Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an effective, therapeutic method used to treat a variety of mental health disorders. It was originally developed in the 1980s to treat individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. However, over time, DBT has been expanding to treat other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse.

Has your teen been struggling with their mental health? Are they experiencing moodiness, social struggles, school avoidance, or difficulty concentrating? Your teen does not need to have an official mental health diagnosis in order to benefit from therapy. Being able to support a teenager before they end up struggling with more complicated issues is a great time to get them into therapy. Conversely, if they are struggling with more serious symptoms like anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, substance use or eating struggles, we can also help!

I first learned what Mindfulness was when I decided to attend a Mindfulness Meditation group in college for extra credit. Looking back, I can’t believe I made it that far without knowing what it means to be emotionally and physically present! I spent a lot of time in my head worrying about what happened or what would happen next. When really, I needed to slow down and exist in that moment.

Since the start of the pandemic, my anxiety has gone way up. I’ve noticed it in my racing thoughts, my tense muscles, and my difficulty slowing down. As a therapist who speaks with the outside world, I know this is something a LOT of us have been experiencing!

It’s so easy for us to get wrapped up in our negative thoughts and negative self talk. That little voice telling us over and over that you can’t do something, that you’re not good enough, that you don’t deserve something – the more we think it, the more true it can seem. These negative thoughts paired with a bad day that puts you in a bad mood can make you believe that the thoughts must be true. But I’m here to tell you today that this isn’t the case!

Whether we are talking about relationships with friends, parents or significant others, there is a disturbing communication trend I’ve been seeing in my office and in the world lately. I call it….”taking away people’s pain”.  If you or someone you know struggles with this, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or DBT may be helpful for you.