Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an empirically researched treatment modality developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. at the University of Washington, that focuses on helping people manage and cope with the hurt, fear, guilt and shame that is often the result of impulsive decision-making and inability to regulate intense emotions.

DBT assumes that:

• At any given moment people are doing the best they can, with the knowledge they have.
• People  who struggle with difficult emotions may have struggled with suicide attempts, self-harm, or drug use because these actions appear to solve the problem in the short term.
• In addition a core DBT assumption is that most people desperately want to feel better and live a more rewarding fulfilling life.
• Most of the self destructive behaviors or drug abuse are an effort to escape from severe emotional pain.
• When given more effective ways of dealing with the problem, most people are generally are motivated to live a life worth living.

This is achieved in a three-pronged approach that involves the teaching of very specific skills via the methods of weekly group skills training, individual therapy, and telephone coaching.

The Skills Group setting provides group support for clients, while homework assignments develop the practice of newly acquired skills.  Homework review at each group session reinforces the previous week’s skills practice.

Skills are taught in the following areas:

Mindfulness: learning to be in control of your own mind, rather than allowing your mind to be in control of you.

Distress Tolerance: learning that pain and distress are part of our life story; that they cannot entirely be removed or avoided, and that there are ways to cope in the moment to tolerate and reduce the enormity of distress and crisis.

Emotion Regulation: learning about your emotions, how to experience them without becoming overwhelmed or confused, and how you can change the emotion or reduce its intensity.

Interpersonal Effectiveness:  learning how to use problem solving skills and assertiveness to modify uncomfortable situations in order to get what you want and need, while also maintaining your self-respect and the respect of others.

Clients meet with their therapist weekly in Individual Therapy to maintain emotional support, troubleshoot the most critical problem behaviors, and reduce behavior patterns that no longer serve the client.

Clients are invited to call their primary therapist for Telephone Coaching when they find themselves in a crisis situation. It is designed to help clients practice the DBT skills where they matter most i.e. in real-life situations.  When clients find themselves in difficult situations and need help in putting the skills to work, calling their coach can be especially helpful.