Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan.  Originally, DBT was created to help people who were suicidal and struggling with self-harm urges. DBT is especially helpful for individuals who have difficulty regulating or dealing with their emotions. Focused on validating the difficulties of life’s struggles, the apparent difficulty with conflicting and intense emotions, and the desire to make important changes, DBT is a highly practical and direct form of therapy. Rather than only focusing on overcoming misery, DBT also emphasizes working on creating a life you want to live. After years of research, DBT is considered to be an empirically supported treatment for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and is also being used to treat individuals who struggle with emotions but who do not meet criteria for BPD. Recently, DBT has been modified to treat individuals who struggle with a range of psychological problems including substance abuse and eating disorders. 

DBT Treatment

DBT integrates cognitive behavior therapy with teachings in mindfulness and acceptance. Generally, DBT treatment entails both participation in a weekly 1.5 hour skills training group and weekly individual DBT therapy.  Skills training teaches specific lessons in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness in order to help you learn to be fully in the moment,  effectively manage emotions, cope with crises without making them worse, and meet your objectives in relationships.
 
Many people who feel stuck in therapy or have pursued many treatments with minimal benefits find DBT to be remarkably helpful.  DBT clinicians are committed to being available to you and pursuing ongoing consultation to provide you with a high level of care.

Skills Training Groups

DBT skills training group for college students meets on Tuesdays from 5-6:30 pm and DBT group for adults meets on Tuesday from 7:00-8:30 pm.  It takes approximately 4 months to complete the program and the group is open; new members may join when new skills modules are introduced, approximately once each month.  Clients are required to be in individual therapy in order to participate in the DBT group.  Modules include the following skill topics:
 

Mindfulness - A “core” DBT skill, mindfulness involves paying attention, in the moment, non- judgmentally to live your life in a deliberate manner.

Emotion Regulation - Learn the function of emotions and improve your ability to describe, change, and cope effectively, rather than let emotions control you.

Distress Tolerance - Manage crises without making your problems worse.

Interpersonal Effectiveness - Attend to your needs and improve relationships.

Target Population: This group is geared towards relatively high functioning individuals.  Clients must be attending school, working, or volunteering in order to participate in the group.

DBT Group Therapy

College Students, Graduate Students, Young Adults
AICT is pleased to announce a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training group for college and graduate students who struggle with emotions and/or problem behaviors.  The group will meet each Tuesday from 5:00-6:30 pm.

Adult DBT Group
DBT group for a adults of all ages meets on Tuesdays from 7-8:30 pm.  Enrollment is ongoing.

DBT Multi-Family Skills Training Group
Adolescents and their parents will attend a 2 hour weekly skills groups for 20 weeks. The format is designed to teach adolescents and their parents a new and effective skill set organized into the fol-lowing five modules: (1) Mindfulness, (2) Emotion Regulation, (3) Distress Tolerance, (4) Inter-personal Effectiveness, and (5) Walking the Middle Path. This group helps parents understand, respond to, and effectively help their adolescent become more adaptive in managing day to day emotions and behaviors. New families will be invited to join the group when each new skill module is introduced, which occurs every 4-5 weeks.

The DBT Multi-Family Skills Training Group is generally offered Wednesday evenings 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

To learn more about getting an evaluation or treatment options, please call us at 212 308 2440.


For a printable brochure on DBT for Adults or College Students, click here.
For a printable brochure on DBT for Families, click here.