Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) For Substance Abuse

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a skills-based treatment that can help you better regulate your emotions, have more successful interpersonal relationships, increase your distress tolerance, and be more mindful of your thoughts, feelings, and environment. DBT has been found to be very effective when it comes to treating substance abuse and a variety of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence-based treatment that combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with the Zen Buddhist concepts of meditation and self-awareness. Through individual DBT sessions and DBT skills groups, you will learn how to incorporate dialectical behavioral therapy skills into your everyday life. When you participate in a dialectical behavioral therapy treatment program, you’ll progress through the following four stages:

  • Stage 1 lays the foundation for your journey to recovery by helping you gain control over life-threatening behaviors, behaviors that interfere with your treatment, and behaviors that interfere with your daily life.
  • Stage 2 involves expressing what you are feeling in a healthy way. Your therapist will help you identify, experience, and better express your emotions.
  • Stage 3 focuses on problem-solving. This stage will strengthen your ability to tackle issues that arise in everyday life in a more positive way.
  • Stage 4 brings all the lessons and skills of the preceding stages together to help you connect with the outside world.

In addition to helping treat a variety of disorders, dialectical behavior therapy can teach you healthier coping skills that will help you maintain you recovery and improve your quality of life.