Benefits of DBT

Tess

Could DBT Help Your Teen Thrive This School Year?

Entering the school season can elicit great excitement for the new academic year ahead and all the possibilities it may hold. However, for many teen girls, they are not only carrying a backpack full of books into their classroom but a host of emotions, including doubt, insecurity, social and academic pressure, and comparison. Preparing for this school year is more than buying school supplies and organizing the calendar. It can create an opportunity to strengthen emotional resilience and coping skills to help teens navigate such challenges with greater confidence. This is where Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can be especially helpful by providing valuable skills to equip your teen for a successful school year ahead!

What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach that teaches individuals practical skills for managing difficult emotions, improving relationships, and reducing interpersonal conflict. By building these skills, individuals can move beyond simply surviving and begin creating a life in which they can truly thrive. Rather than eliminating difficult emotions, DBT helps individuals learn to slow down and respond in healthier and more effective ways. This theoretical modality teaches practical skills, including mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness to learn how to approach life in a more balanced way.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a term used quite liberally in our day and age, but what is it really, especially in the context of DBT? Marsha Linehan, the founder of DBT, defines mindfulness as, “Intentionally living with awareness in the present moment, without judging or rejecting the moment, and without attachment to the moment.” Living mindfully means noticing our surroundings, thoughts, sensations, and emotions without judging or rejecting the moment. This requires acceptance of our circumstances and emotions rather than trying to control or shun them. Rather than seeking to escape the past or future, mindfulness invites us to understand our experience in the present. This stance is rooted in what DBT refers to as our Wise Mind, which is harnessed when we balance and honor both our emotional and rational minds together.

Niah

How can DBT Help Me?

DBT skills are valuable tools for anyone struggling with emotional regulation. They help individuals identify and understand their emotions, distinguish feelings from facts, and develop the ability to pause before reacting. By learning to slow down and respond thoughtfully rather than automatically, individuals can make choices that better align with their goals and values. It can also help you learn how to have assertive communication, set boundaries, and handle difficult conversations while maintaining self-respect. Having radical acceptance for yourself, others, and the world is something that is difficult to do on a daily basis, but DBT helps us walk in confidence rather than confusion.

Can DBT help my insecurity and anxiety?

Yes! Most of the time, people get anxiety and insecurities around pleasing people, being good enough, or proving your worth, and DBT techniques teach self-validation, and self-respect skills. People can also be anxious about things that they cannot control or that demands certainty: “What if I make the wrong choice?”, “What if something goes wrong?”. DBT helps us with distress tolerance and learning how to proceed without certainty. How to be okay when things seem to be crashing. A core aspect of how this works is incorporating your own personal values to stay aligned when things do not go as planned (because that’s how it typically goes).

How can I try DBT?

If you’re wanting to try DBT first hand, you can schedule an appointment with our clinicians who utilize DBT and learn how to put these skills into practice!

Join Our End of Summer Teens Girls’ Workshop

Wanting to give DBT a try and learn how to put these skills into practice to start the school year off strong? Join us for a DBT intensive July 2026! This workshop is designed for teen girls looking to grow emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

References:

Marsha M. Linehan (2015). DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press