Informed Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Effective, evidenced-based treatment for emotional, anxiety, and adjustment disorders.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence based treatment model effective in helping people overcome a variety of detrimental patterns of behavior associated with substance abuse, mood disorders, trauma, and other difficulties.
Informed DBT trains individuals in the four DBT components and their associated coping skills:

  • Mindfulness

    The foundational skill upon which the other DBT skills are built, Mindfulness consists of the “What” and “How” skills through which we learn to fully experience emotions and senses with proper perspective.

  • Interpersonal Relationships

    Focusing on effective strategies for reaching positive outcomes, Interpersonal Relationship skills develop the ability to produce beneficial change in our outward environment (such as effectively addressing an unmet need) and to resist detrimental changes someone else is trying to force upon us. The chances of our goals being met are maximized while damage to relationships is avoided or minimized through fairness and truthfulness.

  • Emotional Regulation

    DBT Emotional Regulation skills teach emotional recognition and processing to enable us to identify and label emotions, become less vulnerable to emotion-driven thinking, remain mindful, and take action to control our emotions, rather than being controlled by them, resulting in increased positive emotional events and heightened distress tolerance.

  • Distress Tolerance

    A natural development of the Mindfulness skills, Distress Tolerance skills teach accepting, but not approving, negative situations without being overwhelmed by them so wise decisions can be made about whether and how to take action.
Reinforcement activities for coping skills are developed, and the Diary Card, another feature of DBT, is implemented. Through Informed Dialectical Behavior Therapy training and coaching, clients are assisted in regulating emotional disorders while maintaining balance to build a life worth living.