Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) (Elements)

When Emotions Run the Show – and You’re Ready to Take Back the Controls

Some people experience emotions at a volume the rest of the world doesn’t seem to understand. Joy is electric, but sadness is bottomless. Anger arrives fast and hits hard. Anxiety doesn’t simmer – it floods. When emotions are that intense and that difficult to manage, everyday life can start to feel like a minefield. Relationships suffer, impulsive decisions pile up, and the gap between who you are in a calm moment and who you become in a reactive one can feel impossible to close. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy was built specifically for this kind of struggle – and the skills it teaches can be genuinely life-changing.

At Behavioral Medical Center in Troy, MI, our therapists incorporate DBT elements and skills into individualized treatment plans – giving clients access to the practical, evidence-based tools that make DBT one of the most effective approaches for emotional dysregulation, without requiring enrollment in a full comprehensive DBT program.

What DBT Elements Address

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy was originally developed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder, but its applications have expanded significantly. The skills and principles of DBT are now widely used across a broad range of emotional and behavioral concerns, including:

  • Intense, rapidly shifting emotions that feel disproportionate to the situation
  • Chronic feelings of emptiness, anger, or emotional pain
  • Impulsive behaviors – spending, substance use, binge eating, risky sexual activity
  • Self-harm and suicidal ideation
  • Borderline Personality Disorder and other personality-related concerns
  • Depression that is complicated by emotional volatility
  • Anxiety disorders with a strong emotional reactivity component
  • Interpersonal conflict driven by emotional intensity or fear of abandonment
  • Difficulty maintaining stable relationships
  • Chronic people-pleasing followed by resentment and withdrawal
  • Emotional shutdown and dissociation as a response to overwhelm
  • Co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions

You don’t need a personality disorder diagnosis to benefit from DBT skills. Many individuals seek out DBT-informed treatment because they recognize that their emotional responses are consistently more intense than the situation calls for – and they want concrete, learnable strategies to manage that intensity rather than be controlled by it.

Our Approach

DBT-informed treatment at BMC Troy focuses on equipping you with the core skill sets that form the foundation of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Our therapists weave these skills into your individual treatment plan based on your specific challenges, goals, and readiness – meeting you where you are rather than requiring a one-size-fits-all program structure.

Treatment draws from the four primary DBT skill modules:

  • Mindfulness – Learning to observe your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without immediately reacting to them, and developing the ability to stay present rather than spiraling into past regrets or future fears
  • Distress tolerance – Building your capacity to endure painful emotions and difficult situations without making them worse through impulsive or self-destructive behavior
  • Emotional regulation – Understanding the mechanics of your emotional responses, identifying what triggers them, and developing strategies to reduce vulnerability to emotional extremes and increase your access to balanced, effective responses
  • Interpersonal effectiveness – Strengthening your ability to ask for what you need, set boundaries, and maintain self-respect in relationships – even when emotions are running high

Within each of these areas, your therapist will introduce specific, actionable techniques that you can practice between sessions and apply in real-world situations. DBT is not a passive form of therapy – it asks you to actively build and use new skills, and the benefits compound over time as those skills become more automatic.

Our therapists integrate DBT elements alongside other evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic principles, and interpersonal techniques – always guided by what will be most effective for your unique clinical picture.

What “Elements” Means – and Why It Matters

A comprehensive DBT program typically includes four components: individual therapy, a structured skills training group, between-session phone coaching, and a therapist consultation team. At BMC Troy, our therapists incorporate the skills, strategies, and core principles of DBT into individualized treatment rather than operating a full programmatic model. This means you receive the clinically valuable tools and framework of DBT in a format that is flexible, personalized, and integrated with whatever other treatment modalities best serve your needs.

For individuals who may benefit from a more intensive or fully structured DBT program, our team can help identify appropriate resources and coordinate referrals as part of your overall care plan.

The Concept of Dialectics

At the heart of DBT is a concept that sounds simple but proves transformative in practice: two things that seem contradictory can both be true at the same time. You can want to change and still accept yourself as you are right now. You can love someone and still need distance from them. You can be doing your best and still need to do better. This idea – that acceptance and change are not opposites but partners – runs through every skill DBT teaches. For people who have spent years feeling like they have to choose between hating themselves into improvement or giving up entirely, this balance can be the thing that finally makes lasting progress possible.

A Note on Confidentiality

Everything discussed in DBT-informed therapy sessions is confidential. Our therapists adhere strictly to HIPAA privacy standards, and nothing shared in session will be disclosed without your explicit written consent.

Both in-person and telehealth sessions are available.

Living at the mercy of your emotions is exhausting – but it doesn’t have to be permanent. Call us at (248) 528-9000, Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm, to schedule a confidential assessment and start learning the skills that can help you respond to life differently.