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What is DBT and how can it help me?

Designed in the early 1990's, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) gives hope and confidence to clients. Developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., DBT was originally used to treat chronic suicidal individuals. However, now therapists across the country use it to help treat a wider range of mental health issues including but not limited to Borderline Personality Disorder, eating disorders and addictions. The individual skills programming is divided into four sections of skills which help clients to learn how to effectively manage urges to use chemicals, gamble, binge eat or self-harm.

Core Mindfulness Skills:

The "Core" Skills of DBT skills training

Become more mindful of thoughts, feelings and urges and acting with intuition

Decrease the amount of judgments clients make about themselves and others

Participating and "throwing yourself in" (with wise mind)

Distress Tolerance Skills:

Tolerate and survive a crisis (without making it worse)

"Distract" themselves in their attempts to regulate their emotions

Self-soothing the fives senses in times of a crisis

"Radically Accepting" the crisis as it is and letting go of the struggle

Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills:

Skills to help clients make requests and say NO (and have it stick)

Teaching clients how to improve and attend to relationships

Self-respect in the client and the respect others have for them

Emotion Regulation Skills:

Regulate or even change intense emotions

Decrease emotional vulnerability in clients

Decrease negative emotions and increase the positive

"Building a Life Worth Living"- recreational, leisure/pleasant activities schedules and or planning to prevent relapse on skills training.

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