Dialectical behaviour therapy

Dialectical Behaviour therapy (DBT) was originally developed for the treatment of women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in the community. Since then DBT has been modified and evaluated for use with comorbid disorders, across the lifespan and across a range of clinical settings. The DBT model assumes that individuals with BPD lack key interpersonal, self-regulation, and distress tolerance skills, and that personal and environmental factors may frequently block and/or inhibit the use of behavioural skills or reinforce maladaptive actions. DBT is based on an assumption of a pervasive skills deficit; thus the therapy is designed to facilitate the learning of new skills, the embedding of these skills into the individual’s repertoire, and the generalization of these skills across contexts. DBT incorporates a range of change-enhancing strategies interwoven with acceptance-focused strategies. DBT was developed from the cognitive–behavioural model of treatment, and thus shares many of its key components. DBT incorporates the principles of dialectics, mindfulness, and validation with cognitive–behavioural principles and techniques.