Dialectical Behavior Therapy, in Fort Lauderdale, and North Palm Beach, FL

Are Your Emotions Often Extremely Intense and Unmanageable?

Do you believe that if you could just regularly calm down much more quickly, you could think much more clearly, make better decisions, and just feel a whole lot happier and peaceful?
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Do you find that when you run into difficulty, even seemingly small obstacles, you’re exhausted?  A disagreement with a friend or family member, for instance, can lead to your feeling hopeless and struggling to sleep for days on end.
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Is it endlessly difficult to forget about these painful experiences?  Do you feel stuck obsessing about the past and therefore find it so tough to live in the present moment?
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Maybe you also tend to think judgmentally and negatively about yourself and others.  Perhaps it’s tough for you to set healthy boundaries with others and bring good people into your life, and so you struggle too with having the kind of satisfying relationships you want and deserve.
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You might have endured these problems your whole life.  Part of what’s been so challenging about it all is in addition to the torment these experiences create, you also may find that people just don’t seem to understand what it’s like for you.  Perhaps you’ve been told time and time again to just “suck it up” and “stop being so upset.”

We Understand How Immensely Difficult it is to Try to Navigate Life Like This

We also know that, despite what you may have heard from those around you, what you’ve endured is an experience shared by millions of people around the world and there are solutions.
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Whether you resonate with any or all of this, we want you to know there is hope.
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We want you to imagine a life where you consistently have the following:

• Greater control of your emotions
  
• A peaceful and clear mind
  
• Healthier decision-making
  
• An ability to live in the present moment and enjoy it
  
• Significantly more rewarding relationships
  

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is the Answer!

This form of therapy, developed by one of the most renowned therapists in the world, Marsha Linehan, has continually proven to be profoundly life-changing for those suffering with any of these above-mentioned burdens.  
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Dialectical means “walking in the middle.”  With DBT, you learn to “walk in the middle” between acceptance and change.  This means that we help you to better embrace aspects of your life, such as your emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs, as well as, when appropriate, change undesirable aspects of your life into healthier ones.
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A critical reason so many of our clients appreciate DBT is that when you’re engaged in it, you’re continually learning new skills.  So, it isn’t the kind of therapy in which many are familiar, where it’s unclear what you’re getting out of each particular session.  With DBT, each time you come to therapy, you’ll often feel a sense of accomplishment because you will have just learned and/or built upon an important skill!
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Here at Westside Therapy, we are trained in dialectical behavior therapy, and have successfully helped hundreds of people over the past decade completely change their lives for the better.

The Transformations We Will Help You Make

Emotional Stability

• When our emotions are continually intense and volatile, it causes us tremendous suffering.  We will help you validate your emotions, which is a crucial first step to regularly calming them down to a much more manageable place.  
  
• We will also help you accept your emotions.  At first, this can be particularly challenging, as you may have spent your life learning that negative or difficult emotions are also “bad emotions.”  We want you to know that, through practice, we will help you undo these unhelpful lessons and form a new relationship with your emotions.
  
• One such lesson that we will help you understand is that you, like all of us, will experience negative emotions, regardless of how good life is.  We will help you learn to embrace this inevitability, and then, instead of focusing so much time on such negative emotions,  concentrate on keeping emotions in a controlled place.
  
• We will also teach you to place less emphasis on your emotions and focus more heavily on facts to help you think in more helpful and productive ways.  
  
• Overall, you can expect through working with us, that it will become much easier for you to have consistently calmer emotions, feel much more in control of your moods, and more quickly calm yourself down when you are upset, angry, anxious, and so on.
  

Better Decisions

• When our emotions are so intense much of the time, it interferes with our ability to think in the best way.  DBT helps you consistently calm your emotions, thereby opening pathways to think more rationally.  You’ll be making decisions that are much healthier for you, and with which you’ll experience pride!
  
• DBT teaches you to stop thinking that the worst has happened and will continue to happen (also known as “catastrophizing”).  You’ll also learn to become more accountable for your own thoughts and actions, and they you influence yourself and others.  Additionally, you’ll learn to focus more on the positive and more on putting things in perspective.
  

Healthier Relationships

• It’s so disappointing and frustrating to feel as though you can’t seem to find someone treats you the way you deserve to be treated.  We’ll help you learn and practice clear communication and assertiveness skills, so those you consider bringing into your life know exactly what you want and know you’re serious about your needs and concerns.
  
• Through our therapy, you’ll also grow in terms of your self-confidence.  Not only will you notice and feel this change, but others around you will too.  Your posture, tone, eye contact, and body language will all communicate strength and self-respect.  In our work with so many individuals, we’ve seen that through this, they’ve attracted great people into their lives, and so can you!
  
• We’ll also help you become more gentle, compassionate, and easy-going, if any of these speak to you as places you believe you could grow.
  

Live in and Enjoy the Moment

• We’ll help you avoid relieving the past, or fearing the future, and instead, to live in the moment.  You’ll learn mindfulness skills to accomplish this, which are centered around becoming more aware of the way you think, feel, and believe, and the ways in which all of these impact of your behaviors.  You’ll also learn, through mindfulness, to be much more accepting of your reality, rather than to keep putting yourself down.
  

Questions?

I’ve Heard DBT is Only for People with Borderline Personality Disorder.  Is that True?

DBT is terrific for those struggling with borderline personality disorder (which is a condition characterized by overwhelming emotions, unstable and unhealthy connections, difficulty staying in the moment, and extreme struggle with experiencing distress).  DBT is also excellent for anyone enduring any of these difficulties!  This therapy includes so many practical skills, and helps you practice them regularly, that whether you experience these struggles, or some of them, you’ll profoundly grow and experience relief!

I’ve Also Heard DBT Takes a Long Time and a Lot of Energy

The strictest use of DBT does mean attending several therapy sessions each week, at least one group therapy session each week, and regular phone calls between you and your therapist.  There are, however, so many ways to experience gains from DBT, and the method that we utilize does not require this much of a structured and intensive program.  

Improve Your Relationship with Yourself and Others Today!

If you want to understand more about dialectical behavior therapy, call us for your free 15-minute phone consultation at 561-214-4113.  I look forward to helping you start this amazing new chapter of your life!