The four skills modules
Learn and practice mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness—adapted to the situations you actually face.
Alireza Ehteshami, Ph.D.
Individual DBT therapy · Atlanta, Georgia
Individual DBT for emotions that arrive fast and ask a great deal.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy offers a structured, skills-based path through intense emotion—one that takes your experience seriously while working actively toward change.
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology · Services provided under licensed supervision
Your clinician
Alireza Ehteshami, Ph.D.
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Emory University and practice at Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program in Atlanta.
I am a Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology, practicing under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., Georgia license PSY002840.
The practical details
A clear first step, without a commitment.
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
We can discuss what you are looking for and whether my approach may be a good fit.
Request a free consultation- In person
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Telehealth
- For clients located in Georgia
- Payment
- Private pay · Insurance not accepted
Where therapy can begin
When emotions move faster than choices, effort alone is rarely the missing piece.
You may already know the pattern well: a surge of emotion, a reaction that follows almost automatically, and an aftermath of repair, regret, or exhaustion. Resolving to respond differently next time keeps not being enough, however sincerely you mean it.
DBT was developed for precisely this gap between intention and action. Individual DBT combines genuine validation of what you are carrying with systematic skills training and a close, non-judgmental look at how difficult moments actually unfold.
How therapy may help
What individual DBT involves
Sessions are structured without being mechanical. The full DBT skills curriculum is taught and practiced within individual therapy, always in the service of the life you are trying to build.
Chain analysis
Carefully reconstruct difficult moments—vulnerability, trigger, interpretation, urge, action, and aftermath—to find where a different response becomes possible.
Between-session practice
Track emotions, urges, and skills through the week with diary cards, so sessions build on what actually happened rather than what is easiest to recall.
My approach
Acceptance and change, held together
The dialectic at the center: your responses make sense, and they can change.
I provide DBT in an individual format: weekly one-on-one sessions that integrate skills training, diary cards, and chain analysis within a consistent therapeutic relationship. This offers the working framework of DBT to adults who want structured, evidence-based care without joining a separate skills group.
Validation before problem-solving
We begin from the premise that your emotions and coping have a logic shaped by biology and history. Change built on self-contempt rarely lasts.
Skills chosen for your life
Rather than moving through a workbook page by page, we prioritize the skills that meet the situations, relationships, and goals actually in front of you.
Structure that serves the work
Diary cards, session agendas, and clear treatment targets keep the therapy honest and focused—used as tools, not rituals.
Training & supervision
Clinical depth, applied with care.
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Emory University and completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship through Emory University School of Medicine’s Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Psychiatry program.
I am completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program. I draw from evidence-based treatments including CBT, ACT, and DBT, selecting methods according to each person’s needs rather than applying a single formula.
I am a Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology. I provide clinical services under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist in Georgia, license number PSY002840.
More about my background Before getting in touch
Common questions
A little more clarity before you reach out.
How is individual DBT different from a comprehensive DBT program?
A comprehensive DBT program typically includes individual therapy, a separate weekly skills group, between-session phone coaching, and a therapist consultation team. What I offer is individual DBT: the skills curriculum and core DBT structure delivered within one-on-one sessions. For many adults this format is a strong fit. Because my practice is based at the Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program, comprehensive DBT is also available when the consultation suggests it would serve you better—all four modes, in the same setting, without a referral elsewhere.
Who is individual DBT a good fit for?
Adults navigating intense or fast-moving emotions, impulsive reactions they later regret, harsh self-criticism, exhausting relationship cycles, or difficulty tolerating distress. You do not need a particular diagnosis to benefit; DBT skills are useful well beyond the conditions the treatment was first designed for.
What does a DBT session look like?
We typically review the diary card, set an agenda together, look closely at a significant moment from the week, and practice or refine a skill that fits it—ending with a concrete plan for the week ahead. Structure is consistent, but there is always room for what feels most alive or urgent that day.
Request a consultation
Begin with a brief conversation.
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
Share a few scheduling details below to request an initial consultation. This form intentionally does not ask for clinical or medical information.