Two commitments, held together.

What we're committed to

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, taught faithfully. DBT is one of the most thoroughly studied treatments in mental health. We teach its skills as they were designed, by clinicians intensively trained in the model — not a loose adaptation that borrows the name.

Fidelity to the Catholic faith. Our classes work within a Catholic understanding of the human person: body and soul, made in the image of God, with real freedom and real dignity. Nothing we teach asks you to set your faith aside, and nothing we teach contradicts it.

Your instructor

Jenell Effinger, Ph.D. is an intensively trained DBT psychologist based in Colorado. She is Clinical Director of Front Range Treatment Center, a comprehensive DBT program in the Denver area. In her clinical practice, she holds PSYPACT authority to provide telepsychology in participating states. Her favorite saints are St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

What a class is — and isn't

Catholic DBT classes are psychoeducational: a structured, classroom-style group where you learn the skills, practice them between sessions, and bring your questions back. They are held online.

A skills class is not psychotherapy, and it doesn't replace individual treatment, a comprehensive DBT program, or spiritual direction. Many participants take a skills class alongside their own therapy.

Looking for therapy instead?

In Colorado and looking for faith-rooted counseling? Visit Denver Catholic Counseling in Greenwood Village. For comprehensive DBT — individual therapy, skills group, and phone coaching — see Front Range Treatment Center.