Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in Hamden, CT, and online for residents of Connecticut, New York City, and Massachusetts.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in Connecticut is a comprehensive treatment approach that was developed by Marsha Linehan, who has demonstrated its efficacy in clinical trials. DBT was originally designed to ameliorate the disruptive behaviors experienced by individuals with suicidal behavior and Borderline Personality Disorder and is now being used to work with a range of disruptive experiences.
DBT therapy focuses on ending self injurious or impulsive behavior, difficulty managing extreme emotions or mood swings, cognitive disruptions including dissociative or paranoid thinking, identity disturbance including a sense of emptiness and chaotic interpersonal relationships.
DBT therapy in CT focuses on the learning and practicing of skills that an individual can add to his or her already existing coping strategies in order to more effectively handle disruptive behaviors. Specific targets of treatment can be identified and addressed through strategies that emphasize both acceptance and change. DBT offers a compassionate approach, recognizing disruptive behaviors like eating disorders as understandable on one hand, as they were probably once effective in some way, while also recognizing the need for change.
DBT Therapy in CT Helps With These Skills
DBT skills are divided into four primary modules:
* Emotion Regulation is designed to help members increase their awareness of their own emotional experiences and learn how to be active in changing the intensity, duration, and quality of their emotions when possible.
* Interpersonal Effectiveness is designed to help members identify their beliefs about interpersonal interactions, assess their current interpersonal skills and learn alternative interpersonal strategies.
*Mindfulness incorporates Eastern philosophy and meditation practices to help clients increase their attention and awareness, improve their concentration and help regulate their emotions through learning to take a non-judgmental approach to their experience.
*Distress Tolerance focuses on strategies clients can use in moments of distress, including self soothing techniques.
How Can Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Connecticut Help?
Therapeutic results of working with a DBT therapist can include improvements in the ability to cope with difficult emotions (e.g. anger, rejection, emptiness, guilt, and shame), decreases in self-injurious and disruptive behavior, decreases in suicidality, decreases in hospitalizations, improvements in interpersonal relationships, decreases in all-or-nothing thinking and improvements in self-esteem and self-respect.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment approach designed to help people who experience emotions very intensely, and also often struggle with ineffective coping strategies, such as self harm, suicidal actions, substance abuse, etc. DBT focuses on change strategies, like problem solving, while also working on acceptance strategies, like self compassion. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy teaches very specific skills to help build both your capacity for acceptance and your ability to change. These skills are Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
How does Dialectical Behavior Therapy work?
Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) includes four components: Individual therapy, group DBT Skills training, between session skills coaching, and consultation team for the therapist. In individual therapy you meet with your individual therapist at least once a week for one-on-one sessions targeting your specific goals. The skills group is where you learn DBT Skills in all four of the skills modules: Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Mindfulness and Distress Tolerance. Skills coaching occurs between sessions when you reach out to your therapist when you are uncertain what skill is best to use in a particularly difficult situation. Lastly, the consultation team for the therapist helps hold your therapist accountable to applying the treatment effectively with each client.
When is Dialectical Behavior Therapy needed?
Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy is needed when someone has severe emotional and/or behavioral dysregulation. It has been shown to be effective in reducing suicide ideation and actions, self harm, depression, anxiety, substance use, binge eating, bulimic behaviors, and symptoms related to trauma.
There are times where you may not need comprehensive DBT (e.g. the group, individual sessions and coaching, and a therapist who sits on a consultation team), but would benefit from learning the concepts of dialectical thinking and DBT Skills. In this case, you may be appropriate for individual therapy that is informed by DBT concepts and skills. This can be discussed with your clinician during the intake process.
How long does the Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Connecticut process take?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Connecticut requires a one year commitment for individual therapy. Group therapy typically lasts at least 6 months. Many people extend their participation in both individual and group sessions.
How do I know if Dialectical Behavior Therapy is right for me?
If you consistently feel that your emotional responses are more intense than those around you, or that your methods of coping are interfering with your life and you need to create change, DBT can be a helpful approach for you. Also, if you like learning specific techniques and skills to manage your emotions and actions, DBT would be a helpful approach.
Contact Us Today to Learn How DBT Can Help
We would love to find out what we can help you with. Call 203-745-0733 or email for consultation.
