What is DBT?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment created in the 1980s by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., and was typically used to treat personality disorders. DBT has also been successful in treating issues like depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, PTSD and Personality Disorders. Personality disorders can often lead to unmanageable emotions and difficulties in relationships.
Through DBT treatment at TMH, a therapist will provide you with the skills needed to become more mindful of the present moment, handle difficult emotions, and communicate more effectively with others. You will learn how to apply the skills you have learned to your everyday life and target problems that might come your way.
The word Dialectical in DBT challenges black and white thinking patterns and brings together the two opposite ideas of acceptance and change and proposes that both together create the best results in improving mental health.
DBT focuses on these core principles:
Mindfulness: Non-judgemental awareness of the present moment
Distress tolerance: Handling crisis with greater calm and acceptance to improve the outcome
Emotion regulation: Changing undesired emotions and reducing vulnerability to them
Interpersonal effectiveness: Getting more needs met while preserving both relationships and self respect