Dialectical Behavior Therapy
First developed to help individuals suffering from borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy has grown in popularity to become a featured form of treatment for those with other mental conditions including: bipolar disorder, clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder as well as alcohol and drug addiction.
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
During Dialectical Behavior Therapy, the counselor and patient work together to develop potent strategies for overcoming conflict and unwanted behavior. Then, in follow up counseling sessions (which are often held in a larger group), four different skill sets are discussed regarding how to best implement these strategies across a wide variety of "real world" situations.
What are the Main Components of Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
There are four primary "skill sets" which are addresses during dialectical behavior therapy. Each one is designed to address an area of the individual's life which needs improvement. The four components are:
- Core Mindfulness – Features Zen Buddhist teachings of self-awareness and how that effects one's action throughout life.
- Emotional Regulation – Learning how to control and regulate one's emotions. This is a crucial part of the process for those who suffer from angry outburst, or have tried and failed at anger management courses.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness - Learning how to deal with others, resolves conflicts in a healthier, more productive manner and discovering how to make better decisions when interacting with other people.
- Distress Tolerance – Learning how to deal with stress and confront negative events in a positive, productive manner – as opposed to simply avoiding them outright.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Addiction
One of the fastest growing applications for dialectical behavior therapy is the field of alcohol and drug rehab. During sessions with a cognitive therapy counselor, the recovering addict is given an opportunity to create strategies for creating and maintaining a drug free life. A variety of topics can be discussed in these sessions, but some potential issues include:
- How break the cycle of addiction by improving one's self image – thus removing the need to "escape" through drug and alcohol use.
- Understanding how one's actions affect others, and developing strategies for treating friends and family with more respect – thus rebuilding trust that was lost during periods of substance abuse.
- Avoiding temptation by learning how to say "no" to those people who offer drugs and alcohol.
- Creating a better understanding of the conflict and social problems that substance abuse and addiction have brought about – and dealing with these issues head on.
Dialectical behavior therapy and other applications
Currently, dialectical behavior therapy is being used in a variety of counseling situations, including the treatment of:
- Dual Diagnosis – co-occurring mental illness and addiction issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Anxiety
- Clinical depression
Michael's House is a residential alcohol and drug rehab facility that utilizes dialectical behavior therapy and other cutting-edge methodologies in order to achieve health and wellness in their patients. Michael's House has helped thousands of individuals, many of whom had failed to achieve success in other programs, get clean and sober...and stay that way. Contact Michael's House today to learn more about the results-oriented addiction treatment programs.
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