How does DBT work?

Comprehensive DBT focuses on developing four key life skills that improve mental health:

  1. Distress tolerance: teaches you to feel i intense emotions like anger without reacting impulsively or using self-injury or substance abuse to dampen distress.

  2. Emotion regulation: teaches you to recognize, label, and adjust emotions.

  3. Mindfulness: teaches you become more aware of yourself and others while being attentive in the present moment.

  4. Interpersonal effectiveness: teaches you to naviage conflict while interacting assertively.

DBT offers a commonsense, four stage approach to improving your mental health

Stage 1: Treats your most self-destructive behaviors so that you can address the underlying causes.

Stage 2: Begins teaching the core quality-of-life skills, such as emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Stage 3: Helps you start applying skills to improve relationships and self-esteem.

Stage 4: Develops skills mastery so that you can meet your mental health goals and build strong relationships

Alicia Smart