Managing Emotions: Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Teens & Adults
Managing Emotions: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Teens and Adults
Are you experiencing emotions in a way that feels extreme? Do you feel like you move through your emotions quickly? Is it easy to love and hate someone or something in the same breath? Do you feel like you’re losing control of your emotions? If so, Dialectical Behavior Therapy might be for you.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy that is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), however, it has been adapted to work for people who experience emotional intensity.
CBT traditionally helps people understand how thoughts affect emotions and behaviors. DBT on the other hand focuses on helping people accept the reality of their lives, emotions, and behaviors, whilst simultaneously helping them to change their lives, and unhelpful behaviors and emotions. A “dialectic” is rooted in the idea that everything is made up of opposites and that change occurs when there is a dialogue between the opposing ends (Cbtwestport, 2020). The process makes three assumptions: All things are interconnected, Change is constant and inevitable and Opposites can be integrated to get closer to the truth.
DBT was developed in the 1970s by Marsha Linehan, an American psychologist.
So what can DBT help with?
DBT can help you particularly if you have a hard time regulating and managing your emotions. DBT is backed by years of evidence and research and has proven to be effective in managing and treating a variety of mental health conditions such as:
Substance use disorder.
Eating disorders, specifically binge eating disorder and bulimia.
Self-harm.
It is crucial to note that the reason DBT has proven results in treating these conditions is because each of the aforementioned conditions are associated with issues that result from unhealthy efforts to control intense, negative, or overwhelming emotions. Rather than depending on efforts that cause harm to the individual, DBT helps people learn and develop healthier ways to cope.
How does Dialectical Behavior Therapy work?
In DBT therapy sessions the primary aim is to help enhance your capabilities in day-to-day life. There are four primary skills your therapist will teach you including:
Mindfulness: This is the practice of being fully aware and focused on the present instead of ruminating over the past or catapulting into worries about the future.
Distress tolerance: This involves understanding and managing your emotions in difficult or stressful situations without resorting to harmful coping mechanisms that could serve to be destructive to self and others.
Interpersonal effectiveness: This means understanding how to ask for what you want and need from others and setting boundaries while maintaining respect for yourself and others.
Emotion regulation: This means understanding, being more aware of, and having more control over your emotions and how they are expressed.
DBT can be utilized in an individual therapy capacity, as well as a group therapy capacity. At Repose, we offer individual DBT sessions, as well as recurring group therapy sessions, held once weekly.
DBT for Teens
DBT although primarily used with adults, can also be highly effective with teens. DBT for teens differs from DBT for adults in several ways. The most significant difference of DBT for adolescents or teens is the inclusion of caregivers if need be. Oftentimes, caregivers will be included in skills training sessions or may have their own separate skill training sessions.
Caregivers will also be part of individual therapy at times or could be included through additional family sessions.
DBT for adolescents includes a new and additional 5th skill module called Walking the Middle Path. Walking the Middle Path addresses issues that arise within the family system that can undermine treatment efficacy. This module emphasizes teaching behavior change, dialectics, and validation. These skills teach caregivers and their adolescents the skills needed to decrease conflict within the family system. It also provides shared language for families to work through issues. (Choosing Therapy, 2022)
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Services Offered At Repose Therapy
At Repose Therapy, our goal is to provide the best HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY services among other evidence-based therapy services to you. We enjoy working with college students, mothers, parents, couples, and individuals who are seeking better mental wellness in their life. If you’re struggling or trying to find a way to move forward, then our DIVERSE TEAM OF THERAPISTS would be thrilled to work with you. If grief counseling isn’t the service you’re seeking, no worries. We offer other services at our ONLINE THERAPY OFFICE IN NEW YORK, CONNECTICUT, AND NEW JERSEY. Other services include EMDR THERAPY, ANXIETY TREATMENT, PTSD TREATMENT, AND TRAUMA THERAPY, THERAPY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH, MARRIAGE COUNSELING AND COUPLES THERAPY, THERAPY FOR TEENS, LGBTQIA+ THERAPY, ART THERAPY, DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY.
Additionally, we offer many GROUPS at our practice including an adult DBT skills group MANAGING EMOTIONS WITH DBT and Art Therapy, MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY, EMBRACING YOUR BODY, and a Ramadan group. If you’re interested in any of our other services, please reach out, we cannot wait to work with you as you improve your well-being and begin your journey towards healing.