Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT at the Delray Center

Numerous clinical trials have shown Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to be highly effective in the treatment of mental health disorders like Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, OCD, and clinical depression. Modified DBT treatments have also been adapted for substance abuse and eating disorders with successful results. The Delray Center for Healing offers several levels of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, from beginners up to advanced groups for clients who have already completed full DBT modules. No matter what level of knowledge or experience you have with DBT, the Delray Center can provide the right therapy, group or program for your needs.

What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, known as “DBT” for short, is an evidence-based therapy that has become the standard of care for treating certain personality and mood disorders. Unlike traditional talk or process therapy, DBT is a skills-oriented therapy. Individuals enrolled in DBT learn valuable techniques for how to combat issues like emotional dysregulation. The skills taught in DBT are ones that can be brought into everyday life, to help manage stressors and improve reactions to strenuous life events.

During DBT, clients at the Delray Center learn to master 4 skill-sets groups, known as modules, that have practical applications in everyday life. Clients are encouraged to enroll in both individual skills coaching as well as our DBT group therapy in order to master each skill-set.

• Mindfulness Skills: Group members learn to observe, describe and participate in thoughts, sensations, emotions and external phenomenon without judging these experiences as “good” or “bad.” Mindfulness skills are essential to successful advancement in the DBT Program.
• Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills: Participants learn to successfully assert their needs and manage conflict in their relationships. The skills learned during the interpersonal effectiveness DBT module allow clients to approach a variety of relationships in a constructive manner.
• Emotion Regulation Skills: Emotional regulation skills help participants identify and manage emotional reactions in healthy and adaptive ways. In this module, patients learn safe and healthy ways to self-regulate, so as to avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms they may have resorted to in the past.
• Distress Tolerance Skills: Group members learn ways to accept and tolerate distress without resorting to negative or destructive behaviors. For individuals with unstable behaviors or dramatic mood swings, learning to manage their reactions to stressful situations is invaluable.

DBT Programs at the Delray Center:

The Delray Center for healing offers DBT programs for all experience levels and degrees of clinical complexity. For those struggling to find time to receive the help they need, the Delray Center offers flexible scheduling for individual therapy & skills coaching, and evening groups for our DBT modules. Some of the DBT treatment options include:

Individual DBT Skills Training:

The clinical team at the Delray Center for Healing is comprised of multiple Master’s degree-level, licensed mental health counselors and clinical social worker that are all intensively-trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy by the Linehan Institute. In addition, the Delray Center includes board-certified psychiatrists intensively-trained in DBT, who provide initial psychiatric assessments for those interested in starting DBT. Individual skills coaching with a clinical professional is a requirement for DBT, where clients learn the necessary skills and have someone to hold them accountable during their treatment journey

DBT Modules:

The Delray Center offers comprehensive DBT programming at our outpatient mental health center in Delray Beach, Florida. For those interested in the full DBT experience, it is often recommended that participants combine individual skills coaching with our DBT module group. Each group meets for two hours a week and is facilitated by two intensively-trained DBT therapists. DBT group therapy allows participants to practice their newly-learned skills in a safe and constructive environment, and helps provide support and feedback from both therapists and peers.

Comprehensive DBT Program:

For those in need of more clinical support, the Delray Center offers an intensive DBT partial hospitalization program (PHP) for adults and adolescents. The DBT PHP combines individual & group DBT therapy with case management, ongoing psychiatric care, family therapy and other complimentary therapies. In addition, clients in our comprehensive DBT program receive a number of holistic services, such as yoga, acupuncture, vitamin therapy, personal training, and massage therapy.

To see if any of our DBT programs might be a good fit for you, contact us today to schedule an evaluation with one of our DBT providers.