Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is an evidence based therapy which helps people to accept themselves and their present situation, and simultaneously make the changes necessary to create a meaningful life.  This integration of opposites: acceptance and change, is an example of the ‘dialectic’ that underpins this therapy, and on which its name is based.

Dialectical behaviour therapy is akin to life: two or more things can be ‘true’ at the same time. For instance, you may have been hurt or wounded by a person or situation who had no intention to hurt you; and at the same time be deeply wounded by that person or situation. This is an approach that helps us sit with and, over time, integrate the complexities of life.

There are four key skills within DBT: Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, Interpersonal Effectiveness, and Mindfulness.  By cultivating these skills clients learn how to manage their emotions skilfully, to deal with difficult life experiences, and develop better relationships. 

Infants and little children cannot “soothe” their emotions on their own. This is a skill they develop over time. In the absence of a caregiver who can offer a calm nervous system, and help the child ‘regulate’ their emotions, we may not have learnt how to emotionally soothe themselves, or to tolerate distressing situations. This can be particularly difficult for people born with a ‘sensitive’ temperament, who literally feel their emotions at a deeper level than others. Not being able to ‘regulate’ our emotions (and this does not mean to dismiss or suppress them) can make it difficult to navigate our interpersonal relationships.

Originally developed by Marsha Linehan to help people who were chronically suicidal or had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy became recognized as a leading treatment for these types of problems. It has now been shown to be effective for a wide range of issues, including substance use, chronic depression or anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress, intense emotions, unstable relationships, and eating disorders.