What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and belongs to the so-called “Third Wave” of CBT. It was created by Marsha Linnehan and from the very beginning was dedicated to people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and people in a suicidal crisis or self-injury. Currently, it is also used by people with other diagnoses, in which emotional regulation disorders are an important factor (e.g. eating disorders or recurrent depression).
This type of therapy uses many methods of behavioral therapy and is based on a bio-psycho-social model in which many factors (such as high emotional sensitivity or the environment in which we grow up) influence our habits and ways of coping. In the dialectical-behavioral understanding, many difficulties of people experiencing emotional dysregulation (very quickly appearing, strong, long-lasting emotions) result from insufficient skills to deal with such strong emotions. Therefore, in addition to regular individual therapy, part of the DBT program is participation in group skills training. We provide the private dbt therapy in London so an important element is also telephone coaching with an individual therapist – specific rules for contacting the therapist are established in order to help in the use of new,
Individual therapy
During individual therapy, we try to understand how it happens that a given person struggles with such problems and crises, and to think about how to solve these problems. Of course, reasons from the past are very important. We take them into account and analyze specific, present problems, trying to implement new solutions and generalize new skills. A very important element is ongoing monitoring in the form of an observation card of your mood and problematic behavior.
Group skills training
Skills training is not the same as group therapy. It is a kind of workshop conducted by two trainers (often one of the trainers will also be an individual therapist) focused on learning and practicing new skills. During the training, we do not share life stories, we do not talk about personal, life matters, but together we learn skills that help to deal with emotions. Training lasts two hours and takes place in small groups (maximum 12 people).
The topics are divided into four modules:
- mindfulness – helps to develop the ability to focus on the present (instead of the past or future), experience the present moment, act effectively, adopt a non-judgmental attitude
- tolerance of mental discomfort – helps to endure really strong emotions
- emotion regulation – helps you better understand, recognize and deal with different emotions
- interpersonal effectiveness – helps in creating healthy, lasting relationships based on mutual respect for each other and their boundaries
What is worth knowing – summary
- it is a therapy that lasts at least a year
- is based on cooperation and partnership
- therapy begins with qualification for the DBT program
- to be effective, it is necessary to participate in individual therapy AND skills training
- DBT therapists meet regularly as part of small consulting teams, during which they improve their skills, talk about therapeutic doubts and difficulties; this helps to maintain job satisfaction and attentiveness to the patient’s problems
- the core of the problems DBT helps with is EMOTIONAL DISREGULATION
For people:
- with emotional dysregulation (feeling strong, overwhelming, difficult to control emotions)
- diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
- impulsive
- experience hare outbursts of anger
- performing self-injury
- experiencing suicidal thoughts, suicidal crises
- with eating disorders, binge eating
- with recurring relationship problems, engaging in short, unstable relationships
- feeling emptiness, having difficulties in understanding their own identity
