Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a style of talking therapy rooted in the balance of two concepts: acceptance and change and is very helpful if you are the kind of person who experiences emotions very intensely and has the commitment to making positive changes in yourself with the help of a DBT therapist.
Over time dialectical behaviour therapy will provide you with new skills to help you learn how to understand and manage yourself as a person and apply your focus mostly on the present and future in relation to yourself, rather than on your past.
Much like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), there is a focus on identifying behaviours and acquiring practical tools to change them. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy focuses on four key areas: distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness.
Treatment can consist of individual therapy sessions, group skills sessions, or a combination of both, and might include ‘homework’ where you practice specific skills in your own time. DBT can also be used more generally to improve emotional regulation, the tolerance of distress and negative emotion, mindfulness, and communication and interpersonal effectiveness.
- depression
- bulimia
- binge-eating
- bipolar disorder
- PTSD
- substance abuse