Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills
Why DBT?
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, or DBT, is an evidence-based therapeutic approach for youth who struggle to manage intense emotions and deal with stressful situations. It’s helpful for youth with impulsive behaviors and those experiencing thoughts of suicide. Through DBT, teens learn specific skills that help them live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate emotions, and navigate social relationships. DBT includes techniques related to mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and walking the middle path. Watch the videos below to learn more about specific techniques.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness skills are about focusing attention on one thing at a time and being aware of the present moment, including thoughts, urges, and behaviors, without judgment.
Wise Mind
Wise mind balances emotion and reason and helps you use both to make good choices.
Mindful Walk
Adding mindfulness to a walk can help with mood and overall well-being.
Mindful Moment
A mindful moment involves taking a short break to pause and be present.
Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance skills are for managing painful and stressful situations when you lack control over a situation but need to manage your response.
Wise Mind ACCEPTS
This acronym stands for coping strategies that help regulate emotions and distract from negative thoughts.
TIPP
This acronym can be helpful for a young person feeling overwhelmed by intense emotions.
Improve the Moment
This acronym can help distract and shift your focus during a crisis.
Soothe with 6 Senses
Soothe with Six Senses can help young people manage challenging circumstances by engaging all six senses.
Pro & Cons
Pros and Cons can help a young person decide between two courses of action.
Radical Acceptance
Radical Acceptance is designed to keep pain from turning into suffering.
Emotional Regulation
Emotion regulation skills are focused on learning ways to manage strong negative emotions and increase positive emotions for yourself and youth.
Opposite Action
This technique helps change your emotional state by doing the opposite of what your emotions compel you to do.
Creating a Crisis Survival Kit
A crisis survival kit is a collection of items, skills and techniques to have on hand to relieve emotional stress.
ABC PLEASE
This acronym stands for various ways to take good care of yourself.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal effectiveness skills for asking for what you want, saying no, and coping with interpersonal conflict while maintaining the relationship and self-respect.
DEAR MAN
This acronym outlines ways to communicate needs, wants, and boundaries.
GIVE
This acronym is helpful for maintaining and building positive connections through effective communication.
FAST
This acronym focuses on ways to be open and honest, while maintaining self-respect and integrity.
The Middle Path
The middle path skills are meant to assist teens and their families in navigating conflict and challenging situations.
Ride the Wave
Ride the Wave focuses on accepting and riding out intense emotions rather than trying to suppress or avoid them.
Validation
Validation can help a young person build and maintain healthy relationships.
Dialectics
Dialectics teaches us that there is more than one way to see a situation or solve a problem.
DBT in Elementary Schools
Intended for elementary school teachers, we offer a quarterly six-session series that provides an overview of DBT theory and skills with a focus on skills application and incorporation into standard elementary curriculum.
DBT in High Schools
Intended for high school teachers, we offer a quarterly six-session training series that provides an overview of DBT theory and skills with a focus on skills application and incorporation into standard high school curriculum.
DBT ON-DEMAND
This course is a self-paced introductory overview of DBT. Particular recommendations are offered for facilitating learning in individual/group environments and within remote learning environments.
