Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a modern take on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) that was developed by psychologist Marsha M. Linehan in the 1980s. It was originally developed to help people diagnosed with personality disorders, however, more recently it has been used for a wide range of mental health concerns.  DBT has been the subject of significant research and is considered a best practice approach for mood disorders, anxiety, and suicide risk

.   

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) treatment is a type of psychotherapy that combines CBT techniques with the specific skills of mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and social skill enhancement.  The idea behind DBT is that some people are more sensitive to emotions and have a much higher degree of reactivity.  While CBT focuses largely on thinking and behaviour processes, DBT focuses on emotions as one of the primary drivers of thoughts and behaviours.  People who experience extreme swings in their emotions, see the world in black-and-white, or always seem to be jumping from one crisis to another are good candidates for DBT treatment.