Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy made up of four primary focus areas: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. In this blog I will explain each of the four focus areas in more detail.

  • Mindfulness. When we practice mindfulness we are focusing on the present. This practice allows us to slow down, reduce our heart rate and racing thoughts, break out of negative thought patterns, and even increase our energy and productivity. Mindfulness practices help us regulate our bodies and improve our overall sense of well-being.
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness. Do you find it hard to make and keep friends? Do you find that you struggle to remain connected to your partner or your kids? Do you feel like your parents are not hearing you? Interpersonal Effectiveness is a set of skills that helps us communicate what we want, what we need, and what we are feeling without losing or destroying our relationships.
  • Emotion Regulation. Do you ever feel like your emotions cloud your judgement? Do you experience powerful bursts of emotion that lead to actions you later regret? Learning to regulate our emotions is important because it helps us be in control, instead of being controlled by our emotions. That does not mean we should not, or will not, feel strong emotions. Emotions are part of the human experience! Emotion Regulation is a skillset that helps us process through and work within our emotions, and helps us feel a sense of calm, peace, and security.
  • Distress Tolerance. We have all learned coping strategies that may have served us well at one time, but are no longer helpful. For example, as children we learned to tolerate the distress of not getting our way immediately by holding a blanket or putting a binky in our mouth. These are perfectly acceptable for small kids, but it would probably not be good to show up to an office meeting using a binky and a blanket. Distress Tolerance skills empower us to remain calm, persevere, and grow. 

If your teen could benefit from learning more about these areas, the Adolescent DBT group, led by Dr. Jessica Pae, may be a good option. To find out more about this group please contact Dr. Pae at jpae@gracecounseling.net to set up an intake session.

Jess Gerthe, M.A. was one of Grace Counseling’s interns and helped lead the DBT Group for teenagers.