Dialectical Behavioral Therapy-(DBT)Therapy Approach

About DBT

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, evidence-based treatment designed to help individuals manage intense emotions, reduce self-destructive behaviors, and improve relationships. DBT helps individuals accept their current reality while empowering them to make meaningful changes, especially in unhelpful behaviors.

Originally developed for borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT has been proven effective for a wide range of mental health challenges, including anxiety, select forms of eating disorders, depression, substance use, trauma, suicide ideation, self-harm, and emotional dysregulation.

DBT Core Skills

Mindfulness

Mindfulness encourages individuals to become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and surroundings in the present moment without judgment. It helps build focus, clarity, and emotional balance.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Learn skills to help you navigate and nourish secure and healthy relationships more. These skills may include strategies for asserting needs, effective communication skills, setting boundaries, and maintaining self-respect while strengthening connections with others.

Individual Therapy

  • Your therapist will engage with you in individual sessions.

  • Sessions will likely start weekly at a minimum.

  • Expect homework assignments to complete in between sessions throughout treatment.

Distress Tolerance Skills

Learn skills that help you better cope with painful situations, triggers, and/or emotions that are less impactful for you and your relationships both now and in the future. Techniques may include distraction, self-soothing, and radical acceptance.

Emotion Regulation

Gain insight into your emotions and how they are impact you and others. To help you learn skills that better help you manage intense emotions. Skills include identifying emotions, reducing vulnerability to emotional dysregulation, and increasing positive emotional experiences.

What to Expect With DBT Approach to Therapy

Group Therapy

  • Depending on your symptoms, you may be referred to participate in group therapy.

  • The goal of group therapy is to give you an additional place to develop and practice skills taught in DBT.

Related Resources/ Recommendation

Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir by Marsha M. Linehan: Linehan, M. (2020). Building a life worth living: A memoir. First edition. Random House