DBT SKILLS

I am formally trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and can provide DBT skills training sessions. During these sessions, clients will learn skills within each of the four modules of DBT, including emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and mindfulness.

 

DBT is an evidence-based therapy, which has proven to be effective for clients experiencing Borderline Personality Disorder, substance abuse, depression, and Bipolar Disorder. Find out more below about the skills you will learn through DBT:

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• Mindfulness: A common source of anxiety and depression is the tendency to focus on the past and to worry about the future. Mindfulness skills teach clients to stay focused on the present moment and how to become aware of their thoughts, emotions, environment, and behaviors.  It is impossible to change what we are not aware of - mindfulness skills help to build awareness in order to start creating much needed changes towards a better life. 

 

• Distress Tolerance: Distress tolerance skills teach clients how to cope with crises effectively, while also providing clients with short-term skills to manage intense emotions. Clients learn how to self-soothe when feeling dysregulated, identify pros and cons of complex situations in their lives in order to make clear decisions, and figure out how to gain acceptance of their current life struggles in order to begin making necessary changes for an improved life. 

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• Emotional Regulation: Emotional Regulation skills help clients to sit with unpleasant and unwanted emotions. There can be a tendency to want to avoid unwanted emotions, however this leads people to never truly resolving their core issues. In this module, clients learn that all emotions serve a purpose, and  that emotions provide information about how to proceed with difficult life situations. Clients learn how to stop fearing their emotions and instead learn how to make decisions based on what their emotions are communicating to them.

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• Interpersonal Effectiveness: Clients often share about their struggles to communicate their needs effectively within their relationships.  Interpersonal effectiveness skills teach clients how to identify their boundaries, values, and life priorities. Additionally, clients learn how to ask for what they want, express their needs clearly to others, and say "no" to unwanted requests. Clients also learn about how increased self-respect relates to an improved ability to communicate needs to others.