In a May 17 opinion piece, “No Longer Wanting to Die,” in writer Will Lippincott discussed his years-long battle with treatment-resistant depression and the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) that helped him manage his depression. DBT may have saved this man’s life; at the very least, the therapy helped the author engage in a better quality of life. Yet few people outside of professional therapy know the term.
What is DBT really about? Who can benefit from this therapy? And what DBT services do we have in the Denver area?
DBT was developed in the 1980s by cognitive psychologist Marsha Linehan, who was looking for a more validating approach to cognitive psychology. Since that time, DBT has been tested with numerous clinical populations; it’s now considered an evidence-based practice, which means scientific results about its effectiveness exist, are valid and support its use. Experts agree, and clients view DBT as a high-quality and beneficial therapy approach.
DBT is rooted in cognitive psychology, which generally understands that our thoughts, feelings and actions work in conjunction. DBT adds more to this concept, allowing for a therapist to provide emotional support to a client as well as working on changing behaviors that might be causing daily-life difficulties.
A DBT-oriented therapist helps clients improve their skills in four resiliency-focused areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and emotion regulation.
Mindfulness refers to being fully aware of the present state and remaining focused on the here and now. Distress tolerance is learning how to cope with pain and stress in tough situations instead of attempting to change the situation (or other people). Interpersonal effectiveness focuses on improving communication skills so clients can maintain healthy and supportive relationships. Finally, emotion regulation refers to being aware of one’s emotions and working on changing them, e.g., learning how to become less negatively reactive in a stressful situation.
DBT commonly integrates multiple aspects of therapy. Clients often will have a primary therapist with whom they meet regularly. This professional provides emotional support and reinforces techniques to help clients change specific behaviors. Clients also are encouraged to attend group sessions, where they learn and can practice the four resiliency-building techniques already discussed. DBT initially was developed to be a very intensive process, but the techniques have been proven effective during regular therapeutic visits.
DBT, which has been widely researched, has been used to help individuals who have severe depression, an eating disorder or have engaged in self-harming behaviors or attempted suicide. It’s been proven to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations and premature termination of therapy.
Community Reach Center and other mental health agencies in the Denver-metro area currently have DBT groups and therapists with DBT training. For anyone in Adams County who may be interested in joining a DBT-oriented support group, please call Community Reach Center at (303) 853-3500. Other information is available at www.CommunityReachCenter.org. For more information about DBT, visit the Linehan Institute at www.BehavioralTech.org.
Explaining Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
