What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Happy Friday! Thank you to all who read my first blog post about Wise Mind. Marsha Linehan created DBT in the 1980's as a highly effective treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder. We know now that DBT is helpful for all people who struggle with managing emotions - especially those who with common mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, trauma etc. You may be asking yourself, that sounds great but what exactly is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Dialectical: The word 'dialectical' sets our overall goal of finding balance. It is a fancy psychology word that tells us that two opposites can occur at the same time and both be valid. I can be both excited AND nervous. I can both love my children AND look forward to bedtime. Black & white thinkers use the word 'BUT' which only acknowledges one side. Maybe you've heard the saying "using 'but' wipes out the first part of the sentence". Dialectics replaces 'BUT' with 'AND' to acknowledge that both sides are present & valid.

Behavior: Sometimes we just need to do something different! While DBT encourages us to be mindful of our thoughts, DBT focuses on changing negative behaviors through concrete & useful coping skills. We may struggle with behaviors that are physically dangerous, such as self-harm and suicide attempts. We may also do things that impact our quality of life like substance use, disordered eating, isolation or anger outbursts. When we change our behavior and see positive results, it makes us want to do it again!

Therapy: I joke that the word 'therapy' means you get to spend time with *me*. The word therapy also reminds us that we have goals and that behavior change is a process. People who seek DBT often have a common goal of managing their emotions, tolerating stress and finding balance.

Wise Mind Counseling will walk with you on your journey to behavior change. We will celebrate your positive change and support you when doing something different is challenging.