What is DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy)?

May 15, 2024

What is DBT?

DBT is a therapeutic intervention that looks at both the acceptance of things that can not be changed as well as considers how to use skills-based interventions to navigate what is not able to be changed. The main focus of this therapeutic intervention is the skills that are being taught: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation. The idea is that, through a combination of the development of these skills, DBT will help and support individuals to face the challenges that come up in everyday situations. DBT is a therapeutic intervention that can be delivered in the form of group therapy, individual therapy, skills-based workshops, or a combination of a few of these interventions.  

The History of DBT?

DBT was developed by Marsha Linehan and was originally noted as an intervention for treating borderline personality disorder. Marsha Linehan was researching suicide and developed the intervention as DBT is designed to help individuals who struggle with intense emotions, impulsive behaviours, emotional regulation, and thinking in extremes. The idea is to provide a balance between acceptance and skills interventions to address challenges that interfere with everyday life.

Some DBT Skills

Now that we have a bit of background regarding what DBT therapy is, and the history of its development. I’d like to share some skills that can be put into practice.

Mindfulness – This is the idea of being fully present in the moment and can present in many ways. This can be present in the form of doing meditation, taking time to reflect, or stopping and observing your surroundings. Mindfulness allows you to be present and shift away from the concerns that are presenting about the past and the future, to focus on the current moment. Ways to start implementing mindfulness into your daily routine can look like: taking time to have a few deep breaths throughout your day and reflect on your surroundings or trying short meditations to start.

Wise Mind skill– This is one of my personal favourite DBT skills, with the concept being to balance both the emotional and logical mind when making decisions. When this balance is implemented, it allows us to combine our core values. The idea is that we have the influence from our emotional mind that sometimes will guide us to do things based on our emotions, and sometimes that is not in line with what might be the best decision at the moment all while the other side is taking direction and doing things based on our logical brain. When implementing the wise mind skill, the idea is to consider both the element of emotions impacting the decision, as well as the element of logic that impacts the decision. 

One more skill that I will go over today is the STOP skill. This skill can be used in situations when things feel too overwhelming and stressful to navigate.

S- Stop. This can mean physically or in our minds depending on what is happening for us. Stopping can allow our nervous system to recentralize.  

T- Take a step back. When we are directly involved in a situation sometimes it is hard to make decisions, to see the bigger picture, and to allow ourselves to understand what is going on. When we take a step back from the scenario whether that be physically, emotionally, or mentally, it will allow us to see the bigger picture more clearly.

O- Observe. When we take a look around to see what is going on in our surroundings it can allow us to make a more informed decision based on what is happening around us.

P- Proceed mindfully. After taking the steps above to re-evaluate the situation, and take all the elements into consideration, this will allow you to come from a place of being present and proceeding into the situation in a mindful matter.

This skill can be used to help work through multiple scenarios and, if it continues to be practised, can be done quickly.

Who can DBT be helpful for?

DBT was originally developed as an intervention to help those who struggle with suicidal ideations as well as BPD. However, DBT has since been identified as a therapeutic intervention that can be useful to multiple people. The skills-based practical approach that DBT uses can be helpful for anyone looking to improve emotional regulation skills. I hope that this has been helpful. If you are interested in exploring more about DBT check out the upcoming intensive DBT skills-based workshop or connect with one of our counsellors who are trained in DBT interventions. 

Interested in viewing the DBT workshop we recorded? Click here DBT Workshop.

Check out the counsellors at Virtual Connect who offer DBT therapy here on the Counsellors Page.