
Perhaps you’ve been dealing with negative thoughts for ages. In fact, your brain sometimes misleads you. Sometimes, you have big emotions that feel completely out of control. Maybe you’ve tried mental health treatment before, but you still feel lost. There are a lot of different types of psychotherapy that might be helpful. However, two that you’ll see mentioned frequently are Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). But what are those? What do all these letters mean? As a therapist in Georgia, I can help explain.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
First, let’s start with a basic introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. This is a method of therapy that helps us understand the relationship between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Your thoughts, especially negative ones, can influence your feelings. This in turn affects your behaviors. Over time, unhealthy thoughts and behaviors can become almost automatic.
As a therapist at Wellview Counseling, my goal when using CBT is to help you identify and change your negative thoughts. By examining and changing your thoughts to be a little healthier, you’ll begin to feel and act differently. CBT was one of the first evidence-based counseling treatments and research has consistently shown it is effective in treating anxiety, depression, and a variety of other mental health concerns.
There are Many Forms of CBT
Because CBT has been around so long, you’ll hear it discussed a lot. In fact, there are many, many tools a therapist can use or interventions we can do when we’re using CBT. You may be given homework sheets, complete worksheets in a counseling session, or be asked to keep a log of your thoughts/feelings/actions between sessions. The bottom line is that a CBT-trained therapist has a toolbox they can pull from to help you think about things in a healthier manner.
What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)?
Now that you know what Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is, what is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)? Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, or DBT, is a newer form of psychotherapy. In fact, DBT kind of falls under the umbrella of CBT, but it’s a more specific type of therapy that helps people gain control over big emotions.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy was originally introduced by Marsha Linehan to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). Historically, BPD was seen as being very difficult to treat even with CBT. So, Marsha Linehan introduced DBT and it gained popularity as research demonstrated its’ effectiveness in reducing BPD symptoms including suicidality.
DBT has Grown
Over the years, research has shown that DBT is actually an effective treatment for a wide range of mental health concerns. For example, studies have shown that DBT can help recovering addicts, those struggling with eating disorders, teenagers, and a variety of other populations. Essentially, DBT can help you if you have difficulty with emotional regulation. And let’s be honest, everyone has trouble regulating emotions at some point. So, we could all benefit from a little DBT in our lives.
DBT is a bit complicated to understand at first, but it’s extremely effective! A DBT therapist uses different tools, but much of the treatment focuses on teaching you to use a specific set of skills to manage emotions.
DBT has four categories of skills including mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation. These sets of skills help you develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate emotions, and improve your relationships with others.
Therapists at Wellview Counseling often incorporate DBT when helping clients with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and communication issues. We often are teaching DBT skills in counseling sessions and help our clients begin to apply the skills in their daily lives. One component of DBT is that we assume you need to practice using skills in various contexts. This means that even though you understand a new skill when talking to your therapist, it might be hard to use that same skill the next time you are upset. So, you will work with your therapist to really practice using the new skills you are learning.
In addition to skills training, a DBT-informed therapist may use other DBT techniques such as “behavioral chaining” to help you better understand why you use various unhealthy ways of coping. Or, keeping a “diary card” where you’re monitoring various things to discuss later in counseling sessions.
So, What Exactly are the Differences Between DBT & CBT?
CBT is completed during one-on-one individual therapy with a Wellview therapist focusing on the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Oftentimes, CBT-focused therapy might be more short-term.
On the other hand, DBT is very skills-based and has a lot of practical applications. Additionally, there is a lot more practice involved in DBT in order for it to be really effective. DBT requires a significant time commitment as it has a broader focus and is more structured.
Choosing a Method of Treatment That’s Right for You
If you are struggling with your emotions and feel like you’re drowning, you may be a great candidate for DBT. Or, if you’re struggling to change your thoughts and feel like your negative internal voice is taking over, it may feel like CBT is a good fit. The great news is that you don’t have to know right now exactly which treatment is the best fit.
Everyone struggling with their mental health is different. Therefore, everyone needs a little something different from therapy. The best way to decide which method of treatment may be best for you is to consult one of our therapists at Wellview Counseling. While we have therapists trained in both of these evidence-based counseling methods, please know that your therapist will work with you to decide on the best course of treatment and individualize it to really meet your personal goals.
Begin Regulating Your Emotions and Controlling Your Thoughts in Roswell, GA
At Wellview Counseling, our Georgia therapists understand that managing your emotions and learning to change your thoughts is not easy. That’s why we are here to help you learn to regulate your emotions, change your negative thought patterns, and start having healthy coping skills. To see if DBT or CBT is right for you, please follow these steps:
- Contact Wellview Counseling
- Meet with one of our DBT informed therapists
- Gain support as you learn skills to regulate and manage your emotions
A Note About “Comprehensive DBT” or “Adherent DBT”
If you’ve been doing much research on DBT, you may have read about group skills training. While we offer DBT-informed care on a regular basis, we do not currently offer a DBT group at Wellview Counseling. So, we do not have a “comprehensive DBT” or “adherent DBT” program at this time. This means that if you are in more of a crisis phase of treatment (for example, actively suicidal or frequently self-harming) we may refer you to another therapist.
Other Services Offered at Wellview Counseling
Our therapists offer a wide range of services to support our clients through the many challenges they may be experiencing. And, we also offer counseling to a wide range of ages too! The counselors on our team work with children, teens, young adults, and older adults as well. We offer in-person counseling at our practice located in Roswell, Georgia. However, we can also see clients from anywhere in Georgia through online counseling. We’re excited to be a part of your journey towards wellness!