Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based behavioral treatment developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD, ABPP that helps people who have difficulty managing their emotions. The term “dialectical” means a synthesis or integration of opposites. The primary dialectic within DBT is between the seemingly opposite strategies of acceptance and change. In DBT, we learn to accept ourselves as we are while acknowledging that we need to change in order to accomplish our goals.

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DBT includes four skills areas:

• Mindfulness: The practice of maintaining awareness and being present in the current moment.

• Distress Tolerance: Tolerating painful situations without trying to change them. In other words, “weathering the storm”.

• Interpersonal Effectiveness: Asking for what you want and saying no while preserving self-respect and relationships with others.

• Emotion Regulation: Decreasing vulnerability to painful emotions and changing emotions that are ineffective.