DBT

Understanding DBT

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
** Linehan, M.M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
is a type of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan in the 1990s. DBT is an evidence-based treatment that helps individuals with difficulty managing emotional regulation, which can cause problematic behavior patterns and interpersonal difficulties.

DBT has been shown to treat people with a number of different mental health difficulties, including those who experience intense emotions, engage in self-injury, have problematic eating or substance use behaviors, and/or those who experience suicidal thinking. The overall goal of DBT is to help individuals change ineffective behavioral, emotional, thinking, and interpersonal patterns while also integrating acceptance.

There are five main skill areas in DBT:

    • Mindfulness
    • Emotion Regulation
    • Interpersonal Effectiveness
    • Distress Tolerance
    • Walking the Middle Path

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DBT vs CBT

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