Wake Kendall offers DBT in the Washington, D.C. metro area with a range of presenting concerns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is the gold-standard approach to helping people who struggle with managing intense emotions. DBT is an evidence-based therapy with a goal of increasing emotional regulation and changing behaviors that are getting in the way of life goals and relationships.
DBT has been found to be effective in helping individuals with a wide array of diagnoses or difficulties, including borderline personality disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, ADHD, and self-harm and suicidal behaviors. As part of their work in DBT, clients learn skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
DBT offers equal emphasis on acceptance-based strategies and behavioral change strategies as tools to create movement and growth. While participating in DBT, you can expect:
Comprehensive DBT is a multi-faceted approach, the unique components of which make it a powerful intervention for clients seeking to overcome obstacles in their progress towards their life goals. Many clients have found DBT to be a life-altering treatment for challenges that have been difficult to overcome in previous therapy.
DBT skills training consists of four core skill modules that increase clients’ ability to regulate their emotions, communicate effectively, be present in the moment and manage distress without moving into problematic behaviors. Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance are the three core skills modules, in addition to Mindfulness which is taught at the beginning of each skill area.
Mindfulness helps clients learn to remain present in the moment while decreasing impulsiveness and becoming aware of thoughts and urges that guide behavior. DBT can help those who are new to mindfulness skills to develop a set of strategies to practice in their daily lives. For those already experienced in mindfulness practices, DBT can build on those practices and help clients hone their ability to observe and describe their emotional world.
Distress tolerance skills provide necessary strategies for tolerating painful emotions and experiences in moments of crisis without reacting in ways that can make things worse. Distress tolerance skills also offer additional strategies for increasing acceptance and decreasing suffering.
The goals of emotion regulation skills in DBT include better understanding the causes and functions of emotions, decreasing vulnerability to intense emotions, and increasing ability to change unwanted or intense emotions. Improving emotion regulation is key to solving problems in the way of life goals and experiencing a greater sense of well-being.
DBT emphasizes communication skills-building strategies to cope with conflicts and communicate needs effectively in ways that increase self-esteem and confidence. Clients learn and deepen their skills in validation and self-acceptance while developing an understanding of their goals and priorities in different relationships.
Following an initial phone intake to review your therapy goals and the difficulties bringing you in, our intake team will provide you with recommendations about how The Wake Kendall Group’s DBT program can help you. For clients for whom comprehensive DBT will be the most helpful approach, we’ll match you with a therapist on our team for a series of initial appointments (pre-DBT) designed to outline a clear treatment plan and orient you to the different components of DBT.
Read more here about our comprehensive DBT program. We may also discuss our different group offerings outside of comprehensive DBT, including EASE, Wise Mind Studio, and our Friends & Family groups. Whatever your needs, we’re here to guide you on your path to feeling better.
We work hard to make it easy to get started in DBT. Call us today and learn what The Wake Kendall Group can do to improve your life.