DBT OC Blog
Mindful Habits to Notice Your Needs
Posted by Nora Josephson LPC, RYT in Awareness, Benefits of DBT, DBT Skills, Media, Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the foundation of all of the DBT skills. As we practice mindfulness, we intentionally bring ourselves into the present moment and notice what is in the here-and-now. These skills are especially helpful to notice our emotions, sensations, thoughts and needs. Mindful eating can help reduce disordered eating and increase balanced, healthy practices. However, reducing disordered eating does not stop here. We must develop mindful habits around our eating behaviors as well. It is important to pay attention to our habits and our automatic response to internal cues and our environment.
Will You Be My Valentine? Did I Marry the Right Person?
Posted by Dr. Michele Lob PsyD., MFT, CEDS in Benefits of DBT, DBT Skills, Family Therapy
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” – Carl RogersIn my DBT practice, I come across many couples who feel that they are in joyless and unfulfilling marriages. Conversations in my office may revolve around complaints about lack of intimacy, ‘falling out of love’; not enough change, poor understanding of the others’ needs, and/or the other doing deliberate acts to cause marital conflict and continued unhappiness. The joy of thinking that they have found ‘The One’ is replaced by questions like, “What was I thinking?”, “I should have known better” and “Why did I marry you?”.
The Holiday Season…
Posted by Dr. Michele Lob PsyD., MFT, CEDS in Benefits of DBT, DBT Skills, Recent Work
The Holiday Season is upon us – this year it seems to have come far too soon. Several of my friends are putting up their holiday decorations BEFORE Thanksgiving and I heard Christmas music on my car radio today – with still 6 weeks to go until Christmas Day.
How do DBTOC Staff Self-Care?
Posted by DBT Center of Orange County in Benefits of DBT, Mindfulness, Wellness
We at DBTOC believe self-care is vital to our well-being. When we don’t take care of ourselves we can feel exhausted, depleted and resentful. On the other hand, when we are practicing self-care, we tend to have more energy, feel better, think more clearly and make steps to accomplish our goals and live a life aligned with our values.Our team has been revamping our personal self-care routines and learning new ways to support each other’s wellness. We attended a workshop to be curious about our current self-care practices and brainstorm ways to improve our regimens. We attended a yoga class as a team. We want to now share with you some of our team’s self-care tips!
Ten Signs Your Teen is Depressed
Posted by Nora Josephson LPC, RYT in Awareness, Benefits of DBT
With it being Suicide Prevention Month, I believe depression is an important topic to discuss. The CDC states suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (2016) 9th through 12th graders report that 17% seriously considered suicide, 13.6% made a plan for how to commit suicide, 8% attempted suicide and 2.7% made suicide attempts requiring medical attention. Sometimes an adolescent’s struggle with depression can be underestimated because of their age. Adolescence is a time when changing hormones can cause mood swings and it is often difficult to tell what is normal adolescent behavior and when a teen is clinically depressed.Your Teen May Be Depressed if They:
DBT and Substance Abuse
Posted by Dr. Michele Lob PsyD., MFT, CEDS in Benefits of DBT
Did you know that there is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy curriculum specific to targeting Substance Abuse? DBT-SUD adds new principles, strategies, and protocols to address addiction and has numerous Random Clinical Trials (RCT’s) in support of its effectiveness.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy In Action: Using Skills at Disneyland
Posted by Kati McCormick, ASW in Benefits of DBT
Woohoo, you’re going to Disneyland! With all of your family! Or all of your friends! All with demands and opinions and expectations! It’s going to be fun, right?! Everyone’s saying it will be. But when it’s over, you feel like you’ve spent more time deciding what ride to do next or where to eat than actually doing anything, you are sunburnt, there have been arguments, tears, fighting, storming off, you’ve swallowed back retorts to at least 15 invalidating statements, and you firmly believe that people should have to pass a test and obtain a license to operate a scooter. What happened?
Summer Family Activities & Improving Parent-Child Relationships with Validation
Posted by Nora Josephson LPC, RYT in Benefits of DBT
All relationships need positive interactions. If all you experience together is criticism and fighting, it is impossible to feel supported, loved, relaxed and happy. Jill H. Rathus and Alex L. Miller discuss the importance of parent-child pleasant activities in DBT Skills Manual for Adolescents. They explain how these activities “can help keep family members close, reduce emotional vulnerability, and be a buffer for those negative family interactions” (Rathus & Miller, 2015).
This Is Me
Posted by Carolyn Huckabay LCSW in Benefits of DBT
I recently watched The Greatest Showman and listened to it’s hit song “This is Me” and it got me thinking about boundaries…
As a Dialectical Behavioral Therapist, I work with clients who often experience a history of trauma. One of the key elements of trauma is that one’s boundaries have been violated. When our boundaries have not been protected and in an effort to survive, we learn to build fortresses and moats around our hearts ensuring no one dare enter with 100 yards often leading to lives of loneliness or isolation. Or to the other extreme, we let people come into our lives without so much as a security clearance, which in turn can lead to re-victimization and re-traumatization. Or perhaps we oscillate between the two extremes, the push and pull response. Furthermore, boundary violations lead to difficulty setting limits (i.e. saying no or ask for help) and difficulties forming a sense of who we are and being able to distinguish our wants and needs versus others.
Self-Caring with DBT
Posted by Nora Josephson LPC, RYT in Benefits of DBT
Self-care is a buzz word in today’s popular culture. We are hearing about it at work, in blogs, during therapy and in conversations with friends. Coworkers, family, friends and therapists ask, “Are you taking care of yourself? What are you doing to get a break from life? Are you making time for self-care?” How many of us focus our ‘well-being’ around pleasing others while neglecting to take care of our own needs.
Here at the DBT Center of Orange County we believe that taking care of yourself – mind, body and soul -- is of the utmost importance. The major goal of DBT is to build a Life Worth Living! Self-care is an important piece of that puzzle.
