What is DBT/ CBT and why they help - explaining the tools
What are the tools used in Psychotherapy, and how do they work?
It’s encouraging that 87% of Canadians believe it’s not a weakness to seek professional support to help deal with stress (Ipsos research). Yet, accessing support can feel scary. There are many new terms, advice, and lots of jargon. To help those new to therapy, we met with Julie, one of the clinical team at HealthyMe.
Julie is in a Masters Counselling program at the University of Yorkville. Her focus is helping people to grow their wellness skills. We asked her to help us understand the terms, and methods used with psychotherapy.
Julie, we know as a senior clinician in psychotherapy your daily work combines your psychotherapy experience with a proven set of skills. You partner with people to help them find their life worth living. Thank you for your help today.
Q: How does this psychotherapy work in practice, and what therapies do the team use?
A: We want every person to find their life worth living. To do this we combine the skills taught in DBT and CBT psychotherapies. These are skills everyone can use, every day.
We have a team approach where all our Clinicians are skilled in complementary therapies. We base our practice on an evidence-based portfolio of therapies. Our work as a team helps explain concepts in alternate ways to meet different understanding needs. Patients say this is helpful as they learn different applications from each of us.
Working together in groups people learn and practice options. Our patients can develop their own skills Toolkit. Then as with any regular toolkit, they can use them in any situation. Patients tell us that they teach them to others at home or in their community, too. Every skill taught has the same goal. We want to help you to build your life worth living.
If this sounds interesting, read on to hear about the skills you could master.
What is DBT?
DBT is an abbreviation for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. It teaches a range of skills to help patients learn how to practice two opposite strategies. These are either that of acceptance or of change. Using these opposite approaches helps to find the balance between accepting challenges, or if making a change brings a benefit.
What is CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a proven approach where how to develop strategies and coping skills are taught. For example, to use problem-solving skills to cope with a difficult situation. Or learning how to develop a greater sense of confidence in one’s own abilities. It’s about empowering oneself to find ways to break through to a life worth living.
Q: Why do you teach mindfulness?
Mindfulness is one of the core skills we find helpful for our professional and personal life.
Mindfulness helps us to be present and acknowledge our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as they happen. Our teams support people to learn the skills of mindfulness so that they can be practiced at any time.
Q: What other skills are in the Toolkit?
Another skill is distress tolerance. It is a set of techniques that help people cope during a crisis. These skills help not to make a difficult situation worse. People learn about emotion regulation skills. How to name and understand felt emotions, so that one is able to control them. The goal is to stop emotions from controlling one’s thoughts and behaviors. Another further skill in the toolkit is interpersonal skills. Using these, people learn how to set boundaries and advocate for themselves.
Q: This is a big toolkit; do I need them all?
A: As can be seen the skills are very practical and once learned are easy to use. As people work to create a life worth living, they can use the toolkit to help choose the best option for any particular situation, on any day.
Used daily, they’ll enhance wellness. Groups share how as they practice these skills; they can improve their individual effectiveness. This toolkit will help to replace unhealthy/unhelpful behaviors with more effective alternatives.
Q: Why do you use group therapy?
A: Patients tell us over and over again how helpful it is to listen to and be heard by others in the group. They don’t feel alone in their struggles. They hear stories of struggles and successes from others. It helps to see how the skills are making a difference in others’ lives. It’s a special experience to connect and be part of a sharing group.
Q: How long does therapy take?
A: Everyone has a different timeline for their therapy. We run the skills groups in week modules. For example, CBT skills groups are 10-12 weeks with a 90-minute session per week. There are three streams: Mood Skills (12 weeks), CBT Anxiety (12 weeks), and CBT Depression (10 weeks). We’ll help you find the best fit for you.
DBT skills group runs for 48 weeks over the span of approximately one year. Skills group is 2 hours weekly, with biweekly individual appointments for 1 hour. Phone coaching is available Monday – Friday 8:30am-8:30pm.