Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

DBT is beneficial for those suffering from BPD, as well as a range of mental health issues including:

• Self harm
• Depression
• Suicidal ideation
• Eating disorders
• Substance use issues
• Personality disorders
• Anxiety

DBT consists of four modules for guiding treatment. These modules are:

• Mindfulness: Promoting a sense of calm and focus on being in the present moment, instead of dwelling on the past or future. This can include mindfulness exercises such as meditation or breath work.
• Distress tolerance: Learning new techniques to manage overwhelming emotions, without resorting to harmful or life-threatening behaviours.
• Interpersonal effectiveness: Promoting confidence in social interactions, and developing healthy assertiveness skills.
• Emotion regulation: Skills in identifying and understanding emotions, whilst learning how to manage them more effectively.

Individual therapy sessions in DBT typically involve weekly 50 minute sessions with a therapist, with a hierarchy of goals to guide the therapy process:

• The first goal is to ensure your safety by reducing suicidal or self-harming behaviours.
• The second goal is to address any behaviours that may interfere with therapy, such as boundaries or practical aspects (e.g. showing up to sessions on time).
• The third goal is to overcome obstacles which prevent goal achievement, and may include addressing core mental health issues, or practical challenges, such as employment or housing.
• The fourth goal is to equip you with new skills to replace unhelpful behaviours and facilitate progress towards your goals.

To track progress towards these goals, your therapist may ask you to complete a diary as homework and bring them to each session. This allows you to monitor your emotions and actions, identify patterns and triggers in your life, and use this information to guide treatment.

We’ve introduced a new service that aims to assist people dealing with suicidal thoughts. Through this service, our aim is to provide people with useful techniques for handling intense negative emotions that could trigger suicidal thoughts or intentions. Our approach relies mainly on the Distress Tolerance module of DBT, which gives individuals the means to handle and regulate emotions productively. In doing so, we also expect to reduce the number of emergency room admissions caused by these suicidal thoughts.

If you would like to talk to someone about DBT, please get in touch with the Private Therapy Clinic on Whatsapp message at: 7511116565, email, chat bot or book online to arrange an appointment.

Linehan, M., M., (2014). DBT Training Manual. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.