Service detail

This service specialises in providing dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for adults experiencing emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), formerly known as borderline personality disorder (BPD). Its team is made up of behavioural therapists and clinical psychologists.

A limited number of places are available for time-limited individual psychotherapy, cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), group analytic therapy, and individual art therapy. The team also offers another clinical intervention called structured clinical management (SCM) which comprises weekly individual appointments and attendance at a group. 

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy specifically designed to treat people with EUPD.

DBT is based on the idea that two important factors contribute towards EUPD:

• Being particularly emotionally vulnerable – for example, low levels of stress make you feel extremely anxious
• Growing up in an environment where emotions were dismissed – for example, a parent may have told you that you had no right to feel sad or you were just "being silly" if you complained of feelings of anxiety or stress

These two factors may cause you to fall into a negative cycle – you experience intense and upsetting emotions, yet feel guilty and worthless for having these emotions. Because of your upbringing, you think having these emotions makes you a bad person. These thoughts then lead to further upsetting emotions. 

The goal of DBT is to break this cycle by introducing two important concepts:

• Validation: accepting your emotions are valid, real and acceptable
• Dialectics: a school of philosophy that says most things in life are rarely "black or white" and that it's important to be open to ideas and opinions that contradict your own

The DBT therapist will use both concepts to try to bring about positive changes in your behaviour.

For example, the therapist could accept (validate) that feelings of intense sadness cause you to  self-harm, and that behaving in such a way does not make you a terrible and worthless person.

However, the therapist would then attempt to challenge the assumption that self-harming is the only way to cope with feelings of sadness.

The ultimate goal of DBT is to help you "break free" of seeing the world, your relationships and your life in a very narrow, rigid way that leads you to engage in harmful and self-destructive behaviour.

DBT usually involves weekly individual and group sessions, and you'll be given an out-of-hours contact number to call if your symptoms get worse.

DBT is based on teamwork. You'll be expected to work with your therapist and the other people in your group sessions. In turn, the therapists work together as a team.

Visit Mind to find more information about DBT