Dialectical Behavior Therapy or DBT
What is it?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and finds for ways to intervene and do things differently than in the past. It was originally founded by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., ABPP at the University of Washington in the early 1990s to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder. However, since that time DBT has been shown through research to be effective in treating a much wider array of mental health issues.
Sometimes, our impulses and patterns of coping during difficult situations have felt good in the moment, but has more consequences in the long run. Using DBT skills effectively can help slow this process down, and increase your choices around coping and reacting to distressing emotions or difficult circumstances with more healthful options. The skills taught fall under four categories:
I. Mindfulness
Mindfulness refers to the practice of paying attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally, to what is happening in the moment. Mindfulness helps one be more "in the immediate moment" which can help prevent one from worrying about future, fretting about the past, or impulsively acting in the present with harmful behaviors due to discomfort. This practice underlies all the other skills taught and can help you to be more aware and to make different choices than in the past.
II. Distress Tolerance
The purpose of distress tolerance skills is to help you get through difficult times or a crisis without making them worse, both by actively coping in new ways and by accepting the situation.
III. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Similar to assertiveness skills, interpersonal effectiveness skills focus on communicating effectively to get what you want and need in relationships, while preserving the relationships and feeling good about yourself.
IV. Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation skills address understanding your emotions better, reducing vulnerability to negative moods, increasing positive emotions, and coping with painful feelings more effectively.
What is your training and experience with DBT?
I received some formal training through Behavioral Tech, LLC, on DBT skill instruction in 2009, but had been doing self-study through readings and training manuals on DBT for some years prior. I started using DBT in sessions with my clients who were struggling with substance abuse and engaging in other distressing compulsive behaviors, and have since incorporated DBT skills into therapy work with clients with anxiety, depression, and other presenting concerns.
Below are some resources that you might find beneficial in understanding more about DBT:
www.behavioraltech.org
www.dbtselfhelp.com
What is it?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and finds for ways to intervene and do things differently than in the past. It was originally founded by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., ABPP at the University of Washington in the early 1990s to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder. However, since that time DBT has been shown through research to be effective in treating a much wider array of mental health issues.
Sometimes, our impulses and patterns of coping during difficult situations have felt good in the moment, but has more consequences in the long run. Using DBT skills effectively can help slow this process down, and increase your choices around coping and reacting to distressing emotions or difficult circumstances with more healthful options. The skills taught fall under four categories:
I. Mindfulness
Mindfulness refers to the practice of paying attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally, to what is happening in the moment. Mindfulness helps one be more "in the immediate moment" which can help prevent one from worrying about future, fretting about the past, or impulsively acting in the present with harmful behaviors due to discomfort. This practice underlies all the other skills taught and can help you to be more aware and to make different choices than in the past.
II. Distress Tolerance
The purpose of distress tolerance skills is to help you get through difficult times or a crisis without making them worse, both by actively coping in new ways and by accepting the situation.
III. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Similar to assertiveness skills, interpersonal effectiveness skills focus on communicating effectively to get what you want and need in relationships, while preserving the relationships and feeling good about yourself.
IV. Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation skills address understanding your emotions better, reducing vulnerability to negative moods, increasing positive emotions, and coping with painful feelings more effectively.
What is your training and experience with DBT?
I received some formal training through Behavioral Tech, LLC, on DBT skill instruction in 2009, but had been doing self-study through readings and training manuals on DBT for some years prior. I started using DBT in sessions with my clients who were struggling with substance abuse and engaging in other distressing compulsive behaviors, and have since incorporated DBT skills into therapy work with clients with anxiety, depression, and other presenting concerns.
Below are some resources that you might find beneficial in understanding more about DBT:
www.behavioraltech.org
www.dbtselfhelp.com