Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioral therapy that is effective in treating a wide range of disorders including substance use disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.

DBT includes four behavioral skill modules, with two acceptance-oriented skills (mindfulness and distress tolerance) and two change-oriented skills (emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.)

• Mindfulness: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment
• Distress Tolerance: the practice of tolerating pain in difficult situations, instead of trying to change a painful reaction
• Interpersonal Effectiveness: the practice of asking for what one wants and saying no when desired – with the goal of maintaining self-respect and relationships with others
• Emotion Regulation: the practice of decreasing vulnerability to painful emotions and working to change emotions when one wants to change them.