Psychologist Marsha M. Linehan developed dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in the late 1980s as a means to more effectively treat chronically suicidal individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is a rigidly structured, evidence-based therapy that combines principles of behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness to emphasize the psychosocial aspect of treatment. The American Psychological Association (APA) explains that DBT “establishes a ‘dialectic’ between helping individuals to accept the reality of their lives and their own behaviors on the one hand and helping them learn to change their lives, including dysfunctional behaviors, on the other.” DBT is a modular and hierarchical treatment consisting of weekly individual psychotherapy sessions, weekly group DBT skills training therapy sessions, and as-needed phone coaching to provide additional support between the weekly individual and group sessions. Within each setting, DBT focuses on the teaching and reinforcing skills in four fundamental areas, known as the four modules, which include: core mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT can help an individual learn applicable social and emotional skills, healthy coping mechanisms, and useful mindfulness techniques to effectively cope with stress, live in the moment, regulate emotions, and improve relationships with others.
Assertiveness
The Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries defines assertiveness as the “quality of expressing opinions or desires in a strong and confident way, so that people take notice.” It is a social skill that simultaneously relies on effective communication and respecting the thoughts and wishes of others. Assertiveness, specifically, assertive communication is one of the key DBT skills in the sphere of interpersonal effectiveness. The interpersonal effectiveness module is entirely dedicated to helping individuals learn how to communicate with others effectively and authentically. This module teaches useful skills that encourage individuals to balance priorities with demands, balance desires with expectations, and build a sense of mastery and self-respect. Interpersonal effectiveness skills involve helping individuals identify and understand their own needs in a relationship. These skills also help an individual learn to cultivate, engage, and maintain healthy relationships with others that enable one’s needs to be met. This includes advocating for one’s needs and communicating in way that is non-damaging, assertive, maintains self-respect, and strengthens relationships.
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.
