Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectic behavioural therapy, or DBT, is an empirically supported, comprehensive treatment that is effective for treating complex mental health problems. Originally developed as an intervention for suicidal women, and widely used to treat borderline personality disorder, DBT is now applied in working with a variety of mental health problems and is especially effective for clients who have difficulty managing and regulating their emotions. Therapists practicing DBT aim to strike a balance between validation and change by clearly communicating acceptance of who the client is and the challenges the client faces, while at the same time helping the client to learn new skills to improve emotion regulation. In this session, Dr. Alexander L. Chapman works with a male client who has trouble regulating his anger. Dr. Chapman first highlights and assesses the clients behaviour and emotions and then discusses emotion regulation strategies that the client can use to better manage anger in his daily life.