Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that combines techniques from western cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psycho-educational modules, and eastern mindfulness-based practices to foster the systematic learning of new emotional coping skills. It was developed by Marsha M. Linehan in the late 1980s, as a means to more effectively treat chronically suicidal individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT is based on the understanding that difficulty managing emotion can lead to impulsive actions, poor decision-making, and destructive behaviors. Although these behaviors may relieve distress in the short-term, they can cause long-term damage to one’s physical health, self-esteem, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Preliminary research has concluded that DBT can be effective in “treating adolescents, likely because many adolescents struggle with symptoms that mirror those found with borderline personality disorder, including non-suicidal self-injury, suicide attempts, dichotomous thinking, impulsive behaviors, labile moods, and unstable interpersonal relationships.” It is highly common for teenagers to struggle with emotional instability, also known as emotional dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation is a term used within the mental health field to denote irrational, poorly modulated emotional responses. Further, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one teen out of every five teenagers has a diagnosable mental health disorder, in the United States. DBT continues to be the gold standard method of treatment for individuals diagnosed with BPD. It has since been rendered an effective method of treatment for many other mental health conditions and is particularly helpful in treating issues related to emotional dysregulation.
DBT is a multifaceted approach that is comprised of weekly individual psychotherapy sessions, weekly DBT group skills training sessions, and as-needed phone coaching to provide additional support between weekly individual and group sessions. Each therapeutic setting has its own distinct structure and goals. This allows participants to engage in individualized and collective treatment while focusing on the four modules of DBT, which are: core mindfulness (focusing skills), distress tolerance (crisis survival skills), emotion regulation (de-escalation skills), and interpersonal effectiveness (social/ relationship skills). The DBT process is heavily influenced by the philosophical perspective of dialectics, or the balancing of opposites. DBT encourages an inclusive worldview as it aims to help individuals learn to identify ways to hold two seemingly opposite perspectives simultaneously. Dialectical behavior therapy teaches applicable social and emotional skills, healthy coping mechanisms, and useful mindfulness techniques that enable an adolescent to cope with stress effectively, live in the moment, regulate emotions, and improve relationships with others.
Treatment In Calabasas
Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.
The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.
