3 Ways DBT Can help Teens Manage Powerful Emotions
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, has become an increasingly successful way of helping people manage painful and intense emotions. It originally started as a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT,) for helping people with borderline personality disorder, but has since broadened its scope to include people with all kinds of emotional issues. DBT expands the basics of CBT by offering additional therapeutic tools such as mindfulness, acceptance, interpersonal skills, and stress tolerance. All combined, these methods may make a substantial difference for those who struggle with extreme emotions and want to improve their condition.
3 Ways DBT Can Help Teens With Intense Emotions
Dealing with heavy emotions is especially challenging for teenagers who're experiencing how intense their emotions can be for the first time and who also have little experience with managing them. Couple that with any mental or emotional disorder, and it only becomes that much more difficult. With DBT, teens can learn to handle their emotions in a way that may keep them from causing harm or feeling out of control.
- Being Mindful Of Emotions - Mindfulness practices can help teens be more aware of their feelings in the moment. This not only makes it easier to understand what they're feeling more specifically, but it also prepares them to handle intense feelings as they're coming.
- Tolerating Negative Emotions - Learning to maintain composure when under heavy emotional stress is a valuable skill throughout one's lifetime that can also help teens keep themselves from snapping under pressure.
- Learning To Communicate - One problem a lot of teens face is the inability to communicate their feelings productively and effectively. DBT provides techniques to make communication stronger, allowing them to maintain their self-respect and build positive relationships.
Contact An Experienced DBT Expert
Dr. Maribel Gonzalez is a clinical psychologist who's dedicated to helping people live a full and purposeful life. Included in her seventeen years of study and clinical experience are foundational and advanced training for DBT as well as DBT skills training for adolescents with multiple behavioral disorders. If you or any of your children are struggling with intense emotional issues, feel free to contact her to discuss the merits of DBT or other behavioral therapies.