Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Children (DBT-C):
DBT-C represents a transformative journey for young minds, drawing inspiration from Dr. Marsha M. Linehan’s pioneering work on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for adults. Tailored for children and adolescents, DBT-C offers a beacon of hope for those grappling with emotional turmoil, impulsive tendencies, and interpersonal hurdles. This evidence-based adaptation, geared towards ages 6 to 12, provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of youthful emotions and relationships.
Principles of DBT-C
Dialectics:
In the realm of DBT-C, dialectics serve as a compass, guiding both children and parents to embrace the richness of opposing perspectives. Through this lens, every viewpoint holds a kernel of truth, nurturing empathy and understanding. As clinicians, we delicately balance acceptance and change, fostering a safe space for growth while honoring each child’s unique journey.
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness skills help children and parents focus on being present in the moment without judgment. Through mindful practices, young ones cultivate self-awareness and emotional resilience, empowering them to navigate life’s ebbs and flows with grace. By developing a heightened awareness of their feelings, children can better understand and identify their emotions as they arise, which gives them an ability to pause before acting on ineffective action urges. This puts the child in the driver’s seat of their emotions. Additionally, mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or body scan exercises, help children manage stress by promoting relaxation. By incorporating these practices into their daily routine, children can build resilience and cope more effectively with challenging situations.
Emotion Regulation:
Within the context of DBT-C, emotions are not adversaries but messengers, conveying invaluable insights into our inner world. By mastering emotional literacy, children unveil the hidden tapestry of their feelings, forging deeper connections with themselves and others. Through this journey, stigma dissipates, replaced by a profound understanding of the intricate dance between emotions and behaviors. By increasing emotional awareness, children can better communicate their feelings and understand the connection between emotions and behaviors.
Interpersonal Effectiveness:
DBT-C teaches children effective communication and relationship skills. By enhancing interpersonal effectiveness, children can navigate social interactions, express their needs, and build positive connections with others. Interpersonal effectiveness skills also help children in boundary-setting and conflict resolution strategies, improving relationships with peers, family, and authority figures.
Distress Tolerance:
When storms of emotions rage, we look to our DBT-C distress tolerance skills, designed to help children manage and cope with intense and overwhelming emotions. These skills are particularly valuable during moments of crisis or high emotional distress. These skills are intended to be practical, concrete, and easily applicable in real-life situations. For example, our Pros and Cons skill involves helping children weigh the pros and cons of different actions when facing distressing situations. By considering the potential consequences of their choices, children can make more informed decisions about how to cope with the situation without impulsive reactions. A child may also use one of our TIPP skills, which are designed to quickly and effectively change the body’s physiological response to distress. Children learn to regulate their emotions by engaging in activities that alter body temperature, increase heart rate through exercise, practice paced breathing, and perform paired muscle relaxation. These skills can be particularly helpful during moments of acute distress.
Practical Strategies in DBT-C
Emotion Coaching is used to help children identify and label their emotions. Here, we teach coping mechanisms for dealing with intense emotions.
Behavioral Chain Analyses are used to examine events leading to problematic behaviors, identify triggers, and develop alternative responses.
Validation is used to validate children’s emotions and experiences. This helps build a supportive and empathetic therapeutic relationship.
Skills training is used to offer specific skills for distress tolerance, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation. We encourage regular practice of these skills through a method called ‘pretend mode’ and through at-home application with the child.
Passion for DBT-C
As Counseling Center Group therapists in New York, our passion for DBT-C stems from its holistic and practical approach to addressing the unique challenges that children and adolescents face. The emphasis on combining acceptance and change allows for a nuanced understanding of their experiences, fostering resilience and adaptive coping mechanisms. Witnessing the positive impact of DBT-C on children’s emotional well-being and their ability to navigate relationships fuels our dedication to this therapeutic approach.
