Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a compassionate type of behavioral therapy that is intended to help people move towards having a life that feels more meaningful and worth living. It is an evidence based treatment that has proved effective for anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, addictive disorders and impulse control disorders. By combining standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation with the concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance and mindfulness, the skills taught by DBT strengthen a person’s ability to handle their emotions without losing control or engaging in destructive behavior. Here at HCPT, we utilize expressive arts techniques to maximize the benefits of DBT.

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DBT is an evidenced based modality which has been proven effective in helping people:

• Understand and manage overwhelming emotions

• Learn more about themselves and how they think

• Reduce emotional instability and impulsive behaviors

• Learn more effective ways of coping with stress

• Improve relationships and identify effective relationships in their life

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Who Benefits from DBT? 

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DBT teaches skills useful to pretty much everyone. These include skills like learning to accurately recognize emotions in you and others, tolerating difficult emotions, and engaging with others effectively. HCPT does not require clients have a mental health diagnosis to enroll in DBT; however, we do require you to be engaged in individual therapy on a weekly basis either with a HCPT clinicians or with another therapist in the community.

 

The DBT Skills

 

Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches skills that help reduce the intensity and frequency of overwhelming emotions, while also offering guidance for navigating these distressing emotional moments. DBT skills are divided into four skill sets: Mindfulness & the Middle Path Distress Tolerance Emotion Regulation Interpersonal Effectiveness Together, these skill sets help build the foundation for a life that feels more meaningful and worthwhile.

 

Mindfulness and the Middle Path

 

Mindfulness is a core concept within DBT that promotes full awareness of your present moment (i.e. thoughts, feelings and physical sensations) without judgment and without trying to change it. Mindfulness and the Middle Path strives to:

• Focus the mind

• Direct attention

• Achieve a better understanding of feelings

• Validate self and others

• Recognize the dialectic

 

Distress Tolerance

 

Pain is a part of life, and being unable to deal with pain may lead to impulsive or destructive behavior. The goal of Distress Tolerance is to help people better cope with painful or distressing moments in more effective ways that won’t make the situation worse.

 

Emotion Regulation

 

Emotion Regulation concentrates on taking control of emotions. Difficulty controlling extreme emotions can lead to impulsive or ineffective behaviors. The goals of Emotion Regulation are to:

• Better understand the emotions you experience

• Reduce emotional vulnerability

• Decrease emotional suffering

 

Interpersonal Effectiveness

 

The focus of Interpersonal Effectiveness is building and maintaining positive relationships. This module introduces tools to express beliefs and needs, set limits and negotiate solutions to problems without threatening relationships with others. Interpersonal Effectiveness skills can help in:

• Taking care of relationships

• Balancing your needs with the demands and needs of others

• Balancing things you want to do with things you ought to do

• Building/developing mastery of self and self-respect

 

*Miller, Rathus, & Landsman (1999). Adapted from Marsha M. Linehan’s Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder, Guilford Press, 1993.

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What is the cost for the DBT skills classes?

 

Each DBT skills class module consists of eight 90 minute classes billed at $80 per class x 8 for HCPT Client; $85 x 8 for outside therapist clients.  There is an additional $50 materials fee per module. 

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