Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a specific type of psychotherapy that was developed in the 1980’s to help people with Borderline Personality Disorders. Since then it has been used to treat many other \mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, autism, and developmental disorders. DBT is a cognitive-behavioral approach that focuses on psychosocial and emotional aspects of treatment. DBT is a method of teaching skills to help individuals cope with intense emotions.

DBT is supportive, collaborative, and cognitive based. Individuals will feel supported as they seek to better understand their strengths and build on them to improve their life and relationships. Understanding relationships is a key aspect of DBT. The therapist and client form a trusting relationship that includes the client learning new skills and the therapist encouraging positive changes. DBT helps clients to identify thoughts, beliefs and assumptions that are interfering in daily life.

DBT consists of the following components:

Weekly Individual Therapy Sessions: Individual sessions focus on decreasing and managing stressful responses and emphasize self-respect and self-image, while improving ones quality of life. Each week the participant will discuss any challenges that came up and skills used to problem solve the situations.

Weekly Skills Groups: Groups are meant to teach participants skills they can use to improve life and relationships. Participants may be asked to complete homework, engage in role play activities to practice new skills and strategies before going off to practice on their own. The groups are led by trained therapists and often last from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. During the weekly group sessions, participants will learn skills from one of four different modules: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. *At this time Busse & Reid is not offering weekly skills groups

Mindfulness
A focus on the present, while learning skills to manage the here and now and remain calm

Interpersonal Effectiveness
A focus on how an individual interacts with the people around them and in personal relationships

Distress Tolerance
The ability to accept, in a non-evaluative and nonjudgmental fashion, both oneself and the current situation

Emotional Regulation
A focus on learning skills to regulate one’s own emotions

For additional information or to make an appointment please email info@bussereid.com or call 612-219-8633