DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (DBT)
DBT, developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan and her team in the 1980s and 1990s, created techniques and developed a treatment intended to meet the unique needs of individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. Studies have since shown DBT is also effective for Suicide and Self-harming Behavior, other Mood Disorders such as Anxiety and Depression, Substance Use Disorders, PTSD, ADHD, and Eating Disorders (Binge and Bulimia).
DBT incorporates a philosophical process called dialectics which asserts:
Everything is composed of opposites.
Change occurs when there is a "dialogue" between opposing forces.
Dialectical assumptions:
All things are interconnected.
Change is constant and inevitable.
Opposites can be integrated to form a closer approximation of the truth.
“The day when I was sitting in the piano room by myself, a lonely soul in the midst of other lonely souls in the unit, I am not sure what made me do what I did next. Whatever it was, there and then I made a vow to God that I would get myself out of hell and that, once I did, I would go back into hell and get others out. That vow has guided and controlled most of my life since then.”
Some other DBT assumptions are:
Problems exhibited by individuals are caused by skills deficits.
Failure to use effective behavior is often a result of not knowing skillful behavior, or when / how to use it.
Skills Training teaches the individual a set of behavioral skills to strengthen their ability to use those skills in their everyday lives.
These skills are Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Distress Tolerance.
“This is one of the most powerful and transformational groups I have ever had the privilege of facilitating - twenty-four weeks of pure wonder, listening and responding non-judgmentally in the present moment to your own emotions, mind, heart, and soul. If any of the above speaks to you, if you are tired of pain and isolation, learning these skills might be the next best step in your path toward wellness.
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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Skills Training is a psycho-educational group helping individuals develop specific skills to cope with daily internal and external stressors. DBT focuses mindfully on the present moment, quieting rumination, identifying and reframing core beliefs and thinking errors, decreasing stress, increasing distress tolerance, regulating emotions, communicating assertively with no self-betrayal and with the ability to say yes or no as one pleases. DBT was developed specifically for people with Borderline Personality Disorder, but studies have shown it is also effective with mood disorders, and PTSD.
DBT group meets on Thursday evenings 6pm to 8pm.