Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a treatment developed for people with self harm behaviours, suicidal thoughts, urges for suicide and suicide attempts. Often people with a long history of these difficulties may have been given a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
It involves:
- Learning to understand why you might have developed your difficulties
- How to change the thoughts and manage the emotions that lead to self damaging behaviours.
It was developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph. D. in 1993, as an alternative for individuals for whom other therapies had not been effective.
Nearly 20 years worth of research has since supported this approach.Over time it has been adapted to treat a range of disorders with similar difficulties, for example, substance abuse and eating disorders (Feigenbaum, 2007, Lynch and Cheavens, 2008; Brassington and Krawitz, 2006).
DBT Philosophy
DBT Key Assumptions
DBT aims
Back to Endeavour Project menu
