What is DBT?

Origin of DBT

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidenced-based treatment published in 1993 by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. It was originally developed to treat chronically suicidal adult females who were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is characterized by intense shifts in emotional and behavioral extremes. Now, DBT is considered the gold standard for treating this population; research shows that participants meeting criteria for BPD at the beginning of studies no longer meet criteria after one year of treatment.

Adaptations

Research has shown that therapists utilizing DBT can be successful in treating a variety of other mental health diagnoses, including but not limited to depressive disorders, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and binge eating disorder.  Additionally, specific adaptations of DBT have been developed by researchers to assist certain populations. These populations include adolescents and their families, children, individuals with post-traumatic stress symptoms, substance use, and disorders characterized by excessive self-control (often referred to as overcontrol).

Undercontrol vs. Overcontrol

At Greenville DBT Collective, our therapists provide two different types of DBT programs - “Standard” DBT and Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT). Standard DBT is typically beneficial for individuals with an undercontrolled (UC) personality style, while RO-DBT is more appropriate for individuals with an overcontrolled (OC) personality style.

The term “undercontrolled” refers to a lacking of effective self control. Individuals with an undercontrolled personality style generally struggle to inhibit emotions and behaviors. UC individuals are often emotionally expressive, impulsive, and have a heightened reward response (easily excitable). At a maladaptive level, the UC personality style can be associated with externalizing diagnoses, such as borderline personality disorder, conduct disorder, and substance use disorders.

On the contrary, “overcontrolled” individuals tend to possess excessive levels of self control. OC individuals display a more constricted or inhibited emotional expression and may often be described as shy or timid. This personality style is also associated with higher levels of rigidity and inflexibility. When maladaptive, the OC personality style may be associated with internalizing diagnoses, such as obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, anorexia, and chronic depression.

Treatment Process

All of our DBT programs follow the evidence-based model of the treatment, which includes the following components:

  1. Weekly individual therapy

  2. Weekly skills training classes

  3. Coaching calls as needed

  4. Weekly DBT consultation team

All clients receiving comprehensive DBT services from therapists in the Greenville DBT Collective are expected to participate in each component that requires client involvement.