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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to help people manage intense emotions, improve relationships, and handle stress in healthier ways. It was originally developed to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), but it’s now used for a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse.
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There are four core categories of skills in DBT:
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Mindfulness: This involves learning to stay present in the moment without judgment. Mindfulness skills help individuals become more attuned to their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, so they can respond thoughtfully, rather than reacting impulsively.
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Distress Tolerance: This teaches skills to handle painful or difficult emotions and situations without making them worse. It’s about learning how to cope with crises in a healthy way instead of turning to harmful behaviors (like self-harm or substance use).
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Emotion Regulation: These skills help individuals understand and manage their emotions more effectively. Emotion regulation tools are about identifying emotions, reducing emotional vulnerability, and increasing positive emotions in day-to-day life.
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Interpersonal Effectiveness: This focuses on improving relationships by teaching skills for healthy communication, setting boundaries, and handling conflicts. It helps individuals express their needs while maintaining respect for themselves and others.
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Throughout DBT, the therapist helps individuals to take a "dialectical" approach, which means balancing two opposing forces: acceptance and change. The goal of DBT is ultimately to help people accept their emotions and experiences as they are, while also working to change harmful behaviors.