Dialectical Behavioral Therapy - A Revolutionary Approach to Mental Health Recovery

For years, psychiatrists and psychotherapists struggled to help patients suffering from borderline personality disorder. The nature of the illness makes it difficult to treat with traditional techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Then along came Marsha Linehan and her new approach to treating this difficult disorder: dialectical behavioral therapy. Today, this revolutionary therapy, which combines both cognitive skills and mindfulness training, is being used not just for borderline patients but for those who suffer from other mental illnesses as well.

Dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, is done in two parts. First, there is the group aspect. Small groups of patients get together in a class-like setting to learn new skills for coping with their illnesses. This is divided in to four modules: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and core mindfulness. Each module teaches skills in its particular area, some of which will relate to skills taught in earlier lessons.

The second aspect comes in the form of individual work. Clients work with an individual therapist to implement the skills learned in the group sessions. They also monitor a patient's progress through the use of diary cards. Diary cards are where patients can record things such as levels of anxiety, shame, anger, or suicidal ideation, the days on which they were able to use their DBT skills and which skills they used, and other areas that can indicate whether a patient is making progress or not.

The diary cards, along with other worksheets assigned as homework, are an integral part of the DBT process. Each week, the DBT therapist assigns a worksheet relevant to the skill or other topic discussed and clients turn in the homework and their diary cards from the week before to be checked.

What makes DBT different from other therapies is the emphasis on learning coping skills. These skills are derived from both cognitive behavioral therapy techniques as well as from mindfulness teachings. This combination has proven to be highly effective in assisting borderline patients as well as those with other illnesses.

The drawback to DBT is the length of time it takes to complete. To complete all four modules takes about a year, and often times it's recommended that a client go through two cycles. It takes a long time to learn, develop, practice, and implement the skills learned in DBT so that they are beneficial to your everyday life. Once they are learned and usable, though, they can be of considerable help to the patient.

Dialectical behavioral therapy's use has expanded in recent years to include those suffering from major depression, severe anxiety, and bipolar disorder, too. The techniques each client learns in DBT can help them no matter what stage their illness is at, whether it is at its most severe or if it's in remission.

Talk to your psychiatrist or therapist for more information on DBT if you're interested in finding out more about this revolutionary therapy technique.