What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy?

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy that was originally developed to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

However, you do not need to have a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder in order to benefit from this type of therapy.

By balancing both acceptance and change, DBT therapists can help clients to learn a variety of useful skills to soothe intense emotions, curb impulsive behaviours, reduce self-harm and suicidal behaviours, and be more effective in their interpersonal relationships.

Who can benefit from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy?

Research has shown DBT to be effective at helping people with:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Binge eating disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Borderline personality disorder
• Bulimia
• Depression
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Self-harming or suicidal behaviours

How can Dialectical Behaviour Therapy help me?

DBT can help you to:

• Identify, tolerate, or soothe intense emotions
• Communicate your feelings more effectively
• Enhance your interpersonal relationships
• Develop a more balanced viewpoint (less black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking)
• Reduce self-harm behaviours, treat yourself with more love and compassion
• Reduce suicidal behaviours
• Have more stability in your sense of self, in your life, and in your relationships
• Feel more confident, effective, and stable

How does Dialectical Behaviour Therapy work?

DBT therapists are trained to help you to learn the following skills:

• Mindfulness
  • Practice staying focused on the present moment: dwelling less on painful past experiences or anxiety-provoking possibilities about the future, responding effectively to problems in the here-and-now, let go of harsh judgments about the self and others.
• Distress tolerance
  • Build up your emotional resilience so that you can cope more effectively with painful feelings, and learn tools to soften the impact of upsetting events. Examples: Radical acceptance, self-soothing with the five senses, distraction until the painful moment subsides.
• Emotional regulation
  • Identify and observe emotions without getting overwhelmed by them.  Manage difficult feelings in ways that are effective, as opposed to destructive or harmful.
• Interpersonal effectiveness
  • Handle conflict in a way that respects yourself and maintains your relationships with others. Express your thoughts, feelings, needs, and limits in an effective manner.