What is Standard DBT and RO-DBT?
Most of mental health clinicians, workers, and clients may be familiar with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) or have encountered it in some way. Initially developed by Marsha Linehan in the late 1980’s for treating Borderline Personality Disorder, it is now recognized and validated as a great evidence-based therapy for a number of mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, ADHD, PTSD, self-harm and suicidal tendencies. The goal of DBT is to alleviate the intense emotional pain associated with these mental health issues.
The four pillars of standard DBT are:
Individual therapy
Group skills training
Phone coaching, if needed for crises intervention between sessions
Consultation group for health care providers to stay motivated and discuss patient care
The four modules of DBT:
Mindfulness
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Distress Tolerance
Emotional Regulation
Standard-DBT
Standard-DBT in its original and ongoing form targets thinking patterns, emotions and behaviors associated with emotional dysregulation and overwhelming distress – or broadly speaking concerns with Emotional Undercontrol (UC). But what about the people on the other end of the spectrum? Those who can oftentimes find it difficult to cope with emotion, are more likely to over-cope or have excessive self-control? This is referred to as Emotional Overcontrol (OC) and is treated through Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT).
Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT)
RO-DBT is an evidence-based treatment developed by Dr. Thomas Lynch designed for those who struggle with overcontrol of emotions. Individuals who are emotionally over-controlled often experience:
Social isolation
Difficulty responding to change
Risk avoidant behaviors and
Painful interpersonal relationships
More often, these individuals have perfectionist tendencies, struggle with loneliness, are overly cautious and have trouble connecting with others. Ultimately, Standard-DBT and RO-DBT both target distress. Standard-DBT treats emotion when it is experienced as out of control and disinhibited. However, in the case of RO-DBT distress is often inside, not expressed to others directly or can be suppressed entirely.
Do you suffer from any of the following?
Repeated suicide threats or attempts.
Self-harm behavior such as cutting, burning, and picking.
Self-destructive behaviors such as binge eating and purging
Hypersensitivity to criticism, rejection, disapproval, fear of abandonment, and a pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships.
Intense and volatile emotional reactivity and difficulty returning to stable mood.
Chronic problems with depression, anxiety, and anger.
Unstable self-image and sense of emptiness.
Detached thinking that ranges from difficulty maintaining attention to episodes of complete dissociation.
Feelings of paranoia and victimization.
Do you experience any of the following?
Are you overly cautious, careful and dutiful?
Avoidance of uncertainty or unplanned risk
Compulsive rehearsal, premeditation, and planning
Rigid rule-governed behavior
Exhibiting a flat-face when complimented
Smiling when distressed
Do you have perfectionist tendencies?
Do you struggle with loneliness?
Do you have trouble connecting with others?
Feeling different from other people
Take Action
Are you struggling with either Emotional Undercontrol or Emotional Overcontrol?
Ready to speak to one of our therapists to see if DBT Center of Long Beach is a good fit for you? Call us for a free 15-minute phone consultation.
INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP THERAPY
Find out more about our Standard DBT and RO-DBT services and rates.