Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy for individuals who frequently experience intense emotions. While DBT is a standard therapy option for individuals with borderline personality disorder, it is also an effective treatment for other mental health conditions.
The roots of DBT lie in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or talk therapy, which helps people understand how their thoughts affect their emotions and behaviors. The term dialectical refers to combining opposing ideas, or in the case of DBT, accepting the reality of a situation while making positive changes. By combining CBT with Zen acceptance strategies, DBT can help improve emotion regulation, increase self-esteem, and generate an overall sense of calm.
At Greenwich Psychology Group, our experienced clinicians provide DBT to adults and children. Throughout their sessions, our patients learn cognitive behavioral and mindfulness skills so they can identify and manage their emotions to create the best life they can imagine.
DBT is an evidence-based treatment option that offers numerous benefits for individuals, such as:
Mindfulness is the cornerstone of DBT and emphasizes being present in the moment. Mindfulness helps patients learn to understand, accept, and observe their emotions without judgment, and to focus on the here-and-now in a calm, collected way. Mindfulness helps individuals develop a more balanced sense of self, which can help with intense emotions and reactivity.
Emotional regulation teaches patients how to navigate difficult or powerful emotions more effectively. By learning how to identify and validate feelings, the process of change ceases to feel impossible, and the transformation towards emotional health feels more like an attainable reality.
Interpersonal efficacy helps patients understand their relationships with others and handle conflict appropriately. It teaches them how to get what they want from others while sticking to their values, maintaining relationships, and fostering the independence they need to move forward.
Distress tolerance focuses on tolerating and minimizing the distress felt when faced with negative emotions. It teaches patients how to accept the current situation and cope with stressful situations.
Radical acceptance: Radical acceptance is the acknowledgment of reality ‘as it is,’ rather than trying to fight or deny painful events and emotions. This doesn’t mean approving or endorsing what may have happened, but by accepting things ‘as they are,’ patients can begin to develop effective solutions for moving forward and making change possible.
At Greenwich Psychology Group, our symptom checker helps clients track their symptoms of depression or anxiety. Taking the assessment doesn't provide a formal diagnosis, but it can help you determine what next steps you may need to take. The evaluation uses a series of questions to review the feelings and symptoms you've experienced over the past two weeks. The results will help you distinguish if professional help is the best next step.
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