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Discover how starting dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
2 therapists available in Austin
My family, friends, and I have had decades grappling with ADHD, the autism spectrum, and that balance between others and ourselves...
About
My family, friends, and I have had decades grappling with ADHD, the autism spectrum, and that balance between others and ourselves.
Abe Clabby is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who specializes in treating relationship issues, workaholism, trauma, codependency, depression, anxiety, autism, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Abe spent the last 6 years at the Love Is Respect hotline and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, where he has seen the best and the worst that family and relationships have to offer. He is the author of "Cool Off the Burnout: Feel Better at High-Pressure Jobs".
Abe completed his master's degree in Counseling at St. Edward's University, where he earned a 3.7 GPA and spent an extra semester taking courses in marriage and family therapy. In postgraduate training like the Gottman method, Abe found what some couples do that makes them thrive. There are things that help with a partner, but they also help with our parents, our jobs, and our friends. Abe uses motivational interviewing in a client-centered way, empowering people to change the narrative and find an existential purpose for what they do and using the tools of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to get around the obstacles where people feel stuck.
Abe works with a lot of good-hearted people. They're compassionate and want to do good in the world and to help people they love. Caring people can be taken for granted, taken advantage of, and even hurt and used. They can be left feeling empty, unfulfilled, and unloved. But with the right mindset, boundaries, and self-care, they can be respected, appreciated, and live a life that they're proud of. Abe helps people care for others and in turn, care for themselves. With therapy, people can troubleshoot their troubles in jobs and relationships. Everyone has more options than they realize.
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As a therapist, I view the journey like this: "It is to look pain in the eye and imply 'this is not too much for me. I can sit in ...
As a therapist, I view the journey like this: "It is to look pain in the eye and imply 'this is not too much for me. I can sit in this with you.'"
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with 4 years of experience. I specialize in working with clients navigating trauma, anxiety, addiction, emotional dysregulation, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, eating disorders, and relationship issues. I enjoy helping individuals who want to build self-awareness, create meaningful change, and develop stronger connections with themselves and others.
I earned my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas. My approach is rooted in evidence-based practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and eye movement desensitization reprocessing.
I provide a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel empowered to grow and heal. I work with adolescents, adults, and families facing life transitions, recovery, or relationship challenges, and I am dedicated to helping clients build resilience and live more balanced, fulfilling lives.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
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Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Sue: One of the main approaches for DBT is individual therapy, with and emphasis on working on skills.
Abraham Abe: My main approach to DBT often doesn't name DBT, so much as use its principles in conversation with clients' concerns. I start by addressing the values they hold strongly, then advocate for others they're trying to rely on more, emphasizing that they are not mutually exclusive and they do not need to only choose one.
Sue: Group therapy is a powerful tool if it's available. Also, working on mindfulness.
Abraham Abe: I find I incorporate the concept of balance and opposing values the most in DBT: “wants” vs. “shoulds,” with both having value, is the most common. I start with the values they hold more strongly, then advocate for the other ones they're trying to rely on more, emphasizing that they are not mutually exclusive and they do not need to only choose one.
Sue: Meaningful progress in DBT occurs when you can see that clients are not just venting week after week and doing homework.
Abraham Abe: I can see someone making progress in DBT when they're able to say in practice that they have been incorporating their other value(s) and tools into their daily life (i.e. making room for rest or relationships and interests in a work-oriented person, or committing to “to-do's” & identifying strongly with them in a more work-avoidant person).
Sue: Clients can practice mindfulness skills and read related material.
Abraham Abe: I recommend that clients revisit the “shoulds” vs. “wants” concepts on a regular basis, seeing where they could apply to their priorities at the time.
Sue: Like any therapy, clients should review if this is an approach they are willing to do and know it will be challenging.
Abraham Abe: To prepare for DBT, a client can think consciously about their current values and whether there are benefits to the other values that they may be missing out on. Focus on what a “best-of-both-worlds” life might look like for them, as opposed to one extreme or the other.
At Thriveworks, Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) primarily concentrates on assisting individuals in emotion regulation, enhancing interpersonal relationships, and acquiring effective coping strategies for managing stress and emotional difficulties.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) targets your personal challenges. You may work with your DBT therapist to maintain diary cards to monitor progress, emphasizing validation and support in the therapeutic relationship. DBT follows a stage-based approach, prioritizing crisis reduction initially and life satisfaction.
DBT was initially developed to address the needs of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, its versatile approach has enabled its application to a wide range of mental health conditions, including but not limited to, anxiety, depression, stress, and anger issues.
The 4 pillars of DBT are mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) have distinct purposes and aren’t inherently superior or inferior to one another. DBT is most effective for managing emotional regulation, personality disorders, and interpersonal challenges, while EMDR is specifically tailored for individuals with trauma-related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) with therapists at Thriveworks in Austin, TX is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
The duration of a standard DBT program is typically around 24 weeks, which is roughly six months. The actual number of sessions will vary depending on the issues you wish to address.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Austin is located on Crown Colony Dr, off of Monarch Hwy. We share a building with Onion Creek Homeowners Association and other businesses. Sullivan Park is nearby.
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