Jefferson Center for Mental Health -

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Powerful and Effective...

DBT is a powerful and effective, research-based treatment for people suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder.

Read on to see if DBT might be right for you...

What’s wrong with me?

For some people, getting help can be very frustrating. They aren’t sure what is wrong with them: they feel empty inside, not sure who they are. They feel like they are on an emotional roller coaster, too sensitive and have trouble in their relationships. They may do destructive things to themselves. They’ve tried different forms of help with little or no results. For them, life may not seem worth living.

The Solution

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, referred to as DBT, is a scientifically researched therapeutic treatment for individuals struggling with:

Inner conflict
Stormy relationships
Impulsive and intentional self-harming acts
Chronic suicidality, and
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

This approach has proven to really help people with these problems in living. DBT was developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, Professor of Psychology, University of Washington. Jefferson Center for Mental Health has qualified professional counselors who are trained to specifically help those who are diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and are committed to helping people create lives worth living.

The Treatment

DBT treats BPD as a bio-social disorder of emotional regulation, characterized by heightened sensitivity to emotion, increased emotional intensity and a slow return to emotional baseline. Acceptance strategies, drawn from mindfulness practices, are combined with specific cognitive-behavioral skills to teach people effective personal strategies like:

How to regulate intense emotions
How to manage disrupted relationships
How to get through tough situations without making things worse
How to validate one’s self, and
How to discover a life worth living.

The DBT program at Jefferson Center provides you the training, support and guidance to become confident and competent in the use of your new-found skills. DBT at Jefferson Center consists of two primary components:

A weekly skills training group
Individual psychotherapy on a prearranged basis.

Additionally, program members are offered telephone consultations with their individual therapist as needed.

Is DBT right for you?

Talk with your doctor or your Jefferson Center care coordinator. If you feel DBT might be right for you, ask for a referral from your care coordinator. You’ll then receive more information and an invitation through the mail.