Essay on dialectical behavior therapy

Marsha M. Linehan developed the dialectical behavior therapy in the late 1980s to treat the borderline personality disorder. It is a cognitive-behavioral way that emphasizes on the psychological treatment. Linehan started the therapy to address the needs of women who had histories of suicide attempts, suicide ideation through her trainings. The approach has two characteristics: behavioral based problem solving technique and emphasis on dialectical processes.
The dialectical behavior therapy has five components: motivational enhancement, capacity enhancement, generalization, capability and motivational of therapists and structuring of the environment. DBT involves identifying the emotion, thought, feelings and the disturbing behavior. The therapist and the patient work together on accepting it and set goals of transformation (McKay et al, 227). They establish a balance between accepting the thought, behavior or the bad feelings and the changes for effectively ensuring that the therapy is success. It also involves the development of skills that will enable the patient cope with the problem.
It involves incorporation of mind relaxation technique. The individuals must focus on being conscious of their feelings and thoughts by observing their bodily sensations. This technique enables the individual to have the ability of accepting the distressing thoughts without self-criticism. Mind relaxation techniques involve progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing.
Individuals with borderline disorder have several symptoms; they show intense or uncontrolled anger. They have mood swings characterized by period of depresses mood and anxiety that lasts for a few hours to even days. The patients have recurring suicidal thoughts and self-injury behavior such as burning or cutting one`s self. The DBT involves the use of diary cards for the individuals to track their progress by observing the presence of symptoms and noting the successes achieved so far.
Treating borderline personality disorder involves using teamwork. The homework that the individuals. Teamwork ensures that the therapy provides a foundation that supports the therapy to success. The therapy can also include the home environment. The home environment is the family members of the individual.

Works cited

McKay, Matthew, Jeffrey C. Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley. The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical Dbt Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation & Distress Tolerance. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publ, 2010. Print.