DBT for teens adapts the standard approach to address adolescents’ unique emotional and behavioral challenges. DBT therapy for teens combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices to help teens manage intense emotions, improve relationships, and reduce impulsive or self-destructive behaviors. DBT for adolescents is especially useful for teens dealing with issues like mood disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and other difficulties related to emotional regulation. I provide dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents individually, sometimes referring them to a group for adjunctive treatment if they are interested.
DBT for Teens Overview
Here is an overview of DBT for adolescents, but you are welcome to contact me or schedule a consultation if you’d like to know how this approach might help you or a loved one. Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents can have profound effects.
Key Components of DBT for Teens:
- Individual Therapy: In dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents, teens work one-on-one to address personal challenges, set goals, and apply skills daily.
- Skills Training: In individual or group therapy settings, teens are taught core DBT skills in four modules:
- Mindfulness Treatment: Learning to be present and aware in the moment.
- Distress Tolerance: Building skills to cope with difficult situations without resorting to self-destructive behaviors.
- Emotional Regulation: Understanding and managing intense emotions effectively.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness: Improving communication and relationship skills to handle conflicts and assert needs without damaging relationships.
- Family Therapy: Since family dynamics can play a crucial role in a teen’s emotional life, DBT for teens often includes a family component where parents or caregivers learn skills and strategies to support the teen’s progress.
- Phone Coaching: In dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents, clients can seek real-time help when they struggle to use their skills in challenging situations.
- Therapist Consultation Team: When working with other therapists, such as a group DBT for teens provider, we meet regularly to ensure we provide the best care and maintain a collaborative and supportive therapeutic environment.
Benefits of DBT for Teens:
- Improved emotional regulation: In DBT for adolescents, clients learn to manage their feelings and respond to stress healthily.
- Better coping strategies: In dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents, they gain skills to deal with challenges and avoid harmful behaviors like self-harm or substance use.
- Enhanced communication skills: DBT therapy for teens helps clients navigate relationships more effectively, reducing conflicts with peers, family, and authority figures.
- Reduced impulsive behaviors: After DBT for adolescents, clients can think more clearly and make better decisions through skills like distress tolerance and mindfulness.
DBT Therapy for teens is highly structured and is effective in helping teens improve their mental health, especially those who struggle with severe emotional or behavioral issues
Techniques in DBT Therapy for Teens
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for adolescents uses various techniques to help teens develop skills to manage intense emotions, reduce impulsive behaviors, and improve interpersonal relationships. These techniques are organized into four core modules, each targeting specific emotional and behavioral regulation areas.
1. DBT for Teens Mindfulness Techniques
DBT for adolescents mindfulness helps teens recognize their thoughts, emotions, and surroundings without judgment. It teaches them to live in the present moment rather than getting overwhelmed by past or future worries.
- Observe: Notice thoughts, emotions, and sensations without reacting to them.
- Describe: Label thoughts and feelings without adding interpretations (e.g., “I feel sad” rather than “I am a failure”).
- Participate: Engage fully in the present moment without distractions.
- Non-Judgmental Stance: Accept thoughts and feelings without labeling them as good or bad.
Example: DBT for teens might include practicing observing their breath when anxious and simply noticing the feeling rather than trying to push it away.
2. DBT for Teens Distress Tolerance Techniques
These DBT therapy for teens techniques help teens cope with difficult situations in the moment without resorting to harmful behaviors, like self-harm or substance use.
- TIPP: A set of strategies to regulate extreme emotions quickly:
- Temperature: Using cold water or ice to calm down (e.g., splashing cold water on the face).
- Intense Exercise: Engaging in short bursts of physical activity (e.g., jumping jacks).
- Paced Breathing: Slowing down the breath to reduce emotional intensity.
- Paired Muscle Relaxation: Tensing and relaxing muscles to release tension.
- Distraction: Redirecting attention away from distressing thoughts by engaging in activities like listening to music, going for a walk, or doing a puzzle.
- Self-Soothing: Using the five senses to calm down (e.g., lighting a scented candle, hugging a pillow, or listening to soothing sounds).
Example: DBT for adolescents might suggest taking a cold shower and practicing paced breathing when they feel overwhelmed with anger.
3. Emotional Regulation Techniques
These dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents techniques help teens understand their emotions and develop strategies to manage them more effectively.
- Identifying and Labeling Emotions: Learning to recognize and accurately name emotions (e.g., recognizing frustration versus anger).
- Opposite Action: Doing the opposite of what your emotion urges you to do. If the urge is to withdraw due to sadness, the opposite action would be to engage in an activity that brings enjoyment or connection.
- Accumulating Positive Experiences: Engaging in activities that create positive emotions over time (e.g., hobbies, spending time with friends, setting achievable goals).
- Checking the Facts: Examining whether the emotional reaction fits the situation or if it’s based on misinterpretations or assumptions.
Example: DBT for adolescents might help a teen feeling rejected might check the facts by asking themselves whether they are jumping to conclusions about a friend’s behavior, then choose an opposite action by reaching out to someone they trust.
4. Interpersonal Effectiveness Techniques
These DBT therapy for teens techniques teach teens to communicate effectively, maintain relationships, and assert their needs without damaging relationships or self-respect.
- DEAR MAN: A skill for asking for what you want while maintaining respect:
- Describe the situation.
- Express how you feel.
- Assert what you need.
- Reinforce the benefits of meeting your request.
- Mindful: Stay focused on the goal.
- Appear confident.
- Negotiate if needed.
- GIVE: A skill for keeping relationships healthy:
- Gentle: Be kind and avoid attacking.
- Interested: Show you are paying attention.
- Validate: Acknowledge the other person’s feelings.
- Easy manner: Use humor or smile when appropriate.
- FAST: A skill for maintaining self-respect in interactions:
- Fair: Be fair to both yourself and others.
- Apologies: Avoid over-apologizing.
- Stick to values: Stay true to what’s important to you.
- Truthful: Be honest and avoid exaggeration.
Example: A teen might use DEAR MAN to ask a parent for more freedom, describing their responsibility and reinforcing the benefits of mutual trust.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents In Practice:
These modules and techniques can be practiced in therapy sessions and applied in real-life situations. DBT for adolescents focuses on building these skills through individual therapy, group skills training, and family involvement. Teens are encouraged to practice these techniques regularly, often using homework assignments and real-life examples from their week to learn how to handle emotions and relationships more effectively.
DBT for Adolescents Example
An example of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for adolescents can provide a snapshot of how this approach is applied to help a teen struggling with emotional regulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal conflicts.
DBT for Teens Case Example:
Client: Sarah, a 16-year-old girl, has been experiencing intense mood swings, frequent arguments with her parents and friends, and impulsive behaviors like skipping school and self-harming. She often feels overwhelmed by her emotions and doesn’t know how to cope effectively. We decided that DBT therapy for teens would be a perfect approach.
1. Individual Session:
In her one-on-one DBT therapy for teens session, Sarah met with me to discuss a recent incident where she had a heated argument with her mother and, feeling overwhelmed, cut herself.
- Me: “Let’s walk through what happened before the argument. What were you feeling and thoughts going through your mind?”
- Sarah: “I was angry because my mom wouldn’t let me go out with my friends. It felt like she didn’t trust me.”
- Me: “It sounds like the situation triggered some strong emotions. We’ve discussed using mindfulness to notice these feelings before they build up. Could we practice that now?”
- Sarah: “Yeah, I guess I could’ve done that, but I was just too angry in the moment.”
- Me: “That’s okay. What could you have done differently using the Distress Tolerance skills we’ve practiced?”
Together, we review Distress Tolerance skills like using ice on her wrists (a technique to ground herself) or taking a step back to engage in radical acceptance—accepting that while she didn’t like her mom’s decision, it wasn’t something she could change in that moment.
2. DBT Therapy for Teens Skills Training:
After that, Sarah and I focused on interpersonal effectiveness to help her navigate conflicts and communicate better.
- Specifically, we review the DEAR MAN skill (see above), so she can ask for what she wants while maintaining self-respect and healthy relationships:
We practice using DEAR MAN in role-plays. Sarah practices respectfully and effectively, asking her mom for more trust.
- Sarah: “Mom, I feel frustrated when I’m not allowed to go out with my friends because it feels like you don’t trust me. I’ve been responsible lately, and I’d like you to reconsider. If you could give me a chance, I can show you I can handle it.”
3. Family Therapy Involvement:
Sarah’s parents are involved in family therapy, where they learn how to support Sarah’s use of DBT skills at home. The therapist teaches them to reinforce Sarah’s progress, listen without judgment, and use validation techniques to acknowledge Sarah’s emotions without escalating conflicts.
- Me: “Let’s talk about validating Sarah’s emotions when upset. You don’t have to agree with her behavior, but saying something like, ‘I can see you’re really upset and frustrated’ can go a long way in helping her feel heard.”
4. Phone Coaching:
One evening, Sarah feels like she’s on the verge of an emotional breakdown after a tough day at school. She texts me for help in using her skills. I remind her to practice Mindfulness and Opposite Action, encouraging her to do something that helps calm her down, like going for a walk or listening to music instead of reacting impulsively.
DBT for Adolescents Outcome:
Over time, Sarah learns to apply skills in real-life situations. She becomes more mindful of her emotions, uses Distress Tolerance techniques to cope with overwhelming feelings, and improves her communication with her parents. As a result, her relationships improve, her impulsive behaviors decrease, and she feels more in control of her emotions. DBT therapy for teens was a perfect approach.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents in My Work
I provide many services for adolescents and young adults, and DBT techniques can be mixed into any of them. They can also be part of my specialty services, such as Sports Psychology and College Admissions. Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents is powerful, effective, and enlightening and can have lasting results.
Please contact me or schedule a consultation if you’d like to know how DBT for teens might help you or a loved one.
