Dialectical Behavioural therapy commonly referred to as DBT is a psychological method which commonly is used to treat individuals battling borderline personality disorder or BPD. Various researches show that DBT is applicable and effective in treating individuals who show a wide variety of symptoms and behaviours that may be associated with mood disorders, tendencies of self-injury.
Dialectical behaviour therapy is a modification of cognitive behavioural therapy also referred to as CBT. The main goals of DBT are to teach individuals the art of living in the moment, to develop healthy ways of coping with stressful situations, to help people regulate their emotions, and help them improve their interpersonal relationships. To learn more about DBT, connect with the best Psychologist near me at TalktoAngel.
DBT has evolved over time and at present has become a psychotherapy approach based on empirical evidences that is used to treat a variety of mental health and related conditions. There are a variety of settings in which DBT is often used, these include:
- Group Therapy: This type of therapy is applied where patients are taught a variety of behavioural skills in a group setting.
- Individual Therapy: Such therapies take place with a trained professional where the patient is assisted to modify their learned behavioural skills and effectively adapt to their personal life challenges.
- Phone Coaching: Phone coaching comprises of a set up wherein the patients have an option to call the therapist between scheduled sessions in order to ask for their guidance on how to cope with a difficult situation they may be experiencing at the moment.
Some strategies involved in DBT are:
Mindfulness
One of the crucial benefits of DBT is that it helps in development of mindfulness skills. Mindfulness helps an individual to focus on the present or to be able to “live in the moment” and not ruminate over the past or worry about the future. This helps individuals to pay attention to what is happening inside them which comprises of their thoughts, feelings, sensations, and impulses as well as help them to use their senses to become attentive towards and become aware of what is happening around them.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal response patterns that are taught in DBT skills training are close to the skills taught in a variety of classes of assertiveness and interpersonal problem-solving classes. This includes effective strategies for asking for what are an individual’s needs, learning to saying no when needed, and to cope with a range of interpersonal conflicts.
This module of DBT primarily focuses on the situations in which the aim is to bring about a change in something or to resist certain changes that someone else is trying to make by learning to say NO. These skills are taught with an intent to maximize the chances that the goals in the mind of an individual are met and at the same time their self-esteem.
Emotional Regulation
Emotion regulation aims to let individuals navigate their intense and powerful feelings in an effective way. These skills help an individual to identify, understand, and regulate their emotions. When individuals are able to recognize and also cope with their intense negative emotions , it reduces their susceptibility to emotional vulnerability and helps them experience more have more positive emotions.
Distress Management
Distress tolerance skills comprise of development of mindfulness skills. It comprises of the ability to accept oneself and various situations in a non-judgemental way. This implies acceptance of reality and does not mean approval of reality. Distress tolerance techniques help to prepare individuals to face intense emotions and also empower them in order to cope with such intense emotions with a more positive long-term outlook.
Usefulness of DBT in Couples Counselling
Some couples experience high levels of conflict and the reactions of the partners may be triggered. Some may have the tendency to move quickly to anger, use harsh words, play the blame game, criticize the partner and turn hostile towards their partner. Blow outs are not uncommon. Couples that are reactive may want to move out of the relationship, yet may seem unable to do so. Such couples need much more than mere attempts of intimacy-building or developing communication techniques on how to improve their love relationships.
It turns out that the skills which are a part of DBT are beneficial for couples involved in high conflicts. DBT can be effective in dealing with couples involved in conflicts very often referred to as The High Conflict Couple. Dr.Alan Fruzzetti, illustrates that couples may adopt ineffective strategies to communicate without giving it thought when in high conflict and suggests couples can integrate mindful practices into everyday life, which may help in shaping a more effective patterns of relating to each other.
Principles of DBT in couples counselling
* DBT in Couple’s and relationship therapy aims for a a non-judgemental approach and attempts to promote acceptance and validation of their respective partners as well as themselves. Another way of explaining this is developing mindful awareness of their own experiences and also to be aware of the emotions of their partner in the given moment.
* Another aim of DBT in Couple’s and relationship therapy is to pay attention to what needs to be changed, this includes transition from negative and invalidating responses and judgemental approach to emotional self-regulation and distress tolerance.
* Another essential aim of DBT in Couple’s and relationship therapy is to develop the skills to move from emotional dysregulation to the ability to regulate ones emotion and to develop an effective pattern of communication.
* DBT in Couple’s and relationship therapy also comprises of developing skills such as effective expression on the needs, thoughts and concerns of individuals and to develop effective problem-solving skills.
After successful completion of DBT, patients are likely to disengage from forming strong emotional reactions and reduced destructive behaviours. However, it is essential to note that the success of DBT relies heavily on having a strong therapeutic relationship between the patient and their clinician.
For more information, feel free to seek Online Counselling at TalktoAngel.
