What is DBT?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioral treatment developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD, ABPP. It emphasizes individual psychotherapy and group skills training classes to help people learn and use new skills and strategies to develop a life that they experience as worth living. DBT skills include skills for mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
What skills are taught in DBT?
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Mindfulness: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment
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Distress Tolerance: how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it
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Interpersonal Effectiveness: how to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others
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Emotion Regulation: how to change emotions that you want to change
At Athens DBT Center, we provide individual therapy for anyone trying to gain better control of their emotions or trying to change patterns of behavior. We also provide groups that teach specific skills to deal with out of control emotions, crisis situations, communication issues and difficulties getting control over your own mind.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a unique, specialized form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is a way of re-learning life skills to manage emotions and distress and to feel competent in dealing with difficult situations. Our clients often experience: Problems with anger, depression and anxiety, Chaotic relationships, Frequent mood swings, Intense fears of abandonment, Impulsive behavior, Inadequate sense of self, Problems with co-dependency, Recurrent suicidal or self-injurious behavior, Family problems or conflicts.
Our Mission
Teaching skills to manage moods, regulate emotions, decrease impulsivity and deal with crisis.
How does DBT prioritize treatment targets?
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Life-threatening behaviors: behaviors that could lead to the client's death are targeted, including all forms of suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation, suicide communications, and other behaviors engaged in for the purpose of causing bodily harm.
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Therapy-interfering behaviors: these behaviors can be on the part of the client and of the therapist, such as coming late to sessions, cancelling appointments, etc.
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Quality of life behaviors: any other type of behavior that interferes with clients having a reasonable quality of life, such as mental disorders, relationship problems, and financial or housing crises
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Skills acquisition: this refers to the need for clients to learn new skillful behaviors to replace ineffective behaviors and help them achieve their goals
DBT effectively treats adults and adolescents (Ages 13 and up). DBT combines therapy with 24/7 phone support. Clients in DBT learn skills to manage and regulate overwhelming emotions, skills to deal with crisis and distress, skills to communicate more effectively, and Mindfulness skills to increase attention, awareness and focus. Athens DBT Center provides therapy to anyone hoping to gain control over their lives.
