See our first blog about DBT: “DBT Therapy: What is it?” to learn about types of concerns that DBT can help relieve.
So, what else is there to know about DBT?
DBT has four modules: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
DBT Mindfulness
Mindfulness skills teach people how to live in the present moment. Wouldn’t it be so great to spend time with friends and fully enjoy that time together, rather than thinking about all the chores you have to do once you get home? You may be thinking, “What if doing chores is awful? I don’t want to do that!” Even when your present moment is unpleasant, it is beneficial to be present in it because if you are aware of what is going on, you are better able to decide how to proceed.
DBT Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance skills help you avoid acting on impulses. A lot of times, impulses that people have might feel good in the short term, but end up having negative consequences in the long term. These can include drug or alcohol use, self harm, and disordered eating. Distress tolerance skills help you find effective ways to manage negative emotions in the moment in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling worse later.
DBT Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation skills help individuals have more control over their emotions. This module includes tips for improving your emotions in the short term by doing activities you enjoy, but it also helps you have more stable moods over time by helping you examine your sleeping habits, eating habits, and other factors.
DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness
The Interpersonal Effectiveness module includes skills for everything relationships. People often struggle with assertiveness skills and communicating effectively (especially in the Midwest). Have you ever avoided a hard conversation? Do you find yourself saying yes to favor after favor when you really don’t have the capacity to take something else on? Or do you struggle with getting your own needs met because you are too afraid to ask for what you need? Skills in this module help you ask for what you want and need in such a way that makes the other person more likely to say yes and without getting defensive as well as respect your “no”. With these skills, you can ask for something and say no to something all while maintaining your relationships and your own self respect. Sounds pretty good, right?
Why DBT Is Useful
As you can see, DBT skills can be useful for just about anybody! At Sentier, we offer a Teen DBT Skills Group and a Young Adult DBT Skills group. Each of these groups is 10 weeks long and teaches some of the skills from each of the modules. I like to say we go through the “Greatest Hits” of the skills. New groups are offered quarterly.
What module sounds most helpful to you?
