Dialectical behavioral therapy is a treatment that focuses on developing skills to help you better cope with daily challenges. These skills include mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation.
Interpersonal Effectiveness is the second most core skill in DBT and teaches people how to get their needs met, maintain self-respect, and communicate well with others. It is crucial to a healthy relationship.
1. Mindfulness
Mindfulness, as a mental health practice, has become very popular in recent years. The popularity of mindfulness in the Western world can be attributed to Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
It can help you with a variety of conditions, including anxiety, depression, and stress. It helps you stay in the present moment versus worrying about the past or future, and it allows you to observe unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and emotions without immediately reacting.
In fact, studies show that mindfulness reduces negative thoughts and emotional distress. It also helps you manage your emotions in situations that may be difficult to handle, such as eating something you said you wouldn't or arguing with your partner.
Practicing mindfulness can also improve your ability to focus and concentrate, as well as your alertness. It can also improve your empathy toward others, which helps you take their perspective and understand their feelings, rather than reacting to them with anger or other negative emotions.
2. Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance is a set of skills in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) that help you cope with painful emotions without engaging in unhealthy behaviors. These skills include crisis survival and reality acceptance.
This is a key skill because there are times when you’re in a stressful situation and there’s no way to escape it. Instead of engaging in unhealthy behaviors like impulsive ones, you can use distress tolerance skills.
You could distract yourself, or try counting, thinking about a favorite song, or even imaging an escape where you feel safe and nothing is hurting. This will help you lower the intensity of your emotions and give you time to work on other DBT coping skills such as emotional regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Emotion regulation is a critical component of DBT because it gives you more control over your emotions and helps you avoid destructive impulsive behaviors that reduce stress in the short term but actually make you feel worse long-term. This can be especially helpful for those with mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.
3. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal effectiveness is a key skill in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). It helps people manage their relationships, increase assertiveness, and improve their self-esteem.
It also involves attending to positive relationships and ending toxic or destructive ones.
DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness skills can be difficult for clients with unstable emotions and poor coping skills. Fortunately, there are many strategies and techniques that can help.
To hone interpersonal skills, it is helpful to practice them regularly and with a variety of people. This can be done in a group setting or with a family member or friend.
During a DBT session, teach your clients the skills they need to improve their interpersonal relationships and develop assertiveness. Provide this worksheet as a reminder to help them keep these skills in mind when they are out of session.
The DBT skill GIVE is a great way to help someone convey their needs and wishes in a respectful manner without hurting the relationship. It can also help a person who is struggling with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) get their objectives met, even if the other person is not responding appropriately.
4. Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation is an essential component of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that helps patients deal with challenging situations and emotional difficulties. It involves identifying emotions, understanding their function, and learning skills that allow you to manage them instead of being overwhelmed by them.
People with mental health conditions such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), some mood disorders, and traumatic brain injuries can have high-intensity emotional reactions that can lead to self-destructive behaviors. DBT includes emotion regulation as one of its four modules, alongside mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
DBT is a comprehensive psychotherapy that can help you improve your ability to regulate emotions, form stable relationships, and handle challenges. It is a treatment for anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
