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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

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Take the first step toward addiction treatment by contacting us today.

Vertava DBT LPAt Woodland Recovery Center, our addiction therapy programs do not have a singular or narrow focus. Instead, we approach rehab from a holistic perspective. We engage our patients in a way that ensures they get multi-level care through treatment that addresses not only the substance use or addiction but any mental health or mood disorders that they may struggle with. dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a dynamic, transformative, and progressive way to treat addiction, especially for those who are facing co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

Learn more about our dialectical behavior therapy program by connecting with Woodland Recovery Center today at 662.222.2989.

What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

DBT was pioneered by Dr. Marsha M. Linehan in response to her own personal experiences with a mental health disorder. Dr. Linehan initially developed this model as a means to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), but since it has been shown to be a widely effective treatment for other conditions, including:

Its dynamic nature as a treatment tool makes DBT the perfect approach for co-occurring disorders therapy. It allows us to also treat the latter conditions mentioned above in conjunction with the addiction, which is key, because these co-occurring disorders may aggravate or cause a person’s addiction.

DBT is similar to cognitive-behavioral therapy in the manner that it engages and instructs a person on how to change the thoughts and behaviors that are causing them problems. However, it goes beyond this and helps to direct patients towards learning how to embrace acceptance.

The Tenets of Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Mindfulness: This is a practice that encourages a person to be present at the moment. This allows them space that can foster introspection and awareness, healthful mindsets that are necessary for developing acceptance of one’s self and the circumstances that surround them.

Distress tolerance: Often, patients experience events, people, or problems that are out of their control. Instead of being reactive and using drugs or alcohol to moderate the resultant emotional reaction, DBT encourages a person to utilize proactive coping skills that can help them to move through and beyond the situation, tolerating and even changing the emotions during these trying times.

Interpersonal effectiveness: This teaches patients how to establish healthy boundaries and respect for both themselves and others that can protect and balance them within their relationships.

Emotion regulation: Emotions can lead to impulsive and compulsive behaviors that fuel and surround drug use. This training helps a person to learn how to differentiate between their emotions while granting them the coping skills that are necessary to temper and encounter them in a healthy way. This leads to positive results and progress instead of allowing a person to remain stagnant or back-slide into habits of avoidance or self-harm.

The Benefits of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Addiction Treatment

Dialectical behavior therapy is pivotal within our treatment programs for substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders. This evidence-based treatment allows us to help and support people in the following ways:

  • Helps to support and comfort patients while they undergo withdrawal, including helping to alleviate the accompanying physical discomfort.
  • Helps to reduce the cravings and temptations that could lead a person to relapse.
  • Instructs participants in ways to create a lifestyle that supports sobriety and healthy recovery, including removing people, places, events, and circumstances that may trigger a craving or provide access or temptation to drugs.
  • Works towards restoring emotional and mental balance.
  • Helps patients to identify behaviors that are detrimental to their pursuit of sobriety.
  • Supports and strengthens emotional growth, helping patients to restore themselves to a more balanced emotional state.
  • Teaches community reinforcement. Directs participants in ways to restructure their lives to encourage abstinence, including finding new or reinvesting in old and healthier friendships and behaviors and social or vocational environments.

Our Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program

There are four components to our DBT program in Mississippi.

Skills Training Group

These group sessions work towards increasing participants’ resilience and functioning within their lives by teaching them healthy behavioral skills. Offered as a part of both outpatient and inpatient treatments, these sessions may occur anywhere from several times a week to every day. In an inpatient setting, the skills training is more intensive so that our patients glean the full benefit of the protocol during their residential stay.

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy sessions occur on a weekly level. The one-on-one setting fosters positive growth and change by helping to improve our patients’ initiative in combating the circumstances within their life that might typically foster unhealthful thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

DBT Coaching

Life isn’t always easy. Throughout the course of your day, you will be confronted with situations, people, choices, and experiences that may prove difficult. Our coaching helps to instill in you the confidence and coping skills that can help you to effectively and positively overcome these moments.

Therapist Consultation Team

In order to provide you with the highest and most attentive and informed standard of care, we are continuously educating and inspiring our therapists. Our care teams, consisting of our therapists and group leaders, generally meet on a weekly basis to instill the continued passion, drive, and skill that is foundational towards providing our patients with exceptional care.

Unlike other programs, we use DBT in its entirety. Our therapists employ the full DBT model within their sessions. Our patients deserve the best and most attentive module of care. Other programs might pick and choose only portions of DBT, which can short-change their patients and leave them without the full arsenal of therapy and skills that can make the difference in overcoming your addiction or substance use.

Learn More About DBT at Woodland Recovery Center

DBT works. Our expert and compassionate staff can offer you unparalleled therapy as part of your drug or alcohol rehabilitation. Wellness and mindfulness come from within. We can help you find strength and learn valuable skills so that you can harness the success that you deserve.

Learn more about this approach to treatment by connecting with the Woodland Recovery Center team at 662.222.2989.