WHAT IS DBT or DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY?

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy  or DBT, created by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. , can be likened to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in that it focuses on the cycle of thoughts, emotions and behaviors. DBT takes special care to understand the role of emotions in the human experience, and teaches multiple skills to alleviate suffering when emotions can become dysregulated or feel out of control. This particular type of therapy is useful in situations where anger, sadness or anxiety can lead to behaviors that feel extreme or are disproportionate to the trigger that elicited them. Therapy focuses on gaining an understanding on why we feel what we feel, and how we can use our emotions towards behaviors that are more in line with the life we want to live.

WHAT DOES DBT WORK TO TREAT?

DBT has been shown to be highly effective in helping individuals to: 

•  Manage anger more effectively
• Address feelings of numbness or apathy
• Decrease suicidal thoughts or self-harm behaviors
•  Learn healthy coping mechanisms in times of stress
• Decrease distractibility or ‘mindlessness’
• Learn to make healthy decisions for self
• Identify values and priorities to shape behaviors around
•  Understand the role of emotions in guiding choices
• Improve the quality of important relationships
• Decrease ambivalence

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

DBT skills can be gained through individual or group therapy sessions. You can expect to discuss problem areas, identify effective and ineffective behaviors in your own life, learn new skills, practice mindfulness exercises and be assigned home practice. DBT focuses on four main subject areas to improve quality of life: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotional Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness.