Mindfulness
You learn to notice thoughts and feelings without being swept away by them. This creates a small gap between trigger and reaction, which gives you time to choose your next move.
Encinitas therapist serving San Diego
Therapeutic approach · 01
DBT Therapy in Encinitas
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, was originally developed for intense emotional pain, but its skills help almost anyone who feels ruled by anxiety, anger, shame, or urges they cannot slow down. Emma Bourroux, AMFT uses DBT-informed work with clients in Encinitas and across North County San Diego who want practical tools they can use between sessions.
Book an Appointment with Emma
This Approach Can Help When You Notice
You do not need to check every box. One pattern is enough to start.
- Emotions that spike quickly and feel impossible to settle
- Impulsive reactions you regret once the wave passes
- Conflict that escalates because you cannot pause before speaking
- A harsh inner critic that never gives you a break
- Self-harm, disordered eating, or substance use patterns used to cope
- Feeling disconnected from your body or present moment
How it works
What to expect from this approach
Distress Tolerance
Not every hard moment can be fixed immediately. Distress tolerance gives you concrete ways to survive the crisis without making it worse.
Emotion Regulation
You identify what feeds intense emotions and build habits that reduce vulnerability, so highs and lows become less extreme over time.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
DBT teaches how to ask for what you need, set boundaries, and keep relationships intact during difficult conversations.
DBT is not about suppressing feelings. It is about building a life where feelings no longer call all the shots. Emma integrates these skills into therapy at a pace that fits you.
From the blog
Related Reading
Anxiety & emotions
What Is DBT, and Who Does It Actually Help?
DBT is often described as a treatment for crisis. In practice, it is a set of very ordinary skills for feeling deeply without being swept away.
September 6, 2026 · 6 min readAnxiety & emotionsAnxious in Paradise: When Living in a Beach Town Does Not Quiet Your Mind
Guilt often rides alongside anxiety here: I live minutes from the ocean, what right do I have to feel this way? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
September 8, 2026 · 5 min readTrauma & healingOld Wounds, Present Choices: A Trauma-Informed Look at Blame and Healing
What happened to you was not your choice. How you care for yourself now can be. This article looks at the difference between blame and responsibility in trauma healing.
September 11, 2026 · 6 min readOther Approaches Emma Uses
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Narrative Therapy
You have started to believe you are “the anxious one,” “the problem,” or “not good enough.” Narrative Therapy helps you see those labels as stories you picked up, not facts about you, and decide which ones you want to keep.
03Trauma-Informed Care
You do not have to say everything out loud to be helped. Trauma-informed therapy means you set the pace, you can say no or pause at any time, and nothing gets pushed before you are ready.
04Gottman Couples Therapy
Fights keep escalating, or you have started to feel more like roommates than partners. Using ideas from Gottman research, we work on how you handle conflict, show appreciation, and repair after a disagreement.
Emma often blends approaches. Visit the FAQ or read the blog to learn more.
Ready to begin?
Reach out through Good Therapy San Diego and Emma will help you find a first appointment in Encinitas.
Book an Appointment with Emma