Validation communicates that a person’s beliefs, feelings, and/or actions make sense. It is vital in safe relationships because it helps us feel respected and heard. Having someone express that feelings make sense brings immense feelings of relief, melts away defensiveness, and boosts effectiveness. On the flip side, being invalidated leads to strong feelings of anger … Read more
“Calm down!” “Stop overreacting!” “You’re always upset about something, try being happy for a change.” These statements are examples of invalidation. Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT, broke invalidation down into two characteristics: 1. Telling a person they are wrong in how they describe their emotions and their understanding of their emotions, especially if … Read more
Before I became a therapist, I had no clue how emotions worked. To me, emotions were this huge, abstract idea, something that just happened to me that I didn’t have much control over. In becoming a DBT clinician, though, the model of emotions thoroughly explained how emotions are a full system experience. Think about the … Read more
Welcome back to our series, TikTok Trends! We’re looking at popular trends on TikTok that can positively and effectively benefit our mental health. Remember: no social media account, even a licensed professional, replaces actual therapy and should only be used for entertainment purposes. … It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me. There is no … Read more
Parenting is hard! The various responsibilities a parent juggles throughout their child’s life feels endless at times. This can make ensuring your child feels heard and understood while maintaining your rules and limits seem almost impossible. Luckily, there is something that you can do that helps you achieve all these goals – validation. Validation: What … Read more
Despite their reputation as complicated and often inconvenient, emotions are as common, and as essential, to the human experience as breathing. But what are they? Despite psychologists’ many attempts, developing a clear and comprehensive definition of emotion has proved challenging. Dr. Marsha Linehan, the founder and developer of DBT, describes emotions as “brief, involuntary, full-system, … Read more
Welcome to a new series, TikTok Trends! We’re looking at popular trends on TikTok that can positively and effectively benefit our mental health. Remember: no social media account, even a licensed professional, replaces actual therapy and should only be used for entertainment purposes. Scrolling on TikTok the other night, I stumbled upon a sound from … Read more
In General, does DBT Work? Yes. Okay, I guess I can go into more detail. As either a potential new client or a current client doing some research, here’s the good news: DBT is one of the most well studied psychotherapies. What this means for you, then, is that there is actual research, actual evidence, … Read more
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was created by Dr. Marsha Linehan in the 1970s and 1980s for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and is one of few evidence-based treatments for BPD. Due to the effectiveness of treating BPD, more research was done for other psychiatric disorders like mood disorders, PTSD, and substance use disorders. DBT … Read more
Sometimes our brains can be our own worst enemies. Our brains are hardwired to see the negative in every situation and that can lead to a lot of difficult emotions. When this happens, it can be easy to go into a downward spiral- not just thinking about the negative thoughts but believing them to be … Read more