Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program
DBT and the Treatment of Drug Addiction
Granite Recovery Centers’ program for successfully treating substance use disorders centers upon the A.A.’s 12-Step curriculum integrated with evidence-based clinical modalities that may include:
Identify the Compulsion, Modify the Response
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is an evidence-based addiction therapy program which was originally created in the 1980s by Marsha M. Linehan to treat clients suffering with borderline personality disorder and/or suicidal ideation and tendencies. Psycho-social professionals soon realized that clients suffering with drug and alcohol use presented with the same compulsive behaviors, marked by irregular and dramatic responses to their environment, that were difficult to change.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), is a skill-building psychotherapy that focuses on the development of mindfulness and the regulation of stress response, as it impacts behavior. Clients recommended for DBT have an exaggerated response to stress, which results in negative and oftentimes, self-destructive patterns of behavior. Clients with substance use disorders respond to stress with a compulsion to use. In DBT group and individual sessions, licensed clinicians teach cognitive and behavioral coping mechanisms that clients can adopt to re-think their stress response and manage the compulsory thoughts that fuel their substance use.
By helping clients find balance and mindfulness in their response to everyday stressors, DBT, in concert with 12-Step program work, can be as an effective therapy for treating addiction.
Four Tenets of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Developing Skills to Tame the Compulsion
Today, clinicians trained in DBT help clients, like Sam above, to learn new ways to perceive and respond to stressors that drive their compulsive behavior. In both individual and group therapy settings clinicians help clients to develop actionable skills such as:
Mindfulness
Being aware of yourself and others in the present
Emotional Regulation
Responding with appropriate emotion, in intensity and kind
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Communicating more effectively with others
Distress Tolerance
Building a defense from negative emotions
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Contact Us To Get The Help You Need
If you want to visit one of our New England drug rehab centers, please contact us at Granite Recovery Centers. Our experts will work with you to find a high-quality treatment option that meets your needs. We strive to provide a holistic level of treatment with evidence-based care, giving you the help necessary to regain your sobriety for good.
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