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What We Treat
All of our clients have difficulties with intense emotions. Some feel their emotions are out of control and lead to impulsive behaviors. Others may feel numb, or that their emotions are “locked down” or suppressed. The primary goal of DBT is to teach individuals how to experience emotions in a healthy, effective way that feels productive and manageable, both through the use of specific skills as well as other aspects of DBT treatment.
DBT is effective for individuals who have difficulty regulating their emotions. Problems with emotion regulation might take a variety of forms, such as:
- Painful, strong emotions, that feel overwhelming or like there is no escape
- Your emotions feel like they come out of the blue, and/or shift quickly from one to the next
- It feels like your emotions control your life and your decisions
- Presence of suicidal ideation and/or self-harm behaviors
- Other impulsivity related to emotions
- Problems with anger, shame, or low mood
- Problems feeling numb or detached from your emotions
Many of our clients have current or previous suicide ideation, suicide attempts, and/or intentional self-injury that is not suicidal. DBT was designed to treat suicide and intentional self-injury, among other problems. It has a great deal of research supporting its usefulness for these problems. That being said, there is no proven way to predict or prevent suicide. We are very skilled at helping clients build a life where they no longer want to die, but we cannot guarantee that we can predict or prevent suicide.
First and foremost in DBT, we work on life-threatening behaviors and any situations or habits that lead to these behaviors. This will remain the primary focus until the risk of self harm or suicide is significantly reduced.
Our clients typically struggle with multiple chronic problems. We focus on solving the problems that make building a life difficult. This could include suicide or self-harm behaviors, impulsivity, any DSM-5 diagnosis (e.g., PTSD, eating disorder, substance use, depression, anxiety, and so on), and/or serious problems in living, such as a housing situation, conflict in relationships, employment difficulties, and many others.
Not all clients will present with all of these difficulties. DBT is a highly tailored treatment and we will only focus on the targets that are relevant to you.
