Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy and is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that combines trauma and emotional focused approaches with strategies such as, mindfulness, acceptance and distress tolerance. 

The approach was developed by Dr Marsha Linehan who developed the program in response to her own mental health problems and an inability to find an approach that worked. Dialectics in DBT involve bringing together opposites and considering what’s being left out by teaching patients how to engage the wise mind in balancing the logical mind and the emotional mind. For those who access DBT, the emotional mind is often dominant and clients find it difficult to tolerate strong emotions and may have developed harmful coping strategies and behavior patterns. 

In DBT, there are 3 categories of targets: life-threatening behavior, therapy-interfering behavior, and quality-of-life-interfering behaviors (including self-harm). DBT is an evidenced based approach and has been found to be effective in helping people with with a range of concerns. These include; borderline personality disorder, self-harming and suicidal behaviors, anxiety and depressive disorders, bi-polar and many more presenting difficulties.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy consists of individual sessions and group work. There are four modules that include group work within which distress tolerance, emotional regulation, mindfulness and interpersonal skills are taught. At Reverse Psychology we run the full DBT program for both adolescents and adults.