DBT for Borderline Personality Disorder

Dialectic behavioral therapy was originally created to address borderline personality disorder (BPD). Still, it proved to be useful in treating other issues as well, especially when one of the core problems is emotion management. DBT for borderline personality disorder remains the most efficient way to treat BPD, as it helps regulate mood swings by developing awareness and strategies to cope with triggering situations. 

DBT borrows some techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), from which it derives. One can expect client-therapist agreements, homework, and challenging views. All this aims to discourage non-functional patterns of thinking and behaving and replace them with functional ones. Unlike CBT, DBT focuses on mindfulness and impulse control skills. This is exactly where the value of DBT lies, as people with borderline personality disorder struggle with emotion control.

DBT for borderline personality disorder at We Level Up Washington is a comprehensive, carefully tailored set of methodologies adjusted for the different needs of clients. Our caring and empathic staff ensures comfort and understanding and aims to provide personalized service at the highest standard of quality. Reach out to us and find out how we can support you.

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

The National Institute of Mental Health defines borderline personality disorder (BDP) as a mental illness that severely impacts a person´s ability to manage their emotions. Control loss negatively impacts impulsiveness, feelings about themselves, and relationships with others. Typically, it includes patterns of unstable, intense relationships and extreme emotions, often resulting in one acting without thinking first. 

People suffering from BDP have a strong fear of abandonment that often leads them to mood swings or anger. It might also result in self-injury and pushing people away. Mood swings, anger, and impulsivity tend to decrease with age, but poor self-image and fear of abandonment remain steady. 

Other than already mentioned signs of BDP, there are a few more to keep in mind:

• Efforts to avoid real or perceived abandonment (e.g., quickly ending relationships)
• The existence of a pattern of intense and unstable relationships
• A distorted or unstable sense of self or self-image
• Impulsive or dangerous behavior (e.g., unsafe sex, substance misuse, excessive money spending)
• Self-harming or recurring thoughts of suicidal behavior
• Episodes of intense and highly variable moods
• Chronic feelings of emptiness
• Inappropriate, intense anger and problems controlling it
• Feelings of dissociation (e.g., feelings of unreality or observing oneself from outside one´s body). 

Some of these symptoms are also characteristic of other mental disorders, like mood disorders, making it essential to turn to a professional for a proper diagnosis. BDP is treatable. We Level Up WA offers borderline personality disorder treatment and recommends DBT for borderline personality disorder programs, as they are highly efficient.

What Is DBT for Borderline Personality Disorder?

DBT for borderline personality disorder focuses on developing certain skills in order to reduce self-destructive behavior and improve the client´s social and emotional relationships. DBT has four core modules used to develop certain skills:

1. Mindfulness: Mindfulness skills relate to paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment, nonjudgmentally. The aim is to observe and understand triggering situations and triggered feelings as objectively as possible, letting those feelings pass without impacting the individual. Cultivating awareness helps identify problems before they spiral out of control. Implementing coping skills is also an important part of this.
2. Emotional regulation: Emotional regulation means recognizing and managing emotions and understanding what triggers and factors contribute to them. This module includes learning to build both short-term and long-term positive emotions and to plan and cope ahead. Additionally, it teaches a person to focus on their physical well-being, develop healthy sleeping patterns, and avoid drugs and alcohol that some use as a non-healthy coping mechanism. 
3. Tolerance to distress: This module focuses on managing crisis situations and difficult events. Skills being developed include tolerance for problems and the management of impulsive behaviors. Developing these skills addresses one of the main symptoms: acting without thinking. Some of them relate to distraction and acceptance skills, while others aim to provide quick relief, like breathing exercises. 
4. Interpersonal Effectiveness: This module targets relationship and social skills. It uses role-playing and discussion, practical protocols, and a certain communication style to help people learn to manage their relationships better. An important element of this module is learning about boundaries, both about setting them and respecting them.  

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Why Choose We Level Up WA?

We Level Up WA is among the best mental health hospitals in Washington state. We specialize in a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, panic attacks, schizophrenia, trauma, and more. We are dedicated to ensuring tailored treatment plans for each of our clients and long-term support for sustained well-being.

As such, we strive to provide prime DBT therapy in Washington. Our dedication to well-crafted treatments and therapies sets us apart from others. We approach every client with personalized care and ensure that treatment programs are tailored to their needs, requirements, and preferences. 

Our space and amenities are of the highest quality, and our inpatient mental health facilities in Washington State can provide 24/7 care. We are especially proud of our dual-diagnosis program and ability to treat co-occurring mental health issues, as many of our clients also struggle with substance abuse disorders.

Finally, we help families with a family program. We know that mental health issues affect the whole family, not just the person struggling with them. Our family support program, as well as our recovery coaching options, help establish long-term success.

Our DBT Program

DBT for borderline personality disorder is not a single treatment method but a program consisting of individual and group therapy, as well as therapist consultation-team meetings that have a specific function. 

There are five key functions of treatment that DBT for borderline personality disorder addresses:

• Enhancing capabilities: With didactic, active practice, discussion, and homework, a person develops new skills. They do that in group settings and weekly sessions. 
• Generalizing capabilities: Once developed, skills are implemented in everyday life. Generalization is led by individual therapies and crisis management when needed. 
• Improving motivation and reducing dysfunctional behaviors of clients: Setting behavioral targets, self-monitoring, and agreeing to use some skills in certain circumstances are ways to replace dysfunctional behavior with functional behavior. This also takes place during individual therapy. 
• Enhancing and maintaining therapist capabilities and motivation: As working with BPD is demanding and sometimes exhausting, therapists are addressing their motivation as well with therapist consultation-team meetings. These meetings offer support and new ideas on how to handle the specificities of different cases 
• Structuring the environment: Structuring the environment aims to support behavioral changes. 

DBT for borderline personality disorder remains the most efficient approach to treating BPD as long as these functions are taken care of. 

Getting Started with DBT at We Level Up Washington

Joining any of our treatment programs, including DBT for borderline personality disorder, starts with a simple call to our hotline at (509) 348-4077 or filling out our contact form so we can contact you.

During the first call, you can expect to share your medical and treatment history details so we can tailor an individualized DBT for borderline personality disorder program for you. It is also an opportunity for you to ask anything you are curious about and get some information and recommendations. 

We can also check your insurance coverage, and if you prefer another method of payment, we can explore that with you. If you decide to proceed with all this information in mind, the next step would be assigning you a dedicated treatment consultant who would coordinate with the facility and treatment staff. 

Finally, we can help plan your arrival and organize transportation for you if needed. The only thing left is for you to start your DBT for borderline personality disorder treatment and recovery journey.

Reach Out to Know More

A borderline personality disorder is a challenging mental health condition that significantly impacts one´s life and social relationships. Luckily, there are treatment options that make this condition bearable and help people achieve life satisfaction.  DBT for borderline personality disorder is the most efficient method, and We Level Up Washington knows how to implement it in a tailored way. 

Calling We Level Up WA is confidential and non-binding, so be sure to reach out and inform yourself about treatment options, DBT for borderline personality disorder, and other mental health services we offer.

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