DBT and Parts Work
6 min read · Emotional regulation · Neurodivergent affirming.
DBT and parts work, for big feelings and the selves inside.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy gives you skills to ride intense emotions without being swept away. Internal Family Systems informed parts work helps you understand the different parts of you. Together, they're a powerful pairing.
If your emotions sometimes feel like weather, sudden, overwhelming, hard to predict, you are not broken, and you are not alone. These two approaches help you build a steadier relationship with your inner world.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). DBT was developed by psychologist Dr Marsha Linehan, originally for people who experience emotions very intensely. The word dialectical points to its core balance: accepting yourself exactly as you are, and working towards change, both at once. Rather than just talking about feelings, DBT teaches concrete, practical skills across four areas: Mindfulness (noticing what's happening inside, without judgement) · Distress tolerance (getting through crisis moments without making things worse) · Emotion regulation (understanding emotions and reducing their grip over time) · Interpersonal effectiveness (asking for what you need and holding boundaries). DBT skills can help with intense or fast changing emotions, impulsivity, self criticism, relationship conflict, and the overwhelm that can come with anxiety, trauma or neurodivergence (including ADHD and autism).
Parts work (IFS informed). Have you ever said part of me wants to, but another part is terrified? That's not a figure of speech, it's a remarkably accurate description of how the mind works. Internal Family Systems (IFS) sees the psyche as made up of different parts, each carrying its own feelings, memories and protective jobs. There might be a part that pushes you to achieve, a part that shuts down to keep you safe, and a younger, more vulnerable part underneath. Parts work helps you get to know these parts with curiosity instead of war, so the protective ones can relax, and the wounded ones can finally be heard and cared for. At The Psych Plus this work is IFS informed, we draw on its principles and language within a broader, integrative approach, rather than offering it as a standalone protocol.
Pull quote: You are not the anxious part, or the critical part. You're the calm, compassionate awareness that can hold them all.
Why they work well together. DBT gives you the stabilising skills to stay grounded; parts work helps you understand why certain situations send you spinning in the first place. One builds capacity in the present; the other tends to the history underneath. For many people, especially those who are neurodivergent or have experienced trauma, that combination is exactly what's been missing. A neurodivergent affirming space: we don't treat strong emotion, sensitivity or a differently wired brain as a defect to be corrected. We help you work with your nervous system, on your terms.
The evidence. DBT has strong randomised trial support for emotion regulation, self harm and chronic emotional difficulties. DBT skills training alone has been shown to reduce distress across a range of presentations. IFS has an emerging evidence base and was listed on the US national registry of evidence based programs.
References retained on the page (Linehan 2015; Valentine et al 2015; Storebo et al 2020; Schwartz and Sweezy 2019; Hodgdon et al 2022). This page is general information, not a substitute for individual clinical advice. If you are in crisis, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact emergency services on 000.
Ready to feel a little steadier? Start with a free 15 minute call. We'll talk about what's overwhelming right now and how DBT skills and parts work might help.