Oct 1, 20191 min read

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

http://www.clarifycounseling.com/therapy/

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy. Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, cope healthily with stress, regulate emotions, and improve relationships with others.It was originally intended for people with borderline personality disorder but has since been adapted for other conditions where the patient exhibits self-destructive behavior, such as eating disorders and substance abuse. It is also sometimes used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

DBT was developed in the late 1980s by Dr. Marsha Linehan and colleagues when they discovered that cognitive behavioral therapy alone did not work as well as expected in patients with borderline personality disorder. (https://www.verywellmind.com/dialectical-behavior-therapy-1067402).

Four areas are emphasized:

• Acceptance and validation of behavior as it is in the moment

• Treating therapy‐interfering behaviors of both client and therapist

• The assumption that the therapeutic relationship is essential to the treatment

• Dialectic process [persuasive dialogue, focus on reality]. (http://il.nami.org/ABCs%20of%20DBT.pdf)