What is Dialectical Behavioral Training?
Dialectical Behavioral Treatment (DBT) was formulated in the 1970’s and is the first empirically based treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Research has also identified DBT as an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD, disordered eating, alcoholism, and substance issues as well as managing life stressors (Feigenbaum,2007; Katz, Gunasekara & Miller, 2002; Lynch & Chapman, Rosenthal, Kuo, & Linehan,2006; Lynch & Cheavens, 2008; McMain et al., 2001Quinn, 2009; Swales, Heard, & Williams,2000).
Individuals often struggle in silene with unmanaged mental health symptoms. Additional areas in which DBT skills has been found to be effective include but are not limited to; coping with transitions (divorce, death, moving, parenting, aging parents, employment), building and maintaining relationships, settling boundaries, finding balance, effectively communicating wants and needs, and managing distress of the past or staying in the present.
DBT focuses on four primary areas of skill development: Emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. As knowledge and application of skills increase, group members often benefit from a decrease in self-judgement and greater self-esteem.
Emotion regulation: skills help individuals to validate their emotions, clearly identify feelings and sensations within their body, and effectively regulate responses.
Distress tolerance: skills help individuals to cope with painful events by introducing skills that soften the effects of upsetting circumstances. Instead of avoiding or acting on impulse urges within stressful situations, DBT helps individuals to accept, find meaning for, and navigate through distress skillfully.
Interpersonal effectiveness: skills give individuals the tools to ask for what they need, set healthy boundaries, be assertive, and manage interpersonal conflict. Interpersonal effectiveness focuses on negotiating solutions to problems while protecting relationships and treating self and others with respect.
Mindfulness: skills help individuals to fully appreciate the present moment while focusing less on distressing experiences of the past or frightening possibilities in the future. Mindfulness gives individuals the tools to overcome habitual, negative judgments and distractions.