Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a research-based mental health treatment developed by Dr. Marsha M. Linehan and her colleagues at the University of WA, which combines principles and practices of Behaviorism, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eastern Mindfulness, Biosocial Theory and Dialectics.
DBT was originally designed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD)
, which is characterized by symptoms of emotional dysregulation
(extreme sensitivity), "black and white" thinking, chronic feelings of
emptiness, thoughts or attempts of suicide or self harm, inappropriate
outbursts of anger, impulsivity, and a chronic instability in mood,
behavior, sense of identity and relationships.
Over
the past several years, the DBT model of therapy has been adapted to
treat a broader range of mental health disorders, including: mood disorders (depression & bipolar), anxiety disorders (post traumatic stress, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder), eating disorders, substance abuse, self-harm in teens, and couples and relationship conflict.
How the DBT Model of Therapy Works (link to Behavioral Tech, LLC).
DBT treatment consists of three components:
I. Individual Therapy
Many people attend weekly individual therapy in conjunction individual skills training or a skills group.
In individual therapy,
problematic behaviors or events from the past week are explored in
detail, beginning with the chain of events leading up to it, going
through alternative solutions and skills which might have been used,
and problem-solving and practicing effective ways to manage stressful
moments and situations in the foreseeable future.
Some individuals do very well participating in individual skills training or a skills
group without working with a individual therapist. It is not required that
all clients who participate in individual skills training or a skills
group attend individual therapy. However, Darcie may recommend or require that some clients be in individual therapy in order to participate in individual skills training or a skills group if
she determines doing so would be in the client's best interest.
II. Individual Skills Training or DBT Skills Group
It is in Individual DBT Skills Training or a DBT Skills Group that you learn and practice the following core DBT
skill modules:
1) Mindfulness - you learn the art of focusing your attention on one thing at a time,
and how to be fully present in the moment. There is a peaceful and wise
place within called "wisemind"... you learn to BE in this place where
thoughts and feelings come and go like waves.
2) Emotional regulation- you learn how to experience and express your emotions in a safe and
meaningful way. Reducing emotional vulnerability along with increasing
your awareness of the value, function and role of emotions is learned
and further explored in this module.
3) Distress Tolerance
- you learn how to tolerate and manage distressing emotions and
situations by practicing new skills and behaviors including
self-soothing, distracting, problem-solving and improving the moment.
4) Interpersonal Effectiveness
- you learn how to build and maintain healthy relationships, how to
balance priorities vs. demands, wants vs. shoulds, and how to achieve a
greater sense of mastery, self respect and self regard in life.
*Self Management - you learn how to check in with your self, validate, correct or reinforce your own thoughts, emotions and actions.
III. Coaching calls
Coaching calls are made in between sessions to help validate and
reinforce a client's efforts to practice newly learned DBT skills and
make more adaptive choices in problematic situations and during
stressful events.
