DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
The research has clearly demonstrated that psychotherapy is an effective treatment for a variety of mental illnesses. Psychotherapy is primarily talk-based therapy with a mental health clinician (psychologist, social worker, or psychotherapist) where the focus of sessions revolves around helping a person change their behavior and to overcome problems in a healthy way. There are many different models of psychotherapy that professionals work from. Evidence based therapies are backed by meticulous research and have demonstrated they are able to help clients make significant improvements in their mental health. We discussed CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) in an earlier post, and this week we are going to take a closer look at another therapy that has been becoming much more prominent, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
(DBT).
DBT was developed by the psychologist, Dr. Marsha Linehan, as a response to the lack of effective treatment for individual diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Since it’s development in
the 1980’s it has been found to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health conditions. DBT is an intensive and longer term psychotherapy and a full course of treatment generally lasts about 6 months. The central goal of DBT is for clients to develop and build a life for themselves that is meaningful and that they want be in. The term dialectic is philosophic term that means that two opposing ideas can both have validity and can be true. DBT is about establishing the right balance between accepting things as they are and also working towards change. This balance between acceptance and change is central to the work being down in DBT. One of the key assumptions within DBT is that clients are doing thet very best they can and they can also do better. It is the job of the therapist to support clients as they identify unhealthy behaviours patterns and work towards replacing them with more skillful behaviors.
DBT is a highly structured therapy and consists of 3 integral components. This first is a skills group, which clients attend weekly and learn about the necessary skills they need to develop to replace the unhealthy behaviours they are struggling with. The second components is weekly individual therapy, where the client tracks their behaviours and uses problem solving strategies to address the issues that have come up during the week. In DBT the therapist will teach and reinforce clients when they engage in adaptive behaviours so that clients learn how to reduce the emotional suffering they are experiencing. The final component within DBT is phone coaching, where clients are able to reach out their therapists for skill support between sessions.
There are four key skill sets that clients are taught in DBT, and each one plays a vital role in the clients treatment progression.
1. Mindfulness
Mindfullness is the foundation of all the DBT skills and is revisited throughout out treatment. Clients are taught how to use mindfulness to tune into the present moment and not get stuck in the negative thinking patterns that have caused them so much suffering.
2. Distress Tolerance
The focus of this module is to help clients to work through moments of emotional distress by accepting and learning how to tolerate feelings of distress during moments of internal or external conflict.
3. Emotional Regulation
Clients who are in DBT often struggle with regulating their strong emotions and become reactionary to their negative emotions. Clients learn how to identify and label their emotions as they occur and how
to reduce the intensity of negative emotions by reducing vulnerability and by increasing positive emotional events.
4. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Clients are taught how to improve their interactions with the people around them by learning how to become assertive in their communication, hold appropriate boundaries, and how to work through
conflict as it arises within their relationships.
As clients progress through DBT they develop the necessary skills so they are able to cope with emotional distress and reduce the suffering they are experiencing in their lives. They also learn how to
acceptance themselves as they are while working on changing the things that are not working for them. This balance helps clients to develop a more holistic view of themselves and can be the shift in perspective they need in order to overcome the longstanding mental health challenges they have been trying to work through.
Whether you’re navigating life changes, facing emotional challenges, or simply looking to better understand yourself, therapy can provide support and guidance. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and take the next step toward improved mental health and emotional well-being.
