at Wellesley HS, Dana Hall, Wellesley College, Babson, and Olin.
What to expect
DBT at Onto is structured and skill-focused. After a comprehensive intake, you'll know what your treatment plan involves, what skills you'll be learning, and what progress will look like. Sessions blend skill-building with applying those skills to the real situations in your life.
Like all care at Onto, DBT-informed therapy is delivered as a structured program — not as open-ended weekly therapy. Many clients see meaningful change within several months. After active treatment, our optional Membership offers continued access to groups, skill-building, and tune-up sessions whenever life calls for them.
Serving Wellesley and MetroWest Boston
We see clients in person in Wellesley and offer telehealth throughout Massachusetts. Our DBT clients come from Wellesley, Needham, Newton, Weston, Natick, Dover, Wayland, and beyond. We work especially well with families of adolescents and young adults navigating intense emotions, school stress, identity formation, and self-destructive patterns.
Billing and access
Onto is out-of-network private pay. We provide superbills monthly for clients submitting for out-of-network reimbursement, and accept FSA and HSA.
What happens next
The best way to know if Onto is the right fit is a free 20-minute consultation. We'll discuss your goals, answer your questions, walk through our approach and pricing, and help you decide whether to schedule a full intake.