How Does DBT Path Protect Your Privacy and Safety in Online DBT Classes?
DBT Path protects your online DBT class privacy with cameras-off, lecture-style classes, recordings that show only the instructors and slides, and homework that only you and our trained team ever see. DBT Path has taught the original online DBT skills class since 2013, and we built every part of it for emotionally sensitive people who want to learn without being put on the spot.
If you have ever wondered what “online” really means for your privacy, or what happens if you are having a hard day, this page answers those questions plainly.
Online DBT class privacy during live DBT Path classes
DBT Path classes are taught in a lecture style, like a classroom rather than a therapy group. Student cameras stay off during class. You will never be asked to share your story, speak up, or show your face.
What you see on screen is your instructors, Debbie DeMarco Bennett, MA, and Dr. Kathryn Holt, PhD, LCSW, along with teaching slides and videos. You learn from the same two instructors every week.
Online DBT class privacy: what is in the recordings
Because student cameras are off, DBT Path class recordings show only the instructors and the teaching materials, such as slides and videos.
At the end of each class there is a Q&A, and students type their questions into the chat. When answering, Debbie may say a student’s first name out loud. You can always add “Please keep my question anonymous” to your message, and then your name is not said at all when your question is read aloud.
Want to see this for yourself? Watch our real class samples, four short clips taken straight from live DBT Path classes, with only instructors and slides on screen.
How optional Zoom bonuses differ from the weekly class
Each month, DBT Path also offers optional Zoom bonuses, such as somatic workshops and other more interactive sessions. These are completely separate from the weekly DBT skills class, and joining them is always your choice.
Because these bonuses are more interactive, some students choose to turn on their cameras or speak on the mic. Bonus recordings never include students’ video, but they do include the audio if you choose to speak. If you would rather stay private, you can join with your camera off and your mic muted.
The weekly DBT Path class itself always stays cameras-off and lecture-style, with recordings that show only the instructors and teaching materials.
Who can watch class recordings
DBT Path class recordings are available to enrolled students. Students who have just completed a module keep access to those recordings for one month afterward, so you can review on your own schedule.
Who sees your homework
Homework at DBT Path is submitted privately. Only you and the trained DBT Path team member who writes your feedback see your submission. Other students never see your homework.
Every week, students receive personalized written feedback on their skills practice. You can read more about how DBT Path coaching and feedback works.
DBT Path is skills education, not therapy
DBT Path teaches the full set of evidence-based DBT skills: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. It is psychoeducation, which means a structured class for learning skills. It is not therapy, it does not diagnose, and it is not a substitute for working with a therapist or doctor. Many students take DBT Path alongside their own therapy.
If you are in crisis
DBT Path is not a crisis service, and our team cannot respond to emergencies. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, please reach out for immediate support:
- In the US, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
- If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.
- Outside the US, contact your local crisis line or emergency services.
The skills you learn at DBT Path can help you get through intense moments more safely, and they work best alongside the right level of care for you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to turn on my camera in a DBT Path class?
No. Student cameras are off during the weekly DBT Path class, and you are never asked to speak or share personal stories. You can ask questions privately by typing them into the chat. Optional monthly Zoom bonuses are more interactive, and turning on your camera or mic there is always your choice.
Will other students see my name or my questions?
DBT Path class recordings show only the instructors and teaching materials. During the Q&A, Debbie may say a student’s first name when answering, but if you write “Please keep my question anonymous,” your name is not said at all.
Who reads my DBT Path homework?
Only you and the trained DBT Path team member who gives you feedback. Homework is submitted privately, and other students never see it.
Is DBT Path a crisis service?
No. DBT Path is an online DBT skills class, not a crisis service or therapy. If you are in crisis in the US, call or text 988, or call your local emergency number.
Learn DBT skills in a space that respects your privacy
If a private, low-pressure way to learn DBT sounds right for you, see what to expect in an online DBT class or explore DBT Path’s online DBT skills classes.