Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an intensive, structured, and skills-based approach to therapy that provides clients with an accepting, validating environment to learn to effectively manage distress and self-destructive behaviors, become more present, navigate relationships, and strive towards a meaningful life.
DBT can help with:
- Self-Harm
- Eating Disorders
- Substance Use Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
DBT teaches clients skills in 4 areas:
- Mindfulness: Approaches to being present in the here-and-now.
- Distress Tolerance: Skills to manage intense negative emotions and urges until they subside.
- Emotion Regulation: Strategies to effectively respond to emotions that are the root cause of problems in a person’s life.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness: Techniques to communicate with others in a confident, assertive way that maintains self-respect and strengthens relationships.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy focuses on “dialectics” to encourage clients to allow seemingly opposing forces to coexist, such as acceptance and change, independence and dependence, and pursuit of joy and loss of energy. Typically, DBT therapy includes practicing skills during and in between sessions, tracking skills and targeted symptoms through a daily “diary card,” and reviewing and problem-solving around these experiences with your therapist.