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Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) & DBT-Informed therapy

It can be difficult to learn how to regulate our emotions on demand or solve overwhelming challenges that come our way. When we experience extreme negative emotions, it can cause problems in our relationships and leave us feeling ‘stuck’ in difficult situations or destructive behaviour patterns. This is an area where DBT-informed therapy can help.

At BPG, many of our therapists offer DBT-informed therapy. This treatment approach incorporates principles and techniques from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). It can be a powerful tool that has been found to help those who are struggling with the following conditions:

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  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Bulimia
  • Binge-eating
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Depression
  • Substance abuse

Balance for better mental health

DBT-informed therapy focuses on helping you get unstuck from extreme positions. Throughout your treatment, your therapist will help you to avoid all-or-nothing thinking by showing you that it is possible to hold two opposing perspectives at the same time. We do this by teaching different skill sets: acceptance-oriented skills (mindfulness and distress tolerance) and change-oriented skills (emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness). In turn, you will learn how to recognize, manage, and shift intense emotions and self-destructive behaviours. This proactive, problem-solving approach can help you achieve a more peaceful, emotionally stable life.

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Frequently asked questions

DBT-informed therapy
How effective is DBT-informed therapy?

DBT-informed therapy has been found to be successful at helping clients learn to manage and control emotions, and experience less anger and anxiety.

Do I need to be on medication to begin?

Medication is not a requirement to undergo DBT-informed therapy. There may be some cases, such as severe depression, where an individual may benefit from both therapeutic and pharmaceutical support. In these situations, we advise you to speak with your family physician and will arrange a referral for a medication consultation.

How is my progress measured?
Throughout the course of DBT, we will teach you to monitor your thoughts and behaviours. This self-awareness is one way to check in to see how you are progressing throughout your therapy. We will also assess each individual’s ability to cope using the skills we teach, as well as review any dysfunctional coping mechanisms that may be present.
What should I expect from my sessions?

One-on-one sessions with your therapist can address any challenges you are having in your life pertaining to personal relationships, coping skills, and self-destructive patterns.

Your therapist may focus on different survival strategies, including: a) self-soothing b) improving the moment c) distracting, and d) thinking of pros and cons of a behaviour or situation. You will also learn acceptance skills such as radical acceptance, turning your mind toward acceptance, and learning how to be willing, as opposed to willful.

Skill-building sessions are designed to incorporate the four following skill modules:

Mindfulness: Helping to focus your attention and live life in the present moment. This helps remove distractions caused by excessive worrying about the future or the past using mindfulness exercises.

Distress Tolerance: Teaching new ways to deal with crisis situations in effective, healthy ways that do not include harming yourself.

Emotional Regulation: Equipping you with skills that will help you to understand your emotions, and gain control over them.

Interpersonal Effectiveness: Teaching assertiveness skills, such as learning how to say no to others, how to ask for what you want and/or need, and maintaining self-respect and important relationships in the process.

Will I see results right away?
Everyone is different — some individuals respond more quickly to treatment than others, while others take a bit longer. The first couple of sessions will be more exploratory and build a foundation for the work that is coming up ahead. Results may not be immediately noticeable, but tend to grow with gradual consistency. The important thing to remember is to have patience with yourself — it is a process and long-lasting change takes time.
How did this form of therapy begin?
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT was first started in the 1980’s by Marsha Linehan, and was originally designed to help sufferers of borderline personality disorder (BPD).
What level of participation is expected from me?
DBT requires active participation from you and your therapist. The more open and honest you are about your current struggles and the more work you are willing to contribute to your healing process, the greater results you can expect to see.
How does DBT informed therapy differ from DBT?
In DBT-informed therapy, key DBT principles are applied without the necessity of following every single part of the entire program. This means focusing on the techniques that suit the individual best, rather than going through set stages. For someone who isn’t dealing with severe illness or suicidal thoughts, DBT-informed therapy can offer a more adaptable and customized approach to treatment, tailoring skills and training to meet their specific needs.