What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy For?

Dialectical behaviour therapy (developed by Marsha Linehan) is an evidence-based treatment option that is often delivered to people with extremes of emotions and difficulties functioning in their relationships. This may include people with co-existing issues, such as self – harm, substance use, disordered eating, and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.It was originally developed for adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) however in more recent times the skills modules have been used as an adjunct for a broader range of presentations. In the last two decades, DBT was specifically adapted for older children and teens by Jill Rathus and Alec Miller in consultation with Marsha Linehan. This brought a more developmentally appropriate lens to the approach and incorporated a new module to the skills called “Walking the Middle Path”.

DBT may be used for a young person who is experiencing a variety of issues such as:

• Emotional dysregulation
• Self-harming
• Suicidal attempts or thoughts
• Risk-taking
• Feelings of self-hate, hopelessness, or emptiness
• Unstable relationships
• Anger issues
• Anxiety and depression
• Eating disorders
• Trauma

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: How it Works

Dialectical behaviour therapy skills modules are designed to be delivered either in a group or individual setting either alone or as part of another therapeutic process such as CBT or the full DBT program. At The Young Mind Clinic, we offer DBT skills on an individual basis.

The aim is to teach children and adolescents skills from some or all of the five areas and how to apply them in real-life settings. Adding these components to the foundation of cognitive behavioural therapy, which focuses on altering unhelpful thought patterns, aims to provide a child or teen with strategies to deal with difficult situations through both change and acceptance.

Your Dialectical Behaviour Therapy FAQs Answered

Is dialectical behaviour therapy or cognitive behaviour therapy more suitable for my child?
These two forms of treatment have similarities and may be beneficial for many people. There are differences between the two though, and one may be more appropriate for your child than the other. It may also be appropriate for the psychologist to draw from both therapeutic approaches.

DBT is often more suitable for young people with intense emotions for whom the priority may sit around safety and finding functional approaches to difficulties in life and relationships and who may find the focus on change in CBT too challenging.

What is involved with each of the five skill areas?
Dialectical behaviour therapy focuses on the following areas to enable children to navigate daily situations, relationships, and emotions.

1. Mindfulness and acceptance: This aims to help your child remain present in the moment and be aware of emotions’ transient nature. This aims to help reduce the power an emotion has over their behaviour.
2. Distress tolerance: By helping your child tolerate a negative emotion, we aim to decrease their tendency to act on it or avoid it in ways that may make circumstances more difficult.
3. Walking the middle path: Reducing extreme thinking and behaviour and enhancing perspective taking, validation skills and learning strategies for obtaining changes in one’s or others behaviours.
4. Emotion regulation: Techniques that enable your child to manage strong emotions may give them the strength they need to maintain control in difficult situations.
5. Interpersonal effectiveness: Learning strategies that help your child communicate with others in an assertive manner may help them obtain what they want, maintain their self-respect, and reduce resentment towards others.

Why Visit The Young Mind Clinic?

Finding the right fit for you and your child is pivotal when it comes to seeking professional guidance for mental health difficulties, We provide a safe and encouraging environment in which your family can feel supported and heard through: