DBT combines Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles with Eastern philosophical practices and the idea of dialectics – or trying to balance seemingly contradictory positions – i.e. creating behaviour change while accepting who we are. DBT is shown to be particularly effective in individuals who have problems with regulating their emotions, experience particularly strong emotions, or have unhelpful ways of dealing with distress (e.g. self-harm).
The goal of DBT is to help individuals learn to manage difficult emotions by letting themselves experience, recognise and accept emotions, rather than ignoring them or pushing them aside. DBT uses a balance of acceptance and change techniques – you will work with your therapist to find a good balance between (i) acceptance – accepting yourself as you are; and (ii) change – making positive changes in your life.
Acceptance techniques focus on understanding yourself as a person, and making sense of the way you have learned to deal with intense emotions in ways that are damaging in the long term. Change techniques are then used to support you to change unhelpful/harmful behaviours and learn more effective ways of dealing with your distress.
If you would like more information about our treatments, or to book an appointment with one of our clinical psychologists, please email or call the clinic on 02 9438 2511.
