If you have found your way to this page, there is a good chance that you or someone you care about has been told that they should “do DBT.”

There are generally a few circumstances that can lead people to contact us:

  • A recent hospital stay or visit to an emergency department in relation to issues of self-harm or suicidal thoughts
  • Speaking with your psychologist, GP or psychiatrist about the need for a more intensive psychological treatment approach
  • Experiencing recurring difficulties in relationships
  • Feeling overwhelmed by emotions at times and like the emotions interfere with your ability to achieve what you would like to in life
  • Finding it hard to stay on track to do the things in life that are really important to you
  • Considering trauma focused therapy but recognising that you need skills on board in order to do this safely and effectively
  • Having tried other treatments but they didn’t seem to exactly meet your needs

If this sounds like you or the person you care about keep reading!

The DBT Solutions program is a comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy program at The Psychological Health Centre in Dee Why. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a treatment designed to help people who are experiencing intense emotions and/or struggling with behaviours that are interfering with having the life they want to be living. The program focuses on learning skills for understanding and regulating emotions, managing high levels of distress and developing effective strategies for communication and relationships.

Generally people who come to DBT programs may have been experiencing:

  • Suicidal thinking or behaviours
  • Self-harm urges or behaviours
  • Impulsive behaviours such as substance use, binge eating, excessive shopping, gambling
  • Mood-dependent decision making where the ‘mood of the moment’ tends to direct the choices you make
  • Difficulties with chaotic interpersonal relationships in different areas of life

The key point here in deciding whether DBT could be an effective treatment choice for you is to consider whether you have intense emotions, behaviours or behaviour patterns that you want to change. Are these emotions and/or behaviours barriers to you moving towards the life you want to live?

DBT Solutions is a comprehensive DBT program which is based on and adherent to the model designed and researched by Marsha Linehan at the University of Washington. This program has been researched over the past 30 years and has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing suicidal and self harming behaviours as well as reducing the need for inpatient hospitalisations.

Comprehensive DBT involves four key components to help you get what you need from treatment

  • DBT Skills Training Group – This group meets for 2.5 hours each week over 20 weeks and gives you the opportunity to learn skills that you may have missed out on so far in life. The groups use a classroom style approach and are co-lead by 2 DBT clinicians who are experienced in teaching the DBT Skills for Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
  • DBT Individual Sessions – You work with one of our clinicians (psychologist, clinical psychologist or mental health occupational therapist) to identify and understand the patterns of reactions and behaviours that are causing you difficulty and that you want to change. You will work on how to develop and integrate the skills you learn in the group in situations in your life.
  • Between Session Skills Coaching – You will have the opportunity to reach out for coaching on applying the skills between sessions during business hours. This contact can be a brief phone call or text exchange to answer your questions and encourage you when you need it!
  • DBT Consultation Team – Each week the therapists on the DBT Solutions Team meet to work together on providing effective DBT to our clients. This allows time for each clinician to get benefit from the input of a team with over 30 years of combined experience with DBT. We also continue to build our skills through regular training events. Our team have all completed either Intensive or Foundation multi-day trainings with Behavioral Tech training from the US.

If you would like to know more about the DBT Solutions program please contact us on 0481 308 742 or info@psychologicalhealthcentre.com.au

DBT Solutions Information Sheets

What is DBT? A brief overview of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

DBT Solutions Pathway  An information sheet that explains the pathway from initial contact to completing the comprehensive program

DBT Solutions Team   Meet the team who provide the DBT Solutions Program

DBT Solutions Fees    An information sheet on the fees and potential rebates for the DBT Solutions Program