Blue Ridge Mountains. Learn about DBT informed therapy in North Carolina. You can learn to be more present with mindfulness, manage emotions more effectively, and have healthier relationships.

By Rebecca Blankenship

What makes therapy DBT informed?

DBT informed treatment means that it is based on, or uses some of the principles of, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is underneath the umbrella of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, meaning that it helps us to understand and target the connections between our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and body sensations. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is skills based and teaches things we can do to help ourselves in four areas: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance. 

DBT informed therapy is helpful for individuals who are sensitive to emotions. DBT informed therapy is also helpful for individuals who have had their emotions invalidated, or been told by those around them that their emotions don’t make sense. Skills taught in DBT Informed Therapy can be helpful for individuals with anxiety disorders, depression, mood disorders, trauma, and life transitions and stressors.

Dialectical means balance.

A major balance sought after in DBT informed therapy is a balance between acceptance of self and current circumstances while also working toward change to meet overall goals. DBT informed therapy strives to bring balance in multiple areas of an individual’s life, including emotions and relationships.

In teaching dialectics to clients, I strongly encourage the use of “and” rather than “but” as more than one thing can be true at the same time. Notice how it sounds different to say “my week has been joyful and stressful” instead of “my week has been joyful, but it has been stressful.”

Picture of balanced objects. Learn about DBT informed therapy in North Carolina.

This type of therapy is behavioral meaning that it seeks to maintain positive behaviors, change problematic behaviors, and build new skills. At times, DBT informed therapy asks clients to track behaviors and action urges, or what we want to say and do, on diary cards.

DBT informed therapy is skills based, so what skills do you learn and why are these important? 

1. Mindfulness Skills

  • Mindfulness is central to DBT informed therapy. With mindfulness we learn to be in the present moment. Often symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress come from worries about the future or negative thoughts about the past. DBT Informed therapy asserts that one moment at a time is enough for any of us to handle. 
  • DBT informed therapy teaches three states of mind meaning that we each have an emotional mind, logical mind and wise mind. Put simply, the wise mind is what is considered inner wisdom within each of us that is able to consider both facts and emotions. DBT encourages individuals to practice mindfulness in order to be in their wise mind more often. Mindfulness skills are also important to other skills learned in DBT informed therapy. 

2. Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills

  • Interpersonal effectiveness skills can be used in our closest relationships, including family, romantic relationships or friendships. They can also be utilized in any interaction we have with others, such as a conversation at the grocery store.
  • These skills are important as they help us to build and maintain our own self-respect. We learn to stop over apologizing and stick to our values. We also learn ways to get what we want in our relationships. We build skills in order to make requests and to say no. We practice healthy communication and boundary setting. When needed, we also learn when we may need to end unhealthy relationships and how to do so effectively.
Mountains in waves. virtual DBT therapy to help manage difficult emotions, learn to be more present, and have healthier relationships. Charlotte, NC

3. Emotion Regulation Skills

  • Emotion regulation skills include both learning more about emotions and our experiences with them as well as ways to manage emotions, or feel differently.
  • Emotion regulation skills are important as we are instructed to check the facts, see if our emotions fit the facts and if they are helpful to us. If we want to feel differently, emotion regulation skills provide many options to do so. Emotion regulation skills also help us not to go from 0 to 100 on a scale of intensity for any emotion. With emotion regulation, we learn to experience and validate our emotions without allowing them to dictate our behaviors.

4. Distress Tolerance Skills

There are two types of distress tolerance skills: crisis survival and acceptance skills. 

  • Crisis survival skills are important as we learn how to tolerate uncomfortable emotions so we don’t make the situation worse for ourselves. We also learn strategies that bring down emotional intensity quickly. Sometimes crisis survival skills are needed in order to bring down our emotions long enough so that we can use some of our other coping skills as well. 
  • Acceptance skills are about accepting, or being open to the idea of accepting, things as a part of our reality. Acceptance does not mean that we approve, love, or even think the situation is okay. However, when we can acknowledge that it is a part of our reality rather than fighting against it, we are better equipped to figure out how to proceed forward. 

There are many skills within each of these skill training modules. Not every skill will be a good fit for every person, but there are enough skills that everyone should find at least some that are helpful to them. I personally use DBT skills daily and believe that they are beneficial for individuals and groups as they work toward their goals. 

Get Started with DBT Informed Therapy in North Carolina!

With the help of a DBT counselor in North Carolina, you can learn to be more present, manage your emotions more effectively and have healthier relationships. Mindspace Counseling will help you start learning the necessary coping skills to have more balance in your emotions, your relationships, and your life. Follow these steps:

  1. Reach out to Mindspace Counseling
  2. Meet with one of our DBT counselors or participate in our DBT-Informed Skills Group for adults.
  3. Start learning the coping skills to have more balance in your life and building a life that is worth living.

Other Services Offered at Mindspace Counseling in North Carolina

DBT informed therapy is not the only service we offer at our North Carolina-based therapy practice. We know that there are many other services that can help with mental health. We also provide anxiety treatment, grief counseling, EMDR, and EMDR intensive therapy. As well as postpartum mental health, and perinatal mental health counseling. In fact, we can help you virtually via online therapy in North Carolina and online therapy in Florida. Get connected with us today.