DBT Skills Training
Have you been struggling with emotion dysregulation? Maybe you've been feeling like you're on an emotional rollercoaster - with ups and downs that are hard to predict. Or perhaps you're struggling to feel present in your life at any given moment, or to hold back from impulsive negative behavior. Maybe you have a hard time making and maintaining relationships, and figuring out how to balance being fair to yourself and to others at the same time. If so - DBT might be the answer for you.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an effective treatment for people struggling with any form of emotion dysregulation. Originally developed to treat highly suicidal patients or those with Borderline Personality Disorder, DBT is now used to treat almost any mental health issue, from anxiety, to depression, to bipolar disorder, and more. DBT is also often taught to the general population, including those without a mental health diagnosis, as a proactive, preventive way to enhance mental health.
DBT skills consist of four main modules - Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. Mindfulness skills enhance our ability to be present and pay attention in our lives at any given moment. Mindfulness increases our self-understanding, as we intentionally recognize and experience thoughts and emotions without trying to push them away. Distress tolerance helps reduce impulsive behavior by increasing our ability to handle difficult emotions. Emotion regulation skills teach us how to regulate, modulate, or change our emotions in a given situation or over the course of time. Emotion regulation skills aim to stabilize moods and increase positive experiences. Lastly, Interpersonal Effectiveness skills teach us how to create and maintain healthy relationships, and how to get what we want in a relationship while maintaining our self-respect and our connection to others.
DBT skills training is often conducted in a group format. For clients who are already in a DBT group, I offer DBT-informed therapy and coaching as an adjunct to your group, to enhance and reinforce your skills use, and help you adapt the skills you are learning in groups to your personal life. Many DBT groups require that each client is also in individual therapy during the course of the group.
For clients new to DBT, I offer individual, one-on-one skills training. I will go through the DBT manuals with you and teach each skill set to you during our online sessions. Then, I will help you personalize the skills and apply them to your life. I will assign homework to practice the skills, and to review videos that teach the skills.
DBT skills help people create a life worth living. What are you waiting for? Contact me to schedule a free phone consultation and see if DBT is right for you.