DBT Therapy: Dialectical Behavior Therapy

DBT Therapy is one of several treatments that Dr. Chantal offers for problems and mental health disorders that involve strong emotions or difficulty managing emotions.  Dr. Chantal has attended training workshops with DBT founder, Dr. Marsha Linehan, and is now using techniques from Dialectical Behavior Therapy to treat Anxiety, Depression, Anger and Irritability, Borderline Personality Disorder, Self-Harm, and Suicidal Thoughts.

What is DBT Therapy: Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

DBT Therapy is a supportive, collaborative, Cognitive-Behavioral counseling approach that has been shown to be very effective in treating anxiety, depression, emotion regulation problems (extreme emotions or difficulty tolerating unpleasant emotions), self-harm behaviors, and Borderline Personality Disorder.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy helps individuals regulate the intensity of their emotions, and learn to stop engaging in behaviors that can be damaging to relationships and overall well-being.

DBT Therapy helps manage strong and unpleasant feelings, and improve effectiveness in relationships.

The History of DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY

In her youth, Dr. Marsha Linehan was hospitalized for schizophrenia and treated with electric shock therapy.  Seven years later, she graduate cum laude from Layola University and went on to earn her Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology (Dr. Chantal’s Ph.D. is also in Social and Personality Psychology).  Dr. Linehan’s own mental illness inspired her to invent DBT.  After spending some time learning meditation and Eastern mindfulness practices, Dr. Linehan began to develop the components of what is now called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

Before the invention of DBT, Borderline Personality Disorder was considered one of the most difficult to treat of all the personality disorders.  Now, DBT has become the gold standard in treating Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and BPD is now considered to be a personality disorder that can be completely resolved with long-term, effective treatment.

DBT Skills Training - Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dr. Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., ABPP, Psychologist and Developer/Founder of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
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COMPONENTS AND SKILLS of DBT THERAPY

DBT Therapy in its "purest" form is done by an entire treatment team and comprises the following four components:

DBT Skills Training Group

Individual Therapy Sessions with a DBT Therapist

Phone Coaching

Therapist Consultation (DBT-trained therapists review the work of other DBT-Therapists and give them feedback to improve the quality of the care).

In most circumstances however, patients often don't have the time, access, of financial resources to participate in a full wrap-around DBT Team treatment program. That's why our office provides care options rooted in DBT methodology, but that is delivered in individual and group therapy formats.

Dr. Chantal is able to apply many of the components of DBT Therapy in an individual therapy, private-practice setting. She does this by providing DBT-focused individual therapy, giving DBT skills training homework assignments, and participation in a therapist consultation group with other colleagues who have diverse training, including DBT.

Research has shown that the skills taught in Dialectical Behavior Therapy are very effective at helping with a wide range of emotional, interpersonal, and personality problems.

THE SKILLS TAUGHT IN DBT THERAPY are:

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    Distress Tolerance

    This skills set helps individuals learn to tolerate difficult emotions and not feel overwhelmed by them.

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    Emotional Regulation

    This set of skills and techniques teaches individuals how to let go of negative emotions, reduce the intensity of negative emotions, and transform the negative emotions into neutral or more positive feelings.

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    Mindfulness

    Mindfulness skills help to ground you in the present moment, and prevent your strong emotions from taking you on a wild ride!

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    Interpersonal Effectiveness

    The interpersonal effectiveness component of DBT helps individuals learn to get their needs met in relationships, while maintaining respect for the other person.  The skills taught in this component will help you be more effective at getting your needs met without damaging your relationships.

DBT Therapist Plantation, Florida
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What does DBT THERAPY help with?

DBT can help improve and stabilize mood, decrease anxiety, decrease suicidal and self-injurious behavior (like cutting), reduce anger, reduce psychiatric hospitalizations, and improve overall social functioning and well-being.

DBT Therapy: Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Plantation FL

My office is located in midtown Plantation Florida, just steps away from Weston, Davie, Cooper City, Sunrise, Tamarac, and Fort Lauderdale.

Making your first appointment is easy! Just call 954-559-2936 24-hours a day (a live person will actually speak with you and schedule your appointment), or schedule an appointment yourself using my online scheduling tool!