Our therapists offer DBT / dialectical behavior therapy in Charlotte, NC

My go-to approach in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is helping individuals develop a sense of self-awareness: One's ability to identify the mood he/she finds to be the most distressing and matching the appropriate intervention/skill to assist with alleviating the distressful thought, feeling, and/or behavior. Treatment planning is beneficial and integral in the journey of recovery; thus, I find the following skill areas to be beneficial in DBT, i.e., distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness.

I utilize the following tools in DBT: Distress tolerance:

• Weighing the pros and cons: The ability to identify the pros and cons of a decision that is causing distress and the consideration of the short and long term effects of one's decision.
• Self-soothing skills: The utilization of the five (5) senses to encourage mindfulness.

• Opposite to emotion: With this skill, one identifies his/her current emotion and participates in activities that encourage the desired emotion. If one is experiencing an increase in anxiety, one should participate in mindfulness or self-soothing skills to assist with managing the anxiety.
• Opposite to behavior: Opposite to behavior is often utilized when one experiences a lack of motivation; it suggests that one should consider the long-term effects of not participating in a specified behavior, thus motivating oneself to do its opposite. For example, not taking out the trash could potentially lead to an increase in trash and pests.

• The utilization of a daily schedule or routine: This skill assists clients in developing a sense of happiness in their day-to-day. It is the planning of day-to-day activities coupled with identifying the actual task one has completed. It assists with monitoring an individual's mood from day-to-day and prompts the utilization of skills to encourage the desired emotion.

• Listening: Listening requires that an individual develops a mindfulness practice; it emphasizes the following: 1) attentiveness, 2) letting go of distractions, and 3) focusing on what is communicated in the moment.
• Validation: This skill requires that one non-judgmentally value others opinions with the utilization of listening skills to assist with clarification and reflection. It encourages the communication of emotions, an awareness of the non-verbal communication/behaviors, and the acceptance of others.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in DBT when an individual is able to identify the fluctuation in mood, is able to identify and implement boundaries in their relationships, and able to create balance in one's decision making.

I encourage individuals to focus their time and effort in participating in activities that encourages their desired emotion, i.e., spending time with friends and/or the utilization of a schedule or routine to assist with developing a sense of accomplishment from day to day.

In preparation for a DBT session, an individual should have a qualitative assessment or numerical value of their mood that has prompted the need for individual therapy, i.e., the number of days per week one experiences depression and/or anxiety.