DBT

What is DBT?

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that began with efforts to treat borderline personality disorder(BPD). DBT can be useful in treating mood disorders including Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), and for change in behavioral patterns such as self-harm, self-sabotage, and avoidance. While DBT was developed for BPD it has been shown to be helpful for many people needing additional skills to be successful including; Depression, ADHD, Binge Eating Disorders, Dependent Personality Disorder, relationship conflict, and Trauma (just to name a few).

Adherent DBT involves 4 components:

  • Individual therapy

  • Skills training

  • Phone coaching

  • Consultation team for the therapist (to ensure they are sticking to the treatment and reduce therapist burnout).

Skills Group is an excellent way to get better faster, and it might be more cost effective, and many people find that once they settle in, they look forwards to skills group all week. At Waystation we follow the DBT principal that skills group should be fun! Skills can also be taught one on one for those with a difficult schedule.

Improvement happens from learning skills whether or not you complete your homework, however, research shows that if you make a full commitment, you'll get better faster.

How Does DBT Work? (from WebMD)

Comprehensive DBT focuses on four ways to enhance life skills:

  • Distress tolerance: Feeling intense emotions like anger without reacting impulsively or using self-injury or substance abuse to dampen distress.

  • Emotion regulation: Recognizing, labeling, and adjusting emotions.

  • Mindfulness: Becoming more aware of self and others and attentive to the present moment.

  • Interpersonal effectiveness: Navigating conflict and interacting assertively.

DBT offers a commonsense, multistage approach:

  • Stage 1: Treats the most self-destructive behavior, such as suicide attempts or self-injury.

  • Stage 2: Begins to address quality-of-life skills, such as emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

  • Stage 3: Focuses on improved relationships and self-esteem.

  • Stage 4: Promotes more joy and relationship connection.