Marsha M. Linehan (born May 5, 1943) is an American psychologist, professor, and author. She created dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), an evidence-based psychotherapy that combines cognitive restructuring with acceptance, mindfulness, and shaping. Linehan's development of DBT was a major advancement in the field of psychology, effective at treating clients who were not improving with the existing methods at the time. This unlocked new means of treating people with chronic suicidality and borderline personality disorder (BPD) and has since been shown to be helpful to people with other disorders.
Linehan is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle and Director of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics. Her primary research was in the development of DBT and its use for treating borderline personality disorder, the application of behavioral models to suicidal behaviors, and drug abuse. Linehan also authored books including two treatment manuals and a memoir. Linehan also founded Behavioral Tech LLC, which trains mental health professionals in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and co-founded the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC) to identify providers offering evidence-based DBT. She is also trained in spiritual direction and serves as an associate Zen teacher in both the Sanbo-Kyodan School in Germany and the Diamond Sangha in the U.S.