Our therapists offer DBT / dialectical behavior therapy in Virginia Beach, VA

A go-to approach to helping people in dialectical behavior therapy can be to begin by identifying and refining specific measurable behavioral goals in partnership with the client and setting expectations for how these goals can be met. Sessions can begin almost every time by inviting the client to share their current state of being and engage in supportive reflection to reinforce the client's practice of mindfulness. This can then lead to communication about the client's recent significant events which often produces examples within the session that can be reviewed together and put emphasis on emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and behavior changes that support progress toward the client's identified goals. it can be a beneficial approach due to its emphasis on emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.

The following tools can be effective in delivering dialectical behavior therapy: practicing presence and mindfulness; awareness of measurable behavioral goals; and review, rehearsal, and role-playing for improved interpersonal effectiveness and emotional regulation.

Clients may be seen to be making progress in dialectical behavior therapy when they are able to recount successes in their ability to identify, communicate, and regulate emotions, which contributes to successes in their interpersonal relationships. This is often visible in their marriages and work lives and when they begin to recognize positive cycles up toward the realization of their goals.

Clients can supplement their time in dialectical behavior therapy by strengthening their meaningful relationships through intentional time spent with trusted people in their social networks, taking time for self-care however that may be defined, practicing identified emotional regulation strategies at times when it is easy, and completing diary cards that encourage self-monitoring of moods, behaviors, and skills.

To prepare for their first dialectical behavioral therapy session, an individual can consider what specific goals they may have and what specific obstacles they encounter in achieving them. Clients can prepare by taking a mental inventory of contributing factors and by being prepared to take what may feel like risks by trusting the counseling process and the counselor with sensitive, private, vulnerable sharing.