DBT-LBC

What DBT-LBC does

DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC) is a U.S.-based nonprofit 501c3 organization that certifies mental health clinicians and treatment programs in the delivery of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). The organization was established to preserve the integrity of the DBT model developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, and is the only certifying body developed with her direct involvement and endorsement. Its core offering is two certification tracks — Individual Clinician Certification and Program Certification — each of which uses a rigorous, multi-component assessment comprising eligibility review, a knowledge exam, work-product video submission, and recurring Maintenance of Certification. Program Certification additionally leverages the proprietary Program Fidelity Scale (PFS) 2.0 to verify that programs have the requisite components and organizational structure for DBT implementation with fidelity.

Supporting services include a Clinician Mentorship Program, two scholarship programs (Clinician Scholarship and the Michael Chambers Memorial Fund Program Certification Scholarship), an educational webinar series, a content blog, and a public searchable directory of certified clinicians and programs. The organization is volunteer-driven, with only one paid staff member and 125+ volunteers across certification, communications, ethics, diversity, and legislative committees. Reach currently extends across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Japan.

Revenue is generated through clinician and program certification fees (with annual MOC renewals), tax-deductible donations, transactional webinar rentals, and one-time host-site recognition fees ($250) for Dr. Linehan birthday celebration events. Distribution is primarily direct via a website-based certification portal (certification.dbt-lbc.org) and self-serve public directory, supported by a Growth and Outreach Steering Committee that identifies clinicians advertising DBT services on Psychology Today, Facebook, Google, and professional networks and encourages them to pursue certification.

Name

DBT-LBC

Legal name

DBT-Linehan Board of Certification

Website

https://dbt-lbc.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DBT-Linehan Board of Certification is a U.S. nonprofit 501c3 that certifies individual mental health clinicians and DBT treatment programs for fidelity to the Dialectical Behavior Therapy model developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, operating a public directory and volunteer-driven standards body across the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Treatment Certification

NAICS

Business Service Centers (56143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD), Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)

Keywords

• Mental health certification
• DBT clinician certification
• DBT program accreditation
• Behavioral therapy certification
• Professional certification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Clinician Certification Fees: Fees charged for individual clinician certification, exam, and maintenance of certification
2. Program Certification Fees: Fees charged for DBT program certification and maintenance of certification
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from supporters; organization is a 501c3 non-profit. Donations support scholarships and mission advancement.
4. Webinar Revenue: Previously recorded webinars available for rent, with discount codes offered (e.g., PRIDE50 for 50% off)
5. Host Site Recognition Fees: $250 recognition fee for clinicians/organizations becoming host sites for Dr. Linehan's birthday celebration events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DBT-LBC certifies individual mental health clinicians and DBT treatment programs against the evidence-based Dialectical Behavior Therapy model developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan. Certification includes a knowledge-based exam, work-product video review for clinicians, and a Program Fidelity Scale 2.0 evaluation for programs, with annual maintenance of certification. The organization also sells recorded/educational webinars, lists certified clinicians and programs in a public directory, and provides the Clinician Mentorship Program together with scholarship funds to support certification access.

Product overview

DBT-LBC (DBT-Linehan Board of Certification) is a non-profit 501c3 organization that offers two primary certification programs: Individual Clinician Certification and Program Certification. These certifications rigorously assess clinicians and DBT programs to ensure adherence to the evidence-based DBT model as researched by Dr. Marsha Linehan. Supporting services include a Clinician Mentorship Program, scholarship programs (including the Michael Chambers Memorial Fund), educational webinars, and a public directory of certified clinicians and programs. The organization operates as a volunteer-driven certification and standards body rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DBT-LBC Individual Clinician Certification A paid, annual-subscription certification for individual mental health clinicians that rigorously assesses their knowledge and skills for delivering Dialectical Behavior Therapy with adherence to the evidence-based model as researched by Dr. Linehan, including a knowledge-based exam, work-product video submission review, and ongoing Maintenance of Certification (MOC). Targeted at licensed mental health professionals who want independent, third-party validation of DBT competence and inclusion in the public clinician directory.
• DBT-LBC Program Certification A paid, annual-subscription certification for DBT treatment programs and clinics that evaluates whether the program has the necessary components and organizational structure to implement comprehensive DBT with fidelity, including program manual review, site visits, the proprietary Program Fidelity Scale (PFS) 2.0 assessment, and ongoing maintenance of certification. Targeted at mental health organizations, hospital programs, and outpatient DBT clinics seeking verifiable standards compliance and program-level credentialing.
• DBT-LBC Webinars (recorded and live, rentable) A rentable educational webinar series covering DBT topics for clinicians, programs, and the broader DBT community, including LGBTQ+ clients, DBT for substance use disorders, eating disorders, Autistic clients, adolescent suicide prevention, and skills training techniques; some webinars are CE-eligible (issued through NBCC by partner Portland DBT Institute).

Quantifiable outcome

• DBT remains the number one evidence-based intervention for treating Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms when delivered with fidelity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• World DBT Association (WDBTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2026WDBTA is an international organization with mission to connect DBT practitioners globally and maintain DBT treatment integrity through standards for theoretical and intervention aspects. President of DBT-LBC Kimberly Vay collaborated with WDBTA President Professor Michaela Swales on WDBTA Summit. DBT-LBC actively promotes WDBTA events and certification supports WDBTA's global standards.
• National Educational Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 August 2025NEABPD is an evidence-based organization for individuals supporting someone affected by BPD. DBT-LBC President Dr. Kimberly Vay conducted interview with NEABPD representatives including Krista Cox, Abby Ingber (Executive Director), and Brian Stacy to discuss the Family Connections program. DBT-LBC recognizes NEABPD as key partner in BPD awareness and family support.
• Portland DBT InstitutesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland DBT Institute co-sponsors DBT-LBC webinars and issues continuing education (CE) credits through NBCC for DBT-LBC events. Partnership supports professional education and training for DBT clinicians.
• Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle (EBTCS)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerEBTCS co-sponsored DBT-LBC webinar on DBT for Substance Use Disorders presented by Dr. Jennifer Sayrs, Executive Director and co-founder. Partnership supports professional education initiatives.
• International Society for DBT (ISITDBT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISITDBT is a major international organization for DBT practitioners. DBT-LBC holds events in conjunction with ISITDBT conferences. The organization's Host/Events Committee coordinates events including those after ISITDBT conferences.
• Behavioral TechsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBehavioral Tech provides DBT training worldwide. Dr. Michael Hollander is a trainer for Behavioral Tech, and Dr. Jennifer Sayrs also trains for the organization. Partnership supports dissemination of DBT training and certification standards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Founded by Dr. Aaron Beck (CBT's developer) to train and certify CBT practitioners. Direct analog to DBT-LBC in structure — a treatment-developer-affiliated standards/training organization for an evidence-based modality — but serving CBT rather than DBT.
• Joint Commission: The dominant US healthcare accreditation body. Comparable to DBT-LBC's Program Certification function as a quality-assurance anchor for healthcare organizations, though it covers the full breadth of healthcare delivery rather than DBT specifically.
• CARF International: Accredits behavioral health and human service programs against fidelity standards. Directly comparable to DBT-LBC's Program Certification, but operates as a broad incumbent across many program types rather than a DBT-specialized body.
• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): The largest US mental health counselor credentialing body (NCC). Comparable because it issues and maintains widely adopted mental health certifications and issues CE credits (as DBT-LBC's webinar co-sponsor already does), though it is much broader in scope than DBT-LBC.

Emerging players

• PESI: Large continuing-education provider for mental health professionals with webinars and CE-bearing content. Comparable to DBT-LBC's webinar and educational content offering, though it does not issue modality-specific clinician certification.

Direct peers

• Behavioral Tech: Provides DBT training worldwide through trainers such as Dr. Hollander and Dr. Sayrs. Closely comparable because it serves the same DBT practitioner audience and offers an alternative credentialing pathway to DBT-LBC certification, including co-sponsored webinars and training partnerships.
• EMDR International Association (EMDRIA): Certifies and credentials EMDR clinicians and consultants using a similar modality-specific certification model. Highly comparable structurally: therapy-modality-specific standards body with practitioner certification, training approval, and a public provider directory.
• Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT): Credentials cognitive-behavioral therapy providers via a comparable certification process tied to an evidence-based modality founder. Direct structural parallel to DBT-LBC's role as the certifying anchor for DBT.
• International Credentialing Association for Addiction Professionals (IC&RC): Provides reciprocal credentialing for addiction counselors across jurisdictions. Structurally analogous to DBT-LBC as a nonprofit standards/certification body for a defined clinician population, with renewal requirements and a public registry.
• Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI): Operates the BCBA/BCaBA credentialing system for ABA practitioners, a parallel evidence-based-modality certification model. Comparable because it certifies clinicians and programs in a specific therapy discipline with defined standards and recertification.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DBT-LBC
• Facebookfacebook.com/DBTLBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dbt-lbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/dbt_lbc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DBT-LBC