Our therapists offer DBT / dialectical behavior therapy in Royal Oak, MI

I approach DBT with my client as a collaboration, because it's most effective when the client both understands concepts of behaviorism in general and is validated in the ways that their own particular experiences have affected them and caused pain and suffering in their lives. Overall, DBT is about learning to incorporate a mindset of “both-and” rather than “either-or,” which facilitates and strengthens the client's ability to be flexible, nonjudgmental, and effective in the choices they make every day to build a life worth living.

Behavioral skills training is a core piece of DBT. In DBT, I teach clients a variety of skill sets, grouped into categories:

• Mindfulness skills: To reduce suffering and increase happiness, increase control of your mind and thought patterns, and experience reality as it is in the moment.
• Emotion regulation skills: To understand and name emotions, decrease the frequency of unwanted emotions and emotional vulnerability, and decrease emotional suffering.
• Distress tolerance skills: To survive crisis situations without making things worse and accept reality (which is not to say we like it or approve of it necessarily!).
• Interpersonal effectiveness skills: To be skillful in getting what you want and need from others, build healthy relationships and end destructive ones, and balance acceptance and change in relationships.

I know clients are making meaningful progress when they are participating in individual therapy and skills groups, completing skills practice exercises, and most importantly, reporting (both via subjective report and diary card data) that their emotional and cognitive suffering is reduced while their peace and clarity of mind, quality of relationships, and overall functioning are increased.

DBT is structured in such a way that, if they do all that's required, such as daily diary card completion, skills practice assignments, attending individual therapy and skills group, and participating in regular weekly phone coaching to generalize skills, there's not a lot of time for supplemental activities. It's a pretty comprehensive treatment.

To prepare for DBT, it might be helpful to do a little outside reading on what it is and how it works. The way it's structured, a client can come in knowing nothing and the therapist will work with them to share its concepts and how it will be able to help them if they are willing to give it a try!