DBT Stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It is an empirically supported modification of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. DBT is a versatile treatment used to treat many diagnoses including borderline personality disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, substance-related problems, among other diagnoses.
Delta Behavioral Health implements DBT in its Partial Hospitalization Program and Intensive Outpatient Programs. These programs have 3 primary components: individual therapy with our DBT-trained clinicians, phone coaching, and a skills group that meets for 4 hours 5 days a week and 3 hours 3 days a week for PHP and IOP, respectively. The skills taught in the skills group center around 4 DBT modules:
Mindfulness- learning to fully observe and remain in the here and now.
Distress Tolerance- Learning to cope with a difficult situation that cannot be changed in the here and now.
Interpersonal Effectiveness- Learning to effectively communicate without compromising one’s self-respect or relationships.
Emotion Regulation- Learning to identify, manage, and change emotions one experiences.
Delta also has a number of DBT-trained clinicians who offer a standalone once a week DBT skills group for less intensive treatment.
To learn more about DBT please visit The Linehan Institute’s website.