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DBT In a Nutshell

So, what actually is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)? 


If you’re like me, you've probably run into a lot of long articles and blog posts about DBT that are intimidating, hard to read, and ultimately leave you with very little clarity.


But what if you don't have the time to sift through multiple articles just to gain a better understanding?


Well, that’s what this is for.


My plan to get this explanation right involves two simple steps: understanding the terms, and understanding the treatment.


Step 1. Understanding the Terms


Simply put, DBT is a therapy that emphasizes acceptance (of yourself and/or your situation) and at the same time, behavior modification. 


While these two ideas might seem contradictory (dialectical), DBT in fact shows how acceptance and behavior modification work hand in hand. Through acceptance, the client allows their resistance to their current behaviors / situation to melt away, and once that happens, effective and long-lasting behavioral change take place.


Step 2. Understanding the Treatment


Effective DBT treatment has four components:


  1. Individual Therapy - a weekly session between the therapist and client. 


  2. Skills Training Group Therapy - a group setting where clients learn the following skills:

    • Interpersonal effectiveness: teaches clients maintain healthy relationships

    • Emotion regulation: teaches clients to understand and regulate their emotions

    • Mindfulness: teaches clients to be aware of the present moment without judgement 

    • Distress tolerance: teaches the ability to tolerate tough emotions and embrace reality as it is; also known as crisis management and radical acceptance


  1. Phone coaching - brief phone calls between the therapist and client to help the client apply DBT skills in real life situations. 


  1. Therapist participation in a team meeting - the provider meets with other providers with the goal of gaining support to continue providing effective, evidence-based treatment. 


And that’s DBT in a nutshell.


Here are similar articles that cover DBT in more detail. 

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