Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a research based treatment program originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan to help individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder learn skills to develop a “life worth living” through managing the emotions and behaviors that contribute to distress in everyday life. Family Guidance Center offers a comprehensive DBT program provided by therapists that have been trained and certified through Behavioral Tech, Linehan’s research and training organization. Current research proposes that the acceptance and change skills taught in DBT have effectiveness beyond Personality Disorders, thus becoming an integral piece of our outpatient counseling programs to assist the varied population we serve.

The DBT program includes:

• Individual Therapy
• Skills Training Group
  – Core Mindfulness Skills: used to understand and untangle complicated emotions through awareness to the current emotion without judgment.
  – Emotion Regulation Skills: to tolerate intense emotions and learn to manage cycles of depression, anxiety and other difficult moods.
  – Distress Tolerance Skills: designed to help you endure and cope with pain in a new, healthier way. Goals include decreasing impulsive and potentially dysfunctional behaviors.
  – Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills: helping to ask for what you want, say no, and negotiate conflict without damaging relationships.

Additional information regarding admission criteria and hours of programming is available by calling Family Guidance Center at (610) 374-4963.