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DBT – How it Helps Students

DBT – How it Helps Students

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is designed for individuals who need assistance with managing their emotions, increasing their tolerance for distress, and developing relationships with others.  DBT is a research supported, effective form of treatment for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, OCD, Bipolar disorder, PTSD, and Eating Disorders. While DBT works well with these issues, it is also effective for anyone who needs help with emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal relationships.

DBT involves 3 modules which continuously run throughout the year and are led by an intensively trained DBT Therapist. The modules are: Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. So what will you learn and how do the modules help?

  • In Emotion Regulation, individuals learn how to manage the intensity of their emotions and decide whether reactions, feelings, and behaviors are effective in their life. For example, a student might become overwhelmed and stressed at school and decide to skip class. DBT can help that student learn to manage their feelings and react to their stress in a way that does not negatively impact their life.
  • In the Distress Tolerance module, individuals learn to increase their tolerance for negative emotions. For example, if a student has a panic attack before tests or before presentations, DBT would be helpful in teaching the student to soothe themselves and tolerate the anxiety without having a panic attack.
  • Lastly, the Interpersonal Effectiveness module teaches skills to help individuals get along better with other people. Sometimes individuals need assistance learning to connect with other people, how to compromise, how to be interested in others, how to have effective conflict that doesn’t end relationships, how to end unhealthy relationships, and how to tell the difference between a healthy and unhealthy relationship. For example, there might be a student who struggles making friends or maintaining friendships. DBT can help that student learn skills to connect with people and create genuine, lasting relationships.

While individual counseling with an intensively trained DBT therapist in combination with the DBT skills modules is strongly encouraged, it is not required. The Summit DBT therapists also enjoy collaborating with outside therapist to help provide the best treatment possible for all clients. If you’d like to make an appointment with one of the intensively trained DBT therapists or register for classes starting in January, please call the Summit at 678-893-5300 or visit our website at www.summitcounseling.org!