Watch short video reviews from students who used DBT skills to build steadier days and more self trust
DBT Path is the longest running online DBT skills program.
People stay because this work changes lives.
Come for the skills, stay for the support, structure, and community.
Actual excerpt from a student’s homework submission, posted with permission:
These stories remind us that change is possible — and healing happens in community.
Two years ago, our then-16-year-old daughter completed the 9-month DBT Path program. We loved this program because she was treatment-resistant and easily triggered by therapists and group leaders constantly telling her to "do different" and "be different." Even certified DBT programs didn’t work for her. We tried a couple of them (both required a 90+ minute commute each way), and they were disastrous. She also had a residential stint that she shut down almost immediately because it was too intense.
As part of legal probation, a DBT program was required. She didn’t love DBT Path, but she did it — and we sat with her through it as a family, showing her our own homework to be vulnerable and hold her accountable. She listened. She submitted homework each week, even if it was minimal.
Now, she’s 18. She completed probation two years ago. She got her GED. She's taking online college classes. She’s found a job she loves. She is six months self-harm free. She is truly starting to thrive. 🌱
This program gave her the exposure and the space to do it in her own time, in her own way. I’m so thankful DBT Path exists — and that it’s accessible and affordable compared to many others. I also appreciated being able to share the course schedule with her individual therapist so they could coordinate support.
While she didn’t use all the skills right away, many stuck. And now, as she matures, she’s starting to apply them. Just the other day, she brought up her struggles with all-or-nothing thinking (splitting) and how she’s working to change that. Such a huge step!
We’ve come a long way since she nose-dived at 13. It’s been a hard road. I want other parents to know: don’t give up. Keep striving. Learn the skills. Model them, even if subtly. There is hope. They will eventually catch on. It’s a family journey, and we all have a role to play. The results may not be immediate, but the knowledge they gain stays with them for the long haul.
We’re deeply thankful for DBT Path — and also the Family Connections program through NEABPD — for being available to families like ours who live in rural areas without access to in-person programs.
– Michelle B.
“I found your course by happy accident, googling out of frustration that all the DBT options I could find seemed to have super long waiting lists, cost incredible amounts of money, and/or require me to adhere to a rigid schedule that wasn’t necessarily conducive to my life as a full-time professional raising two kids by myself. It honestly seemed too good to be true, but it isn’t: I genuinely think taking your course is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. For almost fifty years, my out of control emotions (which I could keep a lid on at work but not at home) were decimating my relationships–and me–and I felt so powerless. It was like I was burning up, and no matter what I did, I just couldn’t stop freaking out from the pain. These emotional regulation skills, I keep thinking, are like aloe on the burn. What a tremendous relief.”
“I am getting a lot out of the class. You go through details, feelings, and strategies thoroughly; which really helps me. Plus, with all the students homework and seeing everyone’s feedback, I feel I am not alone. I previously thought I was the only person with my awkward perspective and dysfunctional behavior. It relieves me to know that there are strategies to deal with this. Doing the homework helps me process what I am learning. If I had trouble with an assignment, it has helped me tremendously when you gave examples. Even though I don’t say a lot online, I enjoy the class immensely. I also appreciate the accessibility of the class. I don’t have to be at a certain place, if I was 4 hours away. If I am stuck at work, I could still listen to the class later.”
“I wanted you to know that I have really enjoyed this DBT skills course. It is so well done and the information is laid out and presented in a way that makes the material clear and accessible. I’ve recommended this course to my therapist and psychiatrist for them to refer others. I have made incredible progress and feel different (in a good way). Using these skills has truly changed me. I know that even though I made a lot of progress, I am going to need to take this again in future, and I am looking forward to doing so.”
I am so grateful to the entire DBT Path team. This course has absolutely changed my life. I have learned how to have healthy relationships and to let go of the ones that are not positive for me, validate myself, and truly accept that there is not something inherently unlovable about me. I am so proud of myself for the work I have done and continue to do. I have never been proud of myself for anything! I honestly don’t know where I would be if you hadn’t been so kind to me and believed in me when I was barely hanging on. With much love and appreciation
…[T]he lessons from this program are such a gift. We need not look for ‘perfection,’ only kernels of evidence that we are somehow growing and changing for the better. Each week, even, the weekend thread can elevate your sense of self if you reflect on how special every little plan or activity is…. how worth living your life is, when taken as a whole. The kernels build into mountains of self worth.”
I have seen a lot of medical professionals regarding my emotional sensitivity, and not a single one of them has shown the amount of compassion and understanding I have seen in this course. I don’t really like interacting with people and get really anxious in those times, but all of the team at DBT Path that I have interacted with, and my fellow students, have been so comforting and friendly via the classes, emails and threads that I look forward to each interaction.
“Truly I wish you to know, Debbie, I really don’t know what I would have done without you and your team. I know my journey is only just beginning but for once I’m understanding so much about me and the reasons why I act the way I do and that it’s ok that it’s not madness, it’s not me being a Drama Queen. Through your kindness that shines through every week with the start of class, you just bring so much care, understanding, peace and love that when I sit down for class it just relaxes me and brings calmness along with hope.”
“I work as a researcher in suicide prevention and constantly, we come across the issue of gaps in care, where individuals have struggles getting connected to care in a timely, efficient way (if at all!), aside from the financial challenges that come with needing regular psychiatric care! (I’m sure you know on a personal level, Debbie, as do I) I think resources like this course are so so so important to help people from falling into these gaps. Online resources and communities are so great and can be used to reach people who may not otherwise get community connectedness or care. So on a professional level, I also wanted to say thank you for taking the time and effort to produce such an amazing and wonderful product. I think it makes a real impact.”
“I will miss classes a lot as I always came out with positive ideas and skills, which I was able to practice throughout the week. It’s been amazing to learn so much about human behavior and understand why we behave in a certain way and how we can learn more effective skills to improve our thoughts and behaviors.
I have been recommended by my therapist to enroll in the course and throughout the journey I was able to incorporate important skills that I picked up in class together with the work I was doing in therapy.”
“I found DBT Path at the recommendation of my sister, a psychologist who uses DBT in her practice. I am currently taking my third class after a suicide attempt three months ago. The skills I have learned (am learning) have definitely smoothed out the peaks and valleys of my mood and have been a great augmentation to my weekly therapy sessions. The people around me have seen a noticeable change in me. Staying plugged in at DBT Path has definitely kept me out of the hospital.”
“This course definitely changed my trajectory with BPD in ways far exceeding what a lifetime of talk therapy has helped me achieve. I will always recommend this class. I am forever grateful for your help. I’ve never felt so understood.”
“I have been taking DBT classes at DBT Path now for over a year. The changes I have made in my life have been nothing but positive. I now can understand/control my emotions and handle them in a constructive way. I am way more confident in myself than ever before in my life. They teach you skills in a safe encouraging atmosphere with no judgements. It is a “We are all in this together” mentality. The skills are taught in an easy to learn manner, and it is quite evident that Debbie and Amanda love what they do and are willing to share all they know. They inspire me every week.”
“It has been an amazing adventure with the DBT Path group and I’ve gained so many skills. But I want to give it a try. You have been a source of strength, comfort and such an inspiration to me these past few years. Between the work I’m doing with my treatment team and the skills I’ve learned in this course, I know I’m well on my way to recovering from BPD and may even come back for a refresher course. Thank you for your dedication and passion in this work. It’s most definitely changing lives.”
“I have been seeing a therapist for over a year, and it was she who suggested I join DBT Path for extra support. My therapist has been following DBT Path and Debbie Corso for a long time, and she fully supports this program, even though you have to pay to take it. I think that if there were free ones that were just as good, she would know about them and would have recommended them instead to save me money. Also, Debbie puts so much work into the classes, homework, etc. that to me it only makes sense that we would be paying for these services.”
“I just wanted to share with you that due to this class, I am now having more POSITIVE and joyful days in my own skin than I’ve ever had before. A MILESTONE AT AGE 64 xxxx.”
“DBT Path has been like going to a live group, much like the real expensive DBT classes are, at a fraction of the price!!”
“I want to THANK YOU both SO MUCH for providing me with the opportunity to learn DBT from you both. Our time together has been so valuable and I notice a difference in myself and so do my friends and family. My social work friend described me as “the most stable person with BPD” that he knows and I wanted to cry with joy.”
“For me DBT Path is more than a great place to learn DBT skills. It is the place where I found I could be more than a diagnosis, where I found I could be a compassionate and caring person. DBT Path not only taught me skills but taught me I could thrive and not just survive.”
“For my entire life, I have had people tell me to ‘grow’ thicker skin. I never knew how. This series has given me the skills to better manage my emotions. I’m so glad that you have made this option available and have been recommending it to anyone who might benefit from DBT. This is the best I have felt in a long time.”
“Thank you both so so much for the time and knowledge that you have shared. Already I am seeing a difference in my personal life and feel a level of freedom I have not felt before. I am seeing a therapist and she has been super encouraged by the results she is seeing in me by taking this class. So thank you again. I am just so grateful for what you guys are doing and the help you are providing. Thanks so much.”
“I have more hope at age 40 than I have in my entire life as a result of taking this class. I have always struggled managing my emotions, sitting with myself, creating drama and pain for others in my life, and felt helpless this would ever change. I have learned that I can do a great job of taking care of myself, speaking nicely to myself, validating my own emotions, and handling them without hurting myself and others, or ruining things in my life I worked hard for. My husband and teenage son have told me they see a change, and look up to me for having the courage to admit I needed help and have a willingness to change. I feel like I am a better role model for my son and the kind of wife my husband will want to be married to for the rest of his life. But most importantly I have more joy and peace in my life. I am so grateful to the DBT Path instructors and my classmates for their wisdom, insightfulness, unconditional acceptance, and encouragement along my journey!”
“I have been getting very positive feedback from my parents about the changes they are seeing in me and its thanks to DBT and you guys…I am telling you that your classes make all the difference. They give clarity, allow me to relate, have a laugh and inspire me to keep going. Thank you.”
“If I had not been referred to DBT Path by my therapist, I don’t believe I would be getting myself back on track right now. I had completely given up on myself and just didn’t care anymore what I looked like or how bad my health was.
I had purchased and read the DBT Trainer’s Manual as per my therapist’s request (way before joining DBT Path) so I could study and learn the skills we were talking about in session, but she realized that seeing her once or twice every two weeks was not sufficient to reinforce the skills, and the DBT group classes she runs are too far away for me to attend.
I could name the skills off the top of my head, but I had no support system to help me use them on a daily basis and get the encouragement and ideas in a group setting.
Covering the PLEASED skills in a group setting has motivated me to try and get back on track health-wise, as now I feel supported in my efforts and I no longer feel like I am fighting this battle alone. Thank you Debbie Corso and my fellow DBT Path classmates and alumni for making this such a fulfilling, worthwhile experience.”
“Taking your DBT classes through DBT Path have honestly made such positive impact and change in my life. I do not have BPD, but I suffered with eating disorders for over 25 years prior to last year. I have been in recovery and free from the eating disorders since October 3rd, 2014! That is the longest I’ve ever been without them in the last 25 years. It’s so wonderful to finally be free!
My Psychologist is the one that recommended DBT courses to me. I had never even heard of DBT until about this time last year. I looked for classes in my area, but as a busy mom of 6 children I honestly couldn’t find a class that I could fit into my schedule at the same time weekly. It was then that I started searching for an online class and was so blessed to have found you and DBT Path. Finally something that I could fit into my schedule! I loved the flexibility of being able to watch the recording when I couldn’t make it to the live class. I did attend the live class when it was feasible, but I am so grateful that you thought to do the recording and enable others like myself to never miss a class. Brilliant!
You and Amanda are so inspiring. You are both such talented teachers and you really taught the class in a way that helped me to easily learn and apply each lesson immediately. I am better because of you two. I am a better mother, a better wife, a healthier “me,” a better friend, and all around more kind and compassionate to myself and others. I truly can not thank the two of you enough. You’ve changed my life. Enrolling in and taking DBT Path classes is seriously the best decision I’ve ever made. Please know that you are seriously amazing and that what you are doing is making a real difference in the world. I would tell anyone to take DBT Path classes. I think everyone in the world could use the information and apply the lessons to become a better version of themselves.”
“Debbie, I will be 68 tomorrow. The ‘wisening’ (love that word!) that DBT Path nurtured in me over the past year has been life-giving, mind-expanding, and spiritual food. Truthfully, I thought I had damaged relationships within my family beyond repair. My Self worth was zero. I tortured myself with hateful, destructive thoughts about my mistakes. I was convinced that my loved ones were mean-spirited, selfish people who would never do things my way, meet my needs the way I wanted them to, and were depriving me of the love I craved. I was sure I would never be able to love them again. It’s astonishing to think about how healthy I am after a year of hard work, facing my part in failed relationships, and support from the DBT Path community. Learning to be compassionate with myself has taught me to show compassion for others. I love myself, and enjoy my own company. My sense of humor has returned. Our family is well on the way toward healing, acceptance, love, and understanding. I am committed to a life-long, daily practice of DBT skills. There’s always something new to learn to enrich my progress. I was so afraid I would die alone because my family hated me. Now I know the remaining time I have will be full of joy, good times, laughter, and sweet memories. God bless you, Debbie.”
“I suffered my entire life until I got involved as much as possible in my recovery with DBT Path. I started live (in-person, local) classes but they are not nearly as informative, supportive and detailed. I feel as though I have been given a new life… a life with joy and hope and until DBT Path, I had no hope at all. I wish it didn’t take till I was 56 but it is never to late to recover and live a life worth living. DBT Path saves and changes lives. Thank you Debbie Corso and my supportive peers.
P.S. My husband is just as thankful as I am as he reaps the benefits of my recovery and loves not seeing me suffering and loving my life and thriving for the first time.”
“I’ve learned so many things that are making it easier for me to deal with day to day life, which in turn is allowing more of my focus to be on healing and on learning how to love myself and not letting my past experiences take away from my present life and the beautiful future I will create for myself.”
“I want to thank you and encourage you to keep doing what you are doing. Your classes have helped my daughter so much. I really saw a difference in her when she was doing them regularly and she would talk about what she was learning. I try to stay up with her and listen to what class she is currently on so that I can better know how to help her. Her life, especially these teen years have been such a struggle for her and us, but you have given some hope to the situation. Thank you for your heart.”
“I wanted to say thank you for DBT Path. This course has provided me with the skills group I desperately needed (which is missing in my area). Even though the full DBT treatment isn’t available where I live, thanks to DBT path I am able to get enough DBT to make recovery more possible. Without the skills learned from your class, and from my therapist, I would absolutely be back in hospital now.
Every time I am tempted to say, it’s all too much, I have to give up, I can now say, “one moment at a time… I can survive one moment at a time.” And self respect… I deserve a life worth living, not to give up on my values and goals. So thank you.”
“This last weekend I actually controlled the urge to slip back into bad habits with my husband. He spoke trigger words and I changed the way I responded. We’re getting in a much better place in our marriage.”
“I saw my therapist today (3+ years), showed her my [DBT Path] homework, and she was gobsmacked by my progress. For me, I know it’s now or never because of my age (in my 60s). I’ve made such a mess of my family relationships, and I’m not sure those people will ever want to be in a meaningful relationship with me again. That’s a sobering thought when I have so much love to give them if we can just build some trust. This class gives me hope that, if I keep working hard, I can.”
“Thank you for a smart, creative, and helpful course, tailored to me and my fellow sensitives!”
“By taking your course I’m starting to accept my diagnosis and have no shame anymore and this just helps further.”
“Thank you Debbie. Your class has been nothing short of transformative!! I so respect how you run it with such expertise AND compassion.”
“DBT and your course (and really your loving energy that has created so much light in my life and in this world) have shifted my life in a way I never could have imagined possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will always consider myself a lifelong student of DBT!”
“I wish to thank you for the support you have provided to me over the last 9 months. It has made a significant difference knowing that I matter to you. The course material that you and Kathryn have provided has been fabulous, but it has been your humanity which has really touched me and helped me grow. Thank you…it is now time to embed your teachings into my life.”
“I’m learning the emotional literacy I wasn’t taught as a child. Knowing what you’re really feeling helps you cope and to move forward. This also helps me to self-validate!”
“I have had many opportunities to use my new DBT skills – including today. It is amazing to me that most of the time I don’t even have to consciously THINK about choosing and executing a skill (or 2 or 3) — lots of times it happens so fluidly.
Yours is an amazing course of study, and deceptively simple. Even those weeks when it doesn’t feel like I have learned much end up being revelatory days, weeks, or months later.
My conclusion? EVERYONE should have the chance to learn these essential interpersonal skills. It could create such Deep Peace in the world.
These skills are transforming my life.
Many thanks to you, Debbie, and the Team.”
“I just want to say how revelatory and informative I’ve found the DBT Path program. I started it because while I don’t qualify for a BPD diagnosis, I’ve always had the trouble of being emotionally sensitive, ‘overreacting’ in other people’s view to things, and generally hanging on to negative feelings for far longer than other people.
I had developed strategies on my own for managing them (many of which were similar to what DBT teaches, some of which were unhealthy) but the pandemic blew them apart, and I started having trouble with losing my temper at people again.
I had heard of DBT and the use of mindfulness (which I already knew helped me) and the teaching of skills appealed to me. And since I was stuck at home anyway, I looked around for an online class.
I think I have a roadmap now for functioning better, more effectively, and more happily emotionally. Thank you!”
“I would like to thank Debbie from the bottom of my heart for everything she is providing those of us that have lived with BPD. I am enrolled in the class as well as reading your books and I truly feel like I am finally understood and now even valued! My situation is a little different because I am 68 years old and only diagnosed with BPD recently. I have lived a chaotic and painful life for a very long time. I don’t think there was a diagnosis back then and certainly not an opportunity to use skills and recover. It is life changing! I cannot tell you how it feels to know you are not “crazy”, which is what I have been told my whole life. If there is anything I can do to help you change someone else’s life and share your work, I would be honored to! With deepest gratitude.”
“I hope I can get involved with DBT Path again at some point in the future. I will never forget your team’s support in my recovery, it has really improved my life!”
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