Portland DBT Institute

I was in this program for 8 months and hadn’t once felt like I gained any sort of skill, or improved my mental health in any way—if anything it worsened. 1. They make you leave your current therapist for no real explanation, no matter how long you have been seeing them. 2. Learning the same “skills” over, and over… and over. Same modules rotated though constantly. 3. Individual Therapy experience was one of the worst I had ever gone through, and I’ve seen multiple therapists in person, and virtually over the past several years. a. Constantly talking over me, sharing their own personal opinions. Very few times I got through telling them about an event that had affected me without interruptions and then changing topics. 75-80% of the time, they were talking at me with no pauses. b. Uncaring/ Unthoughtful responses to major events. After sharing an extremely traumatic event, it was basically looked over. Comments like “Well you can’t have fun with your friends if you’re dead right?” … etc. often refused to talk about the things that were causing me the most issues, and instead wanted to talk about “DBT skill usage”. c. “24/7 phone counciling” was really morning/afternoon - 8pm when I switched to full program. Overall I don’t recommend. Most “group days” were the same thing over and over. Constantly left feeling exhausted and drained.

This is a group I refer to for adherent DBT with amazing access to care. These therapists have excellent training and experience . They are great humans and really care about their clients. I am extremely comfortable referring clients here who have suicidal or self-harm thoughts and behaviors . Amazing place!

I loved this place. It took a bit for my too realty get into the swing of things with my issues, social anxiety and talking in front of people being two off those issues. However, I found the staff very helpful and encouraging. By the time I was done I wished I hadn't missed the classes and sessions that I had. I found the program very helpful with my issues. I realty liked my therapist, Trevor. It was a lot of hard work but it was so worth it. Jason was fantastic in the classes and I grew to have a lot of respect for him when initially I didn't like him. PDBT was the best thing I ever did for myself. It's been 5 years since I left the program and I still find myself remembering a lot from my time there.

Too much to type. They are unwilling accommodate those with disabilities or chronic illnesses, they are ablest. They will drop you the moment they stop making money off of you. Don't trust the institution. DBT works but there's other ways to get it. Don't waste your time here.

Do not attend if you’re a fast learner. Also be prepared to stay in the program for at least a year or they WILL charge you. This place was great until it wasn’t. I started in October and wasn’t able to get an individual therapist until March. My contract said that I had to be in the program for a year and I was willing to do that. What I didn’t know beforehand: 1. They teach the same four modules cycling every 6 weeks or so for the entire year. An additional module was touched on every session. As someone who learns very quickly, I found myself tuning out things the third, fourth, fifth time I heard them. I was also discouraged from participating in class the longer I was in the program so new members could learn it. 2. I was contractually obligated to stay for a year from the time I started, which would have been in October. However, I then learned that I was required to see one of their therapists for an entire year as well. I then also learned that I had to continue to take classes while seeing one of their therapists, even though I had already taken every module 2+ times. My therapist also quit about halfway through the year and I was without anyone for over a month. Then I had to establish care with a new therapist for the last few months of my obligation. 3. They don’t give a damn why you have to quit. I was put on a waiting list for a higher level of care facility that PDBT didn’t offer out of state. I got in early March and had been talking with PDBT about this for over a month. I was assured that everything would be fine. We would deal with my finances before leaving since I would have limited access to technology once admitted. I have been receiving bills from them for over a year. I tried to call, no one answered, I left a voicemail, and no one returned my call. This wasn’t some small amount so I wanted to discuss it. Finally I just decided to pay it off the full amount. A month or so later I get another bill for some charges they forgot to include on the previous statement. I tried calling again and have not heard back. 0/5 would not recommend PDBT I would recommend DBT! I think it’s great and have found that it’s been extremely helpful. Maybe just look for it somewhere else.

This clinic is run by some of the leading trainers and researchers on DBT in the world. They put tons of resources into training their staff and truly care about their clients. A downside of having a good reputation is that they often have a long waiting list. I wish we could send them more clients from our clinic! Keep up the great work!

I had so much hope for this modality, and this location. I came in with an open mind, ready to work hard, ready to make significant changes and learn new skills. However, I found the program and providers to be largely unorganized, unprofessional, and wildly abelist. Communication within the provider heirarchy was wildly inconsistent and frequently harmful to patients. Rules were arbitrarily enforced and people who pushed back on the dogma or tried to reframe things in ways that were more accessible/inclusive were the most common targets for this enforcement. People with the most privilege and least self-insight were free to break rules and be disruptive in the group sessions. I would recommend neurodivergent people stay far away, as the rigid policies do not make space for people with sensory or social difficulties at all. Additionally, I was informed I would be kicked out of the program if I sought a qualified diagnostic evaluation for a disability while in the program, and prevented from seeing the therapist who had actually been helping me on a regular basis. I was later informed like... a month later that the threat of discharge was not accurate and that the director saw no issue with my seeking accurate diagnosis, but by that time I had been guilted, gaslit, shamed and reprimanded in so many passive aggressive ways surrounding my suspected now confirmed disability that the damage was done. Additionally, the requirement to rate dozens of emotions and urges using a numeric scale on a daily basis was not accessible for me, and it took so much negotiation to get the "diary cards" to a place where I felt I could even give accurate responses without having a lot of anxiety and confusion about how to rate things. When I didn't do the ratings I was told I was being non-conpliant and they couldn't tell how I was doing without all of the numerical ratings- and it was not just a few- seriously atleast 40 different metrics I was expected to have a precise rating for on a daily basis. This is because DBT institute focuses on metrics + numbers instead of human experiences or accessibility of treatment, in my opinion. Ultimately I left the IOP program in a worse place than I came into it, not only in terms of mental health symptoms but also regarding my ability not willingness to engage with DBT skills specifically, and mental health providers generally. I am very lucky I had an excellent and patient outside therapist who has supported me in the aftermath. I feel like my time at the DBT Institute gave me additional medical trauma, which significantly contributed to my avoiding needed medical care for much of this year. I am finally finding accessible ways to talk about and use some of the DBT skills, 6 months later and zero thanks to DBTI. I will say that Eric and Natalie were both excellent providers, great listeners and seemingly lovely humans who seemed to have their hands tied by a really messed up, heirarchal and abelist program. It was, unfortunately, very confusing to get supportive and accommodating communication from these two providers when the rest of the staff would often contradict even specific things that they had told me or the group.

Portland DBT is a fantastic program with great therapists. As to the negative reviews: PDBTI is very clear about how the program runs, what the fees and costs are and what is expected of you. I feel that they review these facts on a regular basis. It is not a money grab - as a client you have to do your part or you leave the program. They of course charge if you miss your class - they cannot fill the seat with someone else as you are taking space in the class if you are in attendance or not. The program is not a walk in the park. It takes a lot of hard work and of course the individual therapist and connection will be a major part of the experience. With their help they changed mine and my daughter's life in the teen program. I met wonderful supportive parents and my teen made friends and personal connections at a time she needed them most. They have high quality caring professional therapists. I highly recommend making a commitment to treatment here.

I was receiving excellent care and really making progress until my counselor had to take time off due to a family emergency. The problem is that her superiors/other staff made absolutely ZERO plan to continue my care or support me. It’s now been a month since my last session and while I am still technically in the program, I have received absolutely no care or support. I have received 2 phone calls both past 9pm. Both went something to the effect of, “I’m sorry and totally understand your frustration. Call back during business hours”. This program was hyped up to be the greatest therapy program that does wonders. DBT does work when done right, but this whole saga has made it very to trust that I am in the right place with the right people.

Portland DBT was a gift. My life and identity has grown tremendously during my therapy and since then. My therapists impacted my life and my loved one's life immeasurably and I hope they know how valued they are. They were flexible and professional. Endless thanks! It's really unfortunate that a few clients had a negative experience with Portland DBT. I do wonder if they followed the rules incredibly reasonable and flexible rules, btw of the program...I hope they get the help they need. Rest assured, DBT is a miracle for many many people with varying mental health concerns.