What is DBT?
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment that is effective in treating borderline personality disorder and, more broadly, problems with emotion regulation. DBT is an effective treatment for people who struggle with intense emotions and find that this interferes in multiple areas of their life.
DBT treatment is an active, collaborative treatment that involves developing treatment goals and targeting specific behaviors that get in the way of your “life worth living”. Part of DBT is learning and practicing skills in the areas of mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation.
Find out more about DBT including supporting research here.
Is DBT right for me?
You might benefit from DBT if you:
Have a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder
Struggle with intense emotions
Have historically considered yourself to be “emotionally sensitive”
Have multiple problems in multiple areas of your life
Find that intense emotions make it difficult to function in work, school, or relationships
Have tried other types of therapy and thought it was unhelpful, not active enough, or too change-focused
Have been told by other therapists that you would benefit from learning coping skills before addressing trauma or other treatment goals
Struggle with self-harm, thoughts of suicide, or suicidal behaviors
DBT Treatment Options
Dr. Meldon has years of experience in providing DBT and is excited to offer a range of DBT services tailored to meet the needs of each client.
Individual Therapy
Standard outpatient DBT treatment (also called “full DBT” or “comprehensive DBT”) includes 4 components: weekly individual DBT therapy, weekly DBT skills group, as-needed phone coaching, and DBT therapist consultation team. Dr. Meldon offers standard outpatient DBT for clients who need the full support of DBT treatment. This includes weekly or twice-weekly individual DBT sessions, weekly DBT skills group, and as-needed phone coaching. Dr. Meldon meets weekly for consultation team with other DBT therapists to ensure she is providing treatment effectively. Standard DBT is often the recommended course of treatment for clients who are struggling with life-threatening behaviors and/or who have never learned DBT skills previously and could benefit from phone coaching.
Dr. Meldon also sees clients in DBT individual therapy who could benefit from a DBT approach and who either have completed a DBT skills group in the past, or who do not need the full support of comprehensive treatment. Dr. Meldon integrates skills training into individual sessions and may also have clients participate in the structure of DBT therapy including diary cards and homework from the DBT skills workbook.
DBT Skills Training
For clients who primarily want to learn DBT skills, Dr. Meldon offers individual DBT skills training sessions. This is not individual therapy, but rather Dr. Meldon teaches clients in an individual format the skills in the DBT skills workbook, following the same curriculum as DBT skills group. This is a good option for clients who could benefit from learning DBT skills, but group therapy is not considered the best fit. Clients participating in individual skills training may be required to have an individual therapist, based on client’s treatment needs.
Dr. Meldon leads a DBT Skills Group that covers skills in the areas of mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation. DBT skills group is a 6-month commitment and meets weekly for 90 minutes. Clients can participate in DBT skills group who are in individual therapy with Dr. Meldon or who have an outside therapist. DBT skills group is a component of standard outpatient DBT.