Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, or DBT for short, is a talking therapy proven to treat many emotional and mental health and behavioural problems. Historically DBT has been used in successfully treating conditions such as addiction, self-harm and eating disorders. Recovery Lighthouse offers a treatment programme that includes many aspects of DBT theory and practice, alongside workshops and other holistic therapies.

DBT helps people to achieve two main goals: decrease negative emotions and accept themselves as they are. When reflecting in therapy, it can be easy to judge past behaviours and let them manifest into regret, which draws out negative emotions. DBT aims to help you embrace the best parts of yourself by reflecting on past events without dwelling on them. It is most useful for those who feel intense emotions, as it reduces overwhelming feelings by remaining in the present moment.

Recovery Lighthouse therapies concentrate on challenging negative or dysfunctional thought processes, which is the root cause of how the individual responds emotionally to life and other people. By encouraging our clients to take responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, we effectively encourage them to challenge and change their current way of thinking. Many of our therapies challenge clients’ current belief systems and open our clients’ minds to learning new perspectives and personal growth. Addictions and other mental health conditions tend to close the individual’s mind to new ways of thinking and stop them from moving forward in life. They become painfully trapped in a negative thought, feeling and behaviour cycle. Unless the individual’s thinking changes, lessons are not learned, and the same self-destructive behaviours are repeated over and over again. Therefore, for a good recovery, the client must be aided in challenging and, where necessary, changing their current thinking.

Counsellors at Recovery Lighthouse are professionally trained in DBT. They use their knowledge and skills as a foundation for all the work that they do with our clients. Clients are challenged to explore and provide evidence of the validity of their current beliefs and thinking and are shown methods of successfully changing unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Where clients are able to challenge themselves with the reality of their self-destructive thoughts, feelings and behaviours and consider the impact on others, they are far more likely to recognise unproductive thinking and maintain long-term recovery.