Diana Partington, a licensed professional counselor and DBT expert, is on a mission to make DBT skills accessible and engaging for all. Born into a life of travel and exploration, Diana spent her childhood in Asia and Central America, attending international schools and immersing herself in diverse cultures. After struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts for much of her life, Diana discovered DBT during a challenging period in her adulthood. Inspired by her own journey, Diana embarked on a mission to share the power of DBT with others. As the author of DBT for Life: Skills to transform the way you live, Diana offers readers a colorful and engaging guide to mastering DBT skills. Through her online DBT skills training groups and webinars, Diana provides a supportive community where clients can learn, grow, and connect with others on their journey to emotional wellness.
Fun Facts:
- Diana has traveled to over 34 countries.
- Her cat, Beans, has been to 8 of those countries with her. He even has a french passport!
- She holds a double major in Theatre and Film from Occidental College in Los Angeles.
- Diana’s favorite hobby is dancing, and she’s known to break out into spontaneous dance parties.
- She has a modest art collection focused on paintings of people in action.
- Diana went through DBT as a client before she became a DBT therapist.
- Diana loves using DBT skills every day and believes in the transformative power of curiosity and self-discovery.
What qualifies Diana to do DBT?
- In 2012, Diana graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling.
- Her Master’s thesis focused on finding effective ways to teach DBT skills for different learning styles.
- During grad school, she was deeply involved in various DBT groups and attended numerous professional trainings, including trainings with the DBT pioneer Marsha Linehan herself and a 10 day DBT intensive training with Michael Maslar.
- Diana also had the privilege of working under the supervision of a seasoned psychologist, specializing in DBT, for two years.
- Alongside her studies, Diana was also exploring experiential therapy techniques, drawing inspiration from her theater background.
- This blend of interests led her to experiment with making DBT skills learning more fun and engaging, especially catering to different learning styles.
- Her mission is to teach DBT skills in a way that helps people fall in love with skills.
Teaching DBT skills is my Favorite part of the job
In 2014, I launched my own private practice in Nashville, as licensed professional counselor. I have worked with a wide range of clients of all ages, socio economic backgrounds, the queer community, celebrities and all kinds of people struggling with severe mental health issues or those that just need a little bit of help making their lives better. I have been teaching DBT skills, running DBT groups and training other therapists for over a decade.
In March of 2024, my first book teaching DBT skills was published. The launch of DBT for Life: Skills to transform the way you live marked the beginning of a whole new chapter for me. My company, DBT for Life, is dedicated to making DBT skills accessible for everyone. While I continue to see a handful of individual clients (in person), my focus has become my small DBT groups, large webinars, training therapists, podcasting, and writing for various publications, including my column in Psychology Today “DBT for Daily Life.”
Just a little more about my personal background…in case you are curious
I grew up all over the world. I was born in Washington DC, but I spent my childhood in Nicaragua, the Philippines and Indonesia attending International Schools with kids from over 54 nations. I am dyslexic which caused enormous academic challenges for me in my childhood.
I returned to the United States in 1987 for college. At Occidental College in Los Angeles, I double majored in Theatre and Film. And then spent several years working as a fundraiser for a very prestigious theatre company, Center Theatre Group, while working on small film projects. Then my life took a significant turn when I got married and became a full time mom. I spent thirteen years raising my kids before going to graduate school. I have two amazing children who are both adults now!
I have a great sense of adventure, have continued to travel extensively as an adult. I love to dance and sing and hike and cuddle with my beloved cat. And generally enjoy the fruits of living a skillful life.
Let’s Connect
I would love to hear from you—there are so many reasons to connect. If you already have an amazing therapist and want to add DBT Skills training classes or Webinars to your treatment plan, or you are a clinician or treatment program looking for resources, please don’t hesitate to email me at Diana@DBTforLife.com. Or shoot me a text at (615) 775-3956 (texting is always the best way to get ahold of me.)