Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a type of talking therapy. It's based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), but it's specially adapted for people who feel emotions very intensely.

The aim of DBT is to help you:

• understand and accept your difficult feelings
• learn skills to manage them
• become able to make positive changes in your life.

‘Dialectical’ means trying to understand how two things that seem opposite could both be true. For example, accepting yourself and changing your behaviour might feel contradictory. But DBT teaches that it is possible for you to achieve both these goals together.

Research shows that DBT can be helpful in tackling problems like:

• self-harming
• suicide attempts
• depression

It was originally developed for borderline personality disorder (BPD), so most of the evidence for it so far is in treating people with this diagnosis. However, it is also suitable for:

• children and adolescents
• people with drug and alcohol problems
• eating problems
• offending behaviour (committing crimes).

At Working Minds, we provide an assessment or pre-treatment phase of DBT. This is where our therapist will look at how suitable DBT is for you. We will offer you several sessions where you will learn about the DBT model. Then if you decide it is the right therapy for you, we will ask you to make a commitment to the treatment.

Individual therapy usually involves weekly one-to-one sessions with a DBT therapist. Each session lasts approximately 45–60 minutes.

Our DBT therapists will likely ask you to fill out diary cards as homework and bring them to sessions. This is for you to track your emotions and actions and look for patterns and triggers in your life. You then use this information to decide together what you will work on in each session.

We also offer skills training in groups and telephone crisis coaching. There are typically four skills modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, this will support you in your day-to-day life and offer you support in-between sessions if needed.