Intro to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment originally designed for individuals with suicidal or self-harm behaviors. It has come to be an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality (BPD). However, many other clients and disorders have been shown to benefit from DBT, such as depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or alcohol and drug use disorders. It can be applied as a behavioral therapy to any target behavior that the client would want to change. DBT is built on balancing acceptance and change. Its use of dialectics like this one, the teaching of mindfulness as a core skill, and its group curriculum of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills that have distinguished DBT as a skills-based therapy.