Dialectical
Behavior Therapy (DBT)

A Life-Enhancing Tool

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is all about adding tools to your mental toolbox. If you’re looking for a skill-based therapy, meaning a therapy that teaches you concrete skills to handle your behavior and emotions, DBT is for you.

But what is DBT?

In a nutshell, DBT is a combination of both cognitive and behavioral therapies. [In the therapy world, it’s considered a sub-category of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).]

Dr. Marsha Linehan and her colleagues developed DBT in the late 1980s when they found out CBT alone was not as effective as they’d hoped for patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). So they added some even better techniques and viola! – DBT was born.

End in Mind

In DBT, clients work alongside their therapist to accept where they are – while becoming okay with the idea that they can change for the better, as they learn the skills to help them do so.

DBT’s goal is to transform negative thinking patterns and destructive behaviors into positive outcomes. It does this through teaching mindfulness (being in the present moment), distress tolerance (developing healthy ways to handle negative emotion), emotion regulation (making the individual – not their emotions – in charge), and interpersonal effectiveness (improving interactions and quality of relationships).

Tried and True

DBT is evidence-based and is very effective. While it was initially created to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), it has readily been adapted to treat a wide variety of mental health needs.

DBT can help those who have a hard time regulating their emotions (such as those with BPD) or those showing self-destructive behaviors such as eating disorders and substance abuse. It is also used to help those with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Let’s Get to Work

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy can be an excellent fit for those who want to see how they are affecting their improvement!

If you want to work on what’s gone awry in your life… If you want to be a significant part of the healing process and see how your own emotions and behavior are affecting your life – DBT is for you.

Call us today and ask for one of our DBT-trained therapists!