Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
It is hard to communicate effectively with others, regulate your emotions, and cope with difficult situations in your life. You would like to learn more about mindfulness and increase your attention/focus on things that matter to you. Overall, you’d like to be more grounded.
If this sounds like you, then dialectical behavior therapy or DBT may be a great fit to meet your needs.
What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?
DBT is a form of psychotherapy that was originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, mental health professionals have found this treatment approach to be very effective in treating a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, and more.
DBT finds the synergy between acceptance and change. In counseling, a DBT therapist asks both client and therapist to find a balance between accepting reality as it is and maintaining a strong commitment to change.
DBT is ideally offered in an environment that is warm and validating. A DBT therapist will challenge their client and provide guidance to foster behavioral change and reduce harmful behaviors such as self-harm or substance use for example. The goal is to help clients create “a life worth living.”
Dialectical behavioral therapy teaches tools and techniques to help people learn how to effectively communicate with their loved ones while caring for themselves.
Research has shown that DBT is most effective when it includes:
Individual therapy
Weekly skills training group
Help with skills application by phone with the individual therapist between sessions.
Individual DBT
It’s recommended that clients work with a therapist for one on one sessions. During these sessions, you will review diary cards, then discuss how to best meet your goals moving forward while also addressing any issues that are occurring.
DBT SKlls
Learning these skills will help you focus on the four core lessons that are listed below. Each group session will be a time for skills learning and feedback on the effectiveness of your use of skills throughout the week.
The Four Core Lessons include
Mindfulness: The practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment
Interpersonal Effectiveness: How to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others
Distress Tolerance: How to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it
Emotional Regulation: How to change emotions that you want to change
DBT Informed Therapy
At WellMinded Counseling we offer Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Informed Care which means that we utilize DBT as a modality in sessions with clients, however we currently do not hold Dialectical Behavioral Therapy groups, or coaching calls, as that would be consider Comprehensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy treatment.
Common Questions about DBT
Who benefits from DBT?
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) was initially developed to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder who were suicidal or frequently self-harming. It has since evolved. Research now shows that DBT is effective for anyone experiencing chronic emotion dysregulation – which can look like the following:
Over-control of emotions
Under-control of emotions
Lability
Anger and hostility
Profound shame
Extreme guilt
Intense sadness
Suicide attempts
Suicide threats
Suicide ideation/thoughts/plans
Cutting, burning
Substance abuse/dependence
Gambling/shoplifting
Overspending
Poor choices in relationships
Is DBT a trauma treatment?
No. The majority of clients who come to DBT have single or multiple traumas. However, in DBT, we believe that if clients do not have the skills to deal effectively in their daily lives, they surely do not have the skills necessary to work through trauma effectively. As a result, trauma treatment is recommended and conducted only after clients complete skills training and are no longer showing self-harm and suicidal behaviors.
How fast does DBT work?
DBT is a marathon, not a sprint. Changing behaviors takes time and patience. In some ways, we are "re-wiring" the connections in the brain. We teach people to act and think in different ways which then leads to different outcomes. It is usually right after the first six months of continuous treatment that clients start to see some changes. Most adult DBT research suggests that it is not until an individual has completed the curriculum two times (one year) that the real changes take place.
Why should I come to WellMinded Counseling for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?
At WellMinded Counseling, our therapists that are trained in DBT have all participated in an intensive program in order to provide the best treatment. WellMinded Counseling values using evidence-based research techniques in treatment and dialectical behavioral therapy is included in that value. We want to help you find healing as quickly as possible. Through therapy, specifically DBT, our dBT therapists can meet your needs and help you live a life that is full, happy, and healthy.
Begin Dialectical Behavior Therapy DBT in Broomfield, CO, Denver, CO or Online:
If you’re ready to begin counseling and find real lasting healing, then we would love to assist you on your journey, To begin counseling in Broomfield, CO or online therapy in Colorado, follow these steps:
Meet with a DBT therapist for a free consultation to get to know their style and ask any questions you may have about counseling
Begin dialectical behavior therapy DBT and work on the issues that matter most to you.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Group
Weekly group that lasts 6-8 weeks reviewing all of the Four Core Skills in depth in a 90 minute group. If you’re interested we’d love for you to join the waitlist
OTHER THERAPY SERVICES OFFERED AT WELLMINDED COUNSELING:
Our team of therapists at WellMinded Counseling offer treatment for many common mental health concerns. Our current list of counseling services includes: