Learn how to manage emotions with DBT skills
New parenthood is a transition time and of course there will be moments of stress and frustration. But for some new moms, stress and frustration lead to harmful or self-destructive behaviors. There is a tried and true set of coping skills for dealing with these stressors: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or DBT. It’s a therapy that teaches coping skills for how to manage intense emotional states.
Dialectical what?
Dialectical simply means taking two opposites, and bringing them together. For example, the balance of acceptance and change. It is one thing to accept yourself in the present moment. In dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), you learn skills to help you change in order to meet your goals. New parents who learn these skills are able to manage intense stress and difficult emotions like hopelessness, guilt, worry, fear, and anger.
A few types of moms benefit from Dialectical Behavior Therapy:
- Highly sensitive people, easily overstimulated. Baby’s cries, little messes, overstimulation can lead to a meltdown for highly sensitive adults.
- Moms with a history of depression or anxiety. If you’ve had depression or anxiety in the past, you may benefit from learning stress coping skills in DBT.
- Anyone who can’t trust their inner feelings, or who don’t know how to listen to their inner voice (including those who were told, “don’t cry” or “you’re not full, keep eating.”)
- Those who learned negative coping skills from their own families, for example, substance abuse or lashing out at loved ones.
The DBT coping skills techniques relieve suffering. And with less suffering comes the ability to learn concrete, practical ways to address and change harmful behaviors.
At the Postpartum Counseling Center, we have a unique way of presenting the techniques of DBT especially for moms in a small group led by Lindsey Henke, trained in DBT and postpartum mental health issues. Join our small group to learn these skills: Coping Skills for Moms. Contact us to register and submit your insurance. Our Coping Skills group has open enrollment and is ongoing, Thursdays, 4:30 – 6:00 pm., 4725 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN 55416. More info »
* This group incorporates skills developed by Marsha Linehan, creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT was originally used to treat people with severe mental health & relationship issues. It was soon discovered that this approach is helpful to people experiencing a wide range of issues: managing stress, overwhelming emotions & relationship problems. DBT is an evidence-based approach that anyone can benefit from. For a review of the research on DBT, http://www.linehaninstitute.org/resources/fromMarsha/