Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is highly structured and offers individuals comprehensive skills to manage painful memories, intense emotions, and decrease conflicts in their relationships. This modality focuses on 4 specific areas of therapeutic skills. These are:
- Mindfulness – Helps individuals be present in the current moment.
- Distress tolerance – Techniques to survive and get through crises without resorting to impulsive or destructive behaviors.
- Emotion regulation – Strategies to understand, manage, and reduce vulnerability to intense negative emotions.
- Interpersonal effectiveness – Tools to communicate clearly, set boundaries, and maintain self-respect in relationships.
How Does it Work Exactly?
The way it works is by integrating the opposites...specifically, accepting yourself exactly as you are while acknowledging the need to change to reach your goal, which is to help you to build a "life worth living."
DBT essentially works with individuals to help them find ways to manage their negative emotions so they can feel balanced, in control, and able to interact respectfully and successfully. The message at the heart of DBT is acceptance and change.
When is DBT Used and What Can You Expect?
While dialectical behavioral therapy was initially developed to treat those with borderline personality disorder, research has since shown that DBT can successfully treat people with depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, and substance abuse.
DBT treatment usually consists of a combination of DBT skills groups and individual therapy sessions. The individual therapy sessions allow you to have one-on-one contact with a trained therapist who will help you apply DBT skills to your daily life, address any obstacles that may arise, and keep you motivated! The DBT skills group interactions will help you practice skills with others and offer mutual support.
Finding a DBT Therapist
If you are interested in exploring DBT therapy, you should look for a therapist with specialized training and experience in DBT strategies. It’s also important that you look for someone you feel comfortable with.
If you or someone you know may benefit from dialectical behavioral therapy, please get in touch with us. We would be happy to discuss how we may be able to help.