Dialetical Behavioral Therapy - Greenwich Psychology Group

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Children and Adolescents

DBT is a comprehensive, modular treatment program that teaches skills according to a specific curriculum. The multiple factors impacting an individual are addressed to help patients develop self-awareness, skills, and motivation to change, with an emphasis on the interaction between the person and their environment. When working with children and adolescents, families are also included in the therapy process to support the work that is done individually with the youth.

Who can benefit from Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

DBT is a highly skills-oriented form of therapy. While this form of therapy is highly effective for children and adolescents who experience problems across multiple areas, the same skills can also be applied effectively to less serious problems. In fact, it is considered an effective treatment for problems and conditions including depression, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, self-harm, suicidality, substance use disorder, eating disorders, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

DBT skill areas:

Emotion regulation

These are skills that help youth to cope with strong emotions. One goal of DBT is to decrease the ups and downs of extreme emotions and mood-dependent behaviors and increase emotional stability. While emotional dysregulation can be developmentally appropriate (for example, a toddler throwing a tantrum or a teenager experiencing hormonal changes that make them especially sensitive or emotional), these skills include strategies and behaviors that young people of all ages can use to protect themselves from emotional extremes.

Distress tolerance

DBT works on strengthening these skills to help children and adolescents recognize and consciously control urges to do things that are ineffective, such as angry outbursts or self-harming behaviors, and that stem from strong emotional experiences. These skills aim to increase children’s and teens’ awareness, willingness, and ability to accept reality as it is so they can reduce impulsive behaviors and make desired changes.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness in DBT refers to the practice of being fully aware and present in the current moment. These skills can help with noticing and accepting thoughts and feelings without judgment so a person can think and act more deliberately and effectively. Mindfulness training can also help reduce stress and promote healthy executive functioning.

Interpersonal effectiveness

Impulsive behaviors are often triggered by interactions with other people, including peers and adults. The resulting interpersonal conflict can cause additional problems such as stress, low self-esteem, and loneliness. Interpersonal effectiveness skills focus on communication and relational skills that help children and adolescents to improve relationships and get what they want from interactions with family, friends, and teachers.

Walking the Middle Path

This is a skill area that is addressed with both children or adolescents and their parents. It focuses on improving communication and understanding by balancing acceptance and change. The underlying idea behind Walking the Middle Path is “dialectics,” or understanding that there can be truth to more than one point of view, even when those views appear to be opposite or conflicting. The goal of these skills is to promote understanding and validation of the other person’s perspective and allow for compromise and negotiation.

Take the GPG Symptom Checker

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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