Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Skills
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive therapy model focused on helping people cope with intense emotions and improve their mental health. DBT was initially developed for treating borderline personality disorder, but its model has been demonstrated as effective for treating various other mental health conditions, including depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation, eating disorders, impulse control, and relationship problems.
DBT can be a standalone treatment. However, many therapists implement DBT skills in conjunction with other theoretical orientations in their practice. At its core, DBT focuses on recognizing and coping with strong emotional reactions.
For DBT skills, book with:
Amy Parsons
D’Arcy Arseneau
Dayirai Kapfunde (virtual only)
Kim Cardinal
Emotion Regulation Skills
Emotional regulation refers to how well someone can react, soothe, and manage a range of emotions. When someone experiences emotional dysregulation, they tend to use unhealthy coping strategies to deal with their feelings.
Emotional regulation starts with being able to identify your emotions and understand their function. We generally can't avoid emotions from arising, but you can increase your sense of resilience and learn better ways to cope when you're struggling.
DBT skills rooted in emotion regulation may focus on:
Opposite action: Opposite action refers to deliberately engaging with a certain emotion differently than you usually do. For example, if you tend to lash out at people when you get angry, you might choose to write in your journal or take a walk. If you isolate yourself when you feel sad, you would instead reach out to connect with others.
Build pleasant experiences/activities: It's important to build a list of positive coping skills or activities you can refer to when you feel overwhelmed. This reduces the likelihood of you engaging in responses that you might later regret.
Ride the wave: Ride the wave is a metaphor that refers to letting emotions pass. All emotions - even the biggest and most challenging ones - ebb and flow. Knowing that they are temporary (and managing them accordingly) can be deeply empowering.
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
Interpersonal effectiveness skills focus on making and maintaining healthy relationships. It's important to learn how to identify your needs and set boundaries with others. It's equally important to respect other people's needs and boundaries.
DEAR MAN: DEAR MAN is a well-known DBT acronym that stands for describe, express, assert, reinforce, mindful, appear confident, and negotiate. The goal is to clearly describe a specific situation, express what you'd like or need, assert why that's important to you, reinforce others when they meet your needs, be mindful of the present moment, appear confident when approaching interpersonal situations, and be open to negotiating and compromising with others.
GIVE: GIVE is another acronym that stands for gentle, interested, validate, and easy manner. People generally respond better to having a gentle conversation, particularly when you show interest and validate their concerns and feelings. An easy manner refers to being easygoing, humorous, and kind.
Distress Tolerance Skills
Distress tolerance refers to how well someone can cope with stress or adversity. Problems can arise at any moment, and it's important to manage such challenges without hurting yourself or others.
Radical acceptance: Radical acceptance refers to accepting the present moment for what it is (even if you don't like it). Instead of trying to change the situation or obsess over it, you simply stay with what's in the here and now. This is a key skill that helps with tolerating difficult emotions.
TIPP: TIPP is an acronym that stands for temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, and paired with muscle relaxation. These distress tolerance skills help quickly change body chemistry, which can provide immediate relief when dealing with negative emotions.
Mindfulness Skills
Mindfulness refers to living in the present moment, and this skill is essential for developing a 'wise mind,' which refers to having a balanced life that blends both your reasonable mind with your emotional mind.
Observing: Observing allows you to identify or label experiences without necessarily reacting to them. In practicing mindfulness, you learn how to watch your emotions or thoughts without getting wrapped up in them.
One-mindfully: One-mindfully refers to keeping your attention on the here and now. Instead of multitasking (like so many of us do), you commit to focusing on one task at a time. This allows you to be mindful as you move through the day, which can help you feel more grounded.
DBT Skills Training in Fort McMurray
How to Start Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Skills Training
Beginning dialectical behavioural therapy with Boreal Therapy Collective is easy and requires no referral. You can book your initial assessment here.
Understanding Length of Therapy and Treatment
Your first appointment will be 90-minutes long. For all future appointments, you can choose to book for 1 hour or 90-minutes. During your first appointment, your therapist will ask you questions to better understand you and your areas of struggle. This is known as an assessment. Depending on how much you share, the assessment phase can last anywhere from one to three appointments. The assessment is critical. It helps you and your therapist understand your goals, and it helps your therapist develop a treatment plan to support you in achieving these goals.
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! In the treatment phase, you will learn more about DBT and will be introduced to a variety of skills to practice and implement to better manage your symptoms. Most people will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Effective therapy typically takes somewhere between six to twelve appointments (for some more, others less). Many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as maintenance. People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
DBT Skills Training at Boreal Therapy Collective
Where We Are Located
We’re located at 8530 Manning Avenue, Unit 104. You’ll find us in the Service Canada building (on the side of the building that faces the Clearwater River). To check out our space, click here.
Parking is located at the front and back of the building. The front parking lot is closer to us but tends to fill up quickly. There is also an empty dirt lot adjacent to our office that many use for parking. If you park at the back (where Service Canada is located), you can walk around the building to reach our office. To learn more about parking, click here.
Importantly, you do not need to be in town for treatment. We offer in-person and virtual therapy and our therapists are happy to provide whatever option works best for you!
Rates & Benefit Coverage
Initial assessments are billed at a rate of $330.00 for a 90-minute appointment. Follow-up sessions are billed at a rate of $220.00/hour or $330.00/90-minutes (you can choose your preferred appointment length when booking).
Our social workers offer direct billing to 25+ benefit providers. Many benefit providers will cover a portion or the whole amount of your therapy session. With your consent, we will always direct bill your benefit provider first. Please note that our Registered Psychiatric Nurses are typically ineligible for direct billing.
If we are unable to direct bill, you can pay via email money transfer or credit card. You will be given a receipt once payment has been collected. For more information on benefit coverage, click here.
