Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
SKILLS AND STRATEGIES THAT WILL ASSIST YOU THROUGHOUT LIFE.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) created by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. This evidence-based therapy has been heavily researched and validated to be effective with a variety of mental health concerns including PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), Borderline Personality Disorder, suicidal ideation, self-harming behaviors, depression, and substance dependence.
The “D” in DBT stands for dialectical, which means a synthesis or integration of opposites. Dialectics are things that seem to be opposed or in conflict and yet they are both real or true. Dialectics can included balancing self and others, giving and receiving, or winning and losing. DBT therapists accept clients as they are while also acknowledging that they need to change to reach their goals. The skills and strategies taught in DBT are balanced in terms of acceptance and change. For example, the four skill modules of DBT include two sets of acceptance-oriented skills (mindfulness and distress tolerance) and two sets of change-oriented skills (emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness).
The four sets of behavioral skills taught in DBT include:
- MINDFULNESS: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment. People who utilize mindfulness in their lives are able to stay balanced, remain nonjudgmental, and work to be effective at time and self-management.
- DISTRESS TOLERANCE: this skill teaches how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it. It’s about being able to deal with stress, drama, and crises in skillful ways.
- EMOTIONAL REGULATION: regulating your emotions includes working to change emotions that you want to change, and learning impulse control. This skill includes tolerating and coping with emotions, impulses, urges and cravings, while not acting on them automatically.
- INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS: this skill teaches how to ask for what you want, and how to say “no” while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others. You will learn to balance investment in relationships, commitment to self, and the ability to communicate effectively.