Content area
Full Text
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive evidence-based treatment originally developed for individuals with borderline personality disorder endorsing histories of parasuicidal behavior. Incorporating elements of mindfulness, metacognition, and acceptance into its treatment repertoire alongside more conventional cognitive and behavioral interventions, DBT can be categorized as a third wave cognitive-behavioral treatment along the likes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). This article summarizes the core concepts and the key elements of DBT's conceptual framework, along with empirical research supporting its efficacy and effectiveness in treating not only borderline personality disorder, but a host of other conditions as well. While many of the skills in the DBT treatment model may be readily applied by Christian therapists working with Christian clients with little or no interaction or tension raised in relation to matters of faith, the authors highlight some areas of consideration that may warrant a more thoughtful engagement-offering suggestions on how to navigate these potential challenges along the way.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment originally developed and evaluated for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), endorsing histories of multiple nonfatal suicidal behaviors (Linehan, 1993). DBT incorporates a broad array of behavioral (e.g., exposure, contingency management) and cognitive (e.g., cognitive restructuring, problem-solving skills training) techniques, along with contextual and experiential change strategies such as mindfulness and radical acceptance (Hayes, Follette, & Linehan, 2004; see also Brown, Creswell, & Ryan, 2015; Herbert & Forman, 2011; and the recent October 2015 special issue of the American Psychologist on "The Emergence of Mindfulness in Basic and Clinical Psychological Science"). Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, and Lillis' (2006) history of behavioral therapy delineated three generations (or waves) in the evolution of this particular line of psychotherapies, with the first wave of traditional behavioral therapy in the 1950s focusing on classical conditioning and operant conditioning, the second wave of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) incorporating cognitive interventions, and the third wave of behavioral therapies being characterized by the integration of themes such as metacognition, emotions, dialectics, and the therapeutic relationship (Kahl, Winter, & Schweiger, 2012), along with mindfulness and acceptance. Following this taxonomy, DBT can be categorized as a third wave treatment (Tan, 2011), along the likes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl,...