Feeling Lost and Empty ?
When you feel disconnected from yourself, numb, or unsure who you are, daily life can feel distant and hard to navigate. You may feel empty, detached, or as if you’re moving through life without a clear sense of direction. This pattern is often described as self dysregulation.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) helps you reconnect with yourself, stay present, and rebuild a sense of identity and steadiness from the inside out. We support teens and adults across Long Island and New York City in creating a life that feels more grounded and meaningful.
Sometimes the struggle isn’t about intense emotions, it’s about feeling lost inside. You may feel disconnected from yourself or unsure of who you are.
At Suffolk DBT, we help children, teens and adults reconnect and build a steadier sense of identity. We offer in-person care across Long Island and New York City and telehealth throughout New York State.
DBT helps you feel more grounded and make choices that reflect who you truly are.
What These Moments Can Look Like
Self-dysregulation often shows up as difficulty staying connected to who you are, what you want, or what feels true for you.
Shifting your values, goals, or sense of self depending on the people or environment around you
Zoning out, losing track of time, or feeling mentally “checked out” during parts of the day
Struggling to trust your own judgment or sense of direction
These experiences aren’t a sign that something is “wrong” with you. They often reflect difficulty staying grounded in a stable sense of self, especially under stress or emotional pressure. For some people, this may also include questioning identity, gender, or sexual orientation while longing to feel understood and accepted. DBT helps you build awareness, strengthen identity, and develop skills that support more consistent, values-aligned choices over time.
Conditions Commonly Linked to Self Dysregulation
Self-dysregulation is commonly seen across a range of mental health conditions, particularly when identity, dissociation, or a stable sense of self are impacted.
DBT skills focus on building awareness, strengthening identity, and helping people stay present and grounded over time.
How DBT Helps You Build a More Stronger Sense of Self
Self-regulation skills help you stay connected to who you are, even when emotions, stress, or relationships pull you off balance.
You learn how to notice moments of disconnection, zoning out, or identity confusion, and gently bring yourself back into the present. Over time, these skills support a steadier sense of self, greater self-trust, and choices that feel more aligned with your values rather than driven by urgency or confusion.
Mindfulness helps you pay attention to what’s happening inside of you and around you in the present moment. You learn to notice thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and urges including when judgment shows up and practice describing these experiences in a more factual, non-judgmental way. Mindfulness also helps you recognize when you begin to disconnect or zone out and gently bring your attention back, supporting greater presence and a steadier sense of self.
Distress tolerance skills help you stay grounded during moments of internal overwhelm or disconnection. Instead of escaping, shutting down, or losing time, you learn ways to calm your body and remain present until the moment passes. These tools support safety and stability when it’s hard to stay connected to yourself.
Interpersonal effectiveness skills help you stay connected to your values and sense of self in relationships. You learn how to communicate clearly, set boundaries, and express needs without losing yourself or shifting who you are to fit the situation. These skills support self-respect, stability, and healthier relationships.
Emotion regulation skills help you better understand emotional patterns that can disrupt your sense of self over time. You learn how emotions influence identity, decisions, and self-perception, and how to respond in ways that feel steadier and more aligned. This reduces emotional vulnerability and supports greater internal consistency.
Our Full DBT Program Includes
DBT is a comprehensive program designed to support change both inside and outside of therapy sessions.
In weekly sessions, you and your therapist review your diary card and focus on the goals that matter most to you, including building a life that feels more stable, meaningful, and aligned with who you are. The diary card helps you notice patterns in emotions, urges, behaviors, and moments of disconnection that may be getting in the way of feeling grounded and present in your life.
DBT Skills Group at Suffolk DBT is more like a class than traditional group therapy. We begin with a brief mindfulness practice to help everyone slow down, focus, and become more present. Each week, you review how you practiced skills in real life and learn new tools to help manage emotions, relationships, stress, and moments of disconnection. The focus is on building practical skills that support steadier choices, greater self-awareness, and a stronger sense of self over time.
Difficult moments don’t wait for your next session. Phone coaching offers brief, real-time support to help you use your DBT skills when you’re overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure how to respond.
The goal isn’t to provide therapy over the phone, but to help you practice staying present and responding skillfully so you can handle challenges with more confidence and stability.
Our therapists are supported by a DBT consultation team to provide high-quality, structured care “You are not expected to figure this out alone”
DBT Programs for Different Ages and Life Stages
DBT skills can make a meaningful difference at any age. Because emotional and behavioral challenges show up differently across development, our programs are tailored to support children, teens, young adults, and adults in ways that fit their stage of life.
Younger children may struggle with staying connected to their internal experience when emotions feel overwhelming. This can show up as difficulty identifying feelings, calming their bodies, or staying present during stressful moments. DBT-C involves both the child and caregivers, helping children build awareness of emotions and behaviors while supporting parents in responding in consistent, effective ways that strengthen emotional and self-regulation over time.
Adolescents may struggle with impulsive decisions, intense emotions, self-harm urges, or conflict at home and school. DBT-A includes individual therapy and a multifamily skills group where teens and caregivers learn tools together to improve communication and emotional regulation.
This stage of life often brings increased independence, less structure, and more pressure. When internal experiences feel intense or confusing, it can be hard to stay grounded or make choices that align with long-term goals. Self-dysregulation at this stage may feel like being on autopilot, losing track of time, or reacting before fully understanding what’s happening internally. DBT helps young adults build awareness, stay present, and make more intentional decisions that support identity development and stability.
Adults experiencing self-dysregulation may feel disconnected from themselves, unsure of their values, or inconsistent in how they respond under stress. This can show up as difficulty pausing, thinking clearly, or responding in ways that reflect what matters most to them. DBT helps adults strengthen awareness of internal experiences, remain present during challenging moments, and build skills that support steadier choices, clearer communication, and a more grounded sense of self over time
What starts to change?
With time and practice in DBT, many people begin to notice meaningful shifts in how they experience themselves and move through the world:
Change doesn’t happen overnight. But over time, DBT skills help create steadier internal experiences, clearer self-understanding, and choices that feel more intentional and aligned.
You’re Not “Too Much.” Your Nervous System Needs Skills.
If you often feel disconnected, unsure of yourself, or like you’re moving through life on autopilot,
DBT can help you slow down and stay present. Over time, skills support a steadier sense of self, clearer choices, and a life that feels more grounded and intentional.
Where We Offer DBT Therapy
In-Person DBT Therapy
We provide Dialectical Behavior Therapy at our offices in Mount Sinai, Babylon, Roslyn Heights, and New York City.
Online DBT Therapy
Secure telehealth DBT available across New York, including Upstate.
Ready to Get Started and speak with an Intake Specialist?
Suffolk DBT provides comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based treatment designed to help people manage intense emotions and reduce impulsive behaviors that can feel out of control. We offer care in our Long Island and New York City offices as well as through telehealth across New York.
Our experienced therapists work with children, teens, college students, and adults who struggle with emotional overwhelm, relationship conflict, self-harm urges, mood instability, and other challenges related to emotion dysregulation. DBT skills and treatment help you learn to pause, make more intentional choices, and respond to life’s stressors in ways that support your long-term well-being.
All of our clinicians participate in a DBT consultation team and provide skills coaching between sessions, so you’re supported not only in therapy, but in the real-life moments when you need the skills most.
Completely confidential. Only takes 10-15 minutes.
