Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Exhausted. Ashamed. Afraid.

You’re tired of hurting yourself. You just can’t seem to keep from lashing out at yourself or others. Your head is spinning from the difficulties of your relationships, and you feel empty inside. Sometimes, you wonder whether you’re going crazy.

You’ve tried to control yourself but still fly into a rage when someone pushes your buttons. You’ve snapped at people so much that you may soon lose your job.

You’re sick and tired of feeling like you’re a freak because you get more upset than other people do.

But not hopeless.

If this sounds like you or someone you love, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is probably a good fit for you.

DBT is designed for Borderline Personality Disorder, depression, anxiety, OCD, and other conditions where managing emotions is challenging.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) generates significant emotional instability that can lead to various other stressful mental and behavioral problems.

With BPD, you may have a severely distorted self-image and feel worthless and flawed.

Anger, impulsivity, and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you may desire to have loving and lasting relationships.

If you have BPD, don’t get discouraged!

Many people with this disorder get better with treatment and can live satisfying lives.

With a combination of individual therapy – where we work to identify and discontinue negative patterns of self-harm and heal old wounds – and group therapy – where you learn skills, you will receive a comprehensive system of support.

Multiple components

The components of your DBT therapy will include:

Mindfulness – through daily practice of present moment awareness, you’ll learn to identify thoughts and feelings, to untangle from them, and to develop a nonjudgmental perspective toward self and others.

Crisis management – you’ll learn to develop a toolbox of skills for helping you calm down before reacting when an emotional crisis occurs. You’ll practice self-care and manage your stress in health-affirming ways.

Emotion regulation – building emotional intelligence is critical to managing the overwhelm that comes with BPD. You’ll learn to identify your emotional states; understand the relationship between emotions, thoughts, and actions; and use more skillful ways of working with your emotional self.

Assertiveness training – learning to set boundaries is critical for the person with BPD. In this module, you’ll learn how to respect yourself and others, and communicate your needs clearly and effectively.

DBT Skills Group

You may wonder why a group is important to your healing.

For some, taking part in a group may feel uncomfortable. If so, you’re not alone.

You may have experienced other groups in which members told in-depth stories about tough experiences. Or you may have seen this kind of group therapy in the media.

DBT Skills Group is more of an educational experience. For people who have more sensitive emotional systems, a distinct set of coping tools is necessary.

If you were a carpenter and were trying to bang a screw into a board with a hammer, you might make a mess and feel incompetent. If, however, you have a screwdriver in your hand, the job becomes a breeze!

I’m not saying the tools you’ll learn in the skills group will automatically make your life a breeze; however, the skills will provide you alternative ways to solve problems for yourself that you may not have learned before. This group is an opportunity to get advanced work in life skills – skills that will stay with you forever.

How skills groups work

The DBT Skills Group is ongoing. It meets once each week for 90 minutes, and we structure each group session in the same way.

We begin with ten minutes of mindfulness practice. Participants present homework from the week before.

They then learn new skills and discuss their application so that each person feels confident about putting that skill to work in the coming week. They then receive homework based on the new skill.

It takes about six months to complete all the skills offered in the program. Some people feel one round of group is enough to launch them into a more effective way of living; others stick around for an additional six months to make sure they get the skills down pat. We also keep group membership small – usually about six people at a time.

Ready for groups?

If you are ready to explore the option of joining a skills group, call me. We’ll chat on the phone for 10-15 minutes. If you’re a candidate for the group, we‘ll schedule to meet in person. To join a skills group, your therapist needs to be familiar with DBT skills. That therapist does not have to be me.

I have many people in the group who currently see other therapists. I may want to connect with your current therapist to talk about the support you will need from them while you are a member of the skills group.

If you’re interested in exploring the skills group further, reach out. I’d love to hear from you!

Freedom through control

Let me help.

If you’re ready to calm down, stop crises before they start, and create healthy relationships – beginning with yourself – call me today for a free consult. Call (540) 492-0773.