By: Lakeview Health
Dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, is one of many tools that psychologists and other medical professionals may use to treat substance abuse. If you’re worried that you won’t be strong enough to withstand temptation, you may wonder if you can learn healthy coping skills through DBT. Fortunately, the answer is yes. To learn more, call Lakeview and ask our experienced specialists about dialectical behavior therapy coping skills.
What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?
Dialectical behavioral therapy is an offshoot of cognitive-behavioral therapy. During this therapy session, we help you cope with your difficult emotions. It’s also useful in decreasing relationship conflict. DBT may be an individual therapy, or it may be a group therapy session. In certain situations, your therapist may suggest that it be both.
Can You Learn Healthy Coping Skills Through DBT?
There are four dialectical behavior therapy coping skills that you’ll learn through DBT.
Mindfulness: During DBT, you’ll learn how to be aware of what is happening at the moment, and accepting it. We’ll teach you to be mindful of your emotions, sensations, and thought. We’ll also show you to separate those sensations and emotions from your thoughts. Moreover, you’ll learn how to take action against those negative thoughts.
Distress Tolerance: In moments of crisis, you might not be able to use mindfulness, so you’ll need some skills to help you tolerate distress. These skills may be as simple as distracting yourself until you can calmly handle the situation. You’ll also learn how to improve your circumstances, even if you feel pain or the conditions are complicated.
Emotional Regulation: Even with mindfulness and distress tolerance, sometimes your emotions can get the best of you. Therefore, it is essential for you to learn how to regulate your emotions. We’ll teach you several coping skills, including:
- How to recognize your emotions
- Avoiding giving into the emotional urges
- Learning new and helpful ways to solve problems
- Overcoming barriers to positive emotions
Interpersonal Competency: If you’re struggling with intense and rapidly changing emotions, you may not be able to relate to others easily. You need to know how you feel and how to communicate effectively. We can teach you how to interact with people, using skills, such as:
- Learning how to work through relationship conflicts
- How to have more respect for yourself
- How to ask for help and take specific steps to get what you need
Lakeview Treatment Can Help
It’s essential to learn healthy coping skills through DBT and other therapy options to stay sober. Without these skills, you may quickly relapse back into your addiction.
At Lakeview Health, we offer a variety of treatment options and therapies, such as:
Through these therapy options, we provide treatment for several addictions, such as:
Your addiction doesn’t have to rule over your life anymore. To learn healthy coping skills through DBT, or to learn more about addiction treatment, contact Lakeview Health today.
