DBT
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured therapy that teaches you to manage intense emotions and change harmful behaviors.
The Living Room Mental Health, a behavioral health program in Princeton, NJ, offers DBT as one of its therapies.
Here’s what you can expect from DBT on a short-term and long-term basis.
What Conditions Does DBT Help With?
Researchers have studied DBT for many years as a treatment for borderline personality disorder. It was first developed to help people with severe emotional distress and ongoing suicidal thoughts. DBT is also used for self-harm urges, anxiety, and depression, especially for those who have had trouble managing strong emotions with other types of therapy. Some people try DBT after other types of therapy haven’t helped enough.
If you’re thinking about treatment, you can complete a depression self-assessment or anxiety self-assessment to learn more about the symptoms you’re experiencing.
How Does DBT Work?
DBT teaches four main sets of skills throughout treatment.
Skills Training
Skills training teaches you ways to handle strong emotions and stressful situations without acting on urges right away. You practice these skills repeatedly, both in session and on your own between appointments. This way, they can become second nature instead of something you have to consciously think through every time.
Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness teaches you to notice your thoughts and feelings without reacting to them right away. Taking a moment before reacting can help you choose what to do next.
With practice, you may start noticing strong emotions earlier and use a DBT skill before they become harder to manage.
Individual and Group Sessions
DBT typically combines weekly individual therapy with a separate skills group. Individual sessions focus on what you’re dealing with that week, while group sessions give you time to learn and practice DBT skills.Â
You can then talk about how you’re using those skills during your individual sessions.
Understanding and Accepting Feelings
Your therapist helps you understand and accept your feelings while also working with you on behaviors you want to change. You can learn to accept how you feel without giving up on changes that could help.
What Are the Benefits of DBT?
DBT teaches skills you can keep using after treatment ends. You can also learn how to handle conflict, set boundaries, and ask for what you need. It can also teach you ways to cope safely during a crisis. With practice, you may find it easier to pause and choose how you want to respond.
How Is DBT Different From CBT?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses mainly on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts. DBT shares some aspects of CBT but focuses more on managing strong emotions and accepting difficult feelings.Â
DBT also typically includes a structured skills group, which CBT usually doesn’t, which may cause it to last longer than CBT.
What Does a DBT Session Look Like?
A typical week includes one individual therapy session and a separate skills group. During individual therapy, you talk about what you’re working on. Skills groups usually last 90 minutes to two hours and give you time to learn and practice new skills.
Between sessions, you track your emotions and urges using a diary card. You and your therapist can review the diary card during your next session. Some programs also offer brief phone coaching to help you use DBT skills between sessions.
How Long Does DBT Typically Take?
DBT doesn’t last the same amount of time for everyone. A standard course often runs about six months to a year to cover all the skill areas, but your specific timeline depends on your goals, how you’re progressing, and whether you’re working through one specific issue or a longer-standing pattern.Â
Some continue with the skills group even after individual sessions taper off, simply to keep the practice going.
Getting Started With DBT at The Living Room Mental Health
The Living Room Mental Health offers DBT in Princeton, NJ, for people who want help managing strong emotions and changing behaviors that may be getting in the way of daily life.Â
Our team can help you learn practical skills, understand your emotions, and find healthier ways to respond when life feels overwhelming. Contact us to talk through whether DBT fits your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DBT only for people with borderline personality disorder?
No. While DBT was developed for BPD, it’s also used for emotional issues, self-harm urges, and other conditions that affect feelings.
How is DBT different from talk therapy?
DBT is more structured than open-ended talk therapy, combining individual sessions with a dedicated skills group and specific tools for managing emotions in the moment, not just reflecting on the past.
Can DBT be combined with medication?
Yes. Many use DBT alongside medication management, and your treatment team can coordinate both as part of a single plan.
Sources:
- Borderline Personality Disorder — National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy — American Psychological Association (APA)
- Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review Assessing the Efficacy of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — National Library of Medicine (PubMed)
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