DBT Therapy in Sharon, Massachusetts

ticalThere’s a better way to manage your emotions, and therapy can help you find it. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches skills for staying mindful, regulating emotions, tolerating distress, and building better relationships. You don’t have to put your life on hold to learn them.

Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health offers DBT in Massachusetts through weekly skills groups and individual sessions at our Sharon center, five minutes from Gillette Stadium off I-95. We serve the South Shore and Greater Boston, and we accept most insurance plans. Call 855.520.0531 to schedule a free consultation.

Who DBT can help

A DBT therapist can help when you have a hard time finding balance with your mental health. A mental health specialist may recommend dialectical behavior therapy if you struggle with:

• Borderline personality disorder (BPD), the condition DBT was originally developed to treat
• Self-harming thoughts, urges, or behaviors
• Impulsive behaviors
• Intense mood swings or trouble keeping a regulated mood
• Conflicts in your relationships
• Trauma-related symptoms
• Anxiety and depression

Still not sure if DBT is right? Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I act too quickly and later regret it?
• Is it hard to calm down when I get upset?
• Do my emotions create tension with my loved ones?
• Do even small challenges feel impossible?

Where DBT comes from and why it works

DBT was developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan in the late 1980s for people whose emotions felt too big for standard talk therapy. It was the first treatment shown in controlled trials to reduce self-harm and suicidal behavior in people with borderline personality disorder.¹ Since then, research has extended it to depression, PTSD, and eating disorders. The “dialectical” part is the method’s core bargain: your feelings are valid as they are, and you can build a life that isn’t ruled by them. Acceptance and change, at the same time.

Core DBT skills you’ll learn

DBT teaches four key skill sets.

Mindfulness

Learn to live in the present moment and be more aware of your thoughts and feelings. Practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, which improves overall well-being.

Caught yourself replaying the stressful conversation you had at work? Mindfulness can help you recognize when you’re tense and thoughts are spiraling. Taking time to notice that you’re overwhelmed gives you space to pause instead of reacting without thinking.

Distress tolerance

Get through stressful challenges without resorting to self-harm, substance use, disordered eating, or other unhealthy coping mechanisms.

It’s not always easy to know when you’re stressed, even when you’re mindful. It is, however, easier to notice when you’re coping. Rather than giving in to urges to your regular vice, you can put your energy into something constructive until you calm down.

Emotional regulation

Manage emotions by identifying, understanding, and regulating them. Better emotional regulation can reduce impulsive behaviors.

Anger and frustration are often just energy without direction. You might just be hurt, tired, anxious, or even hungry. Labeling and validating how you truly feel can bring you more balance, without so many ups and downs.

Interpersonal effectiveness

Improve communication and relationship-building skills. Being able to connect with others and feel connected improves quality of life.

You can express yourself, calmly and clearly, with those closest to you. Instead of shutting down or blowing up, you get your point across, which lets your relationships grow deeper and stronger than ever before.

How DBT works at Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health

DBT at our Sharon, MA center combines two tracks: weekly skills groups, where you learn and practice the four skill sets alongside people working on the same things, and individual sessions, where your therapist helps you apply those skills to what’s actually happening in your life.

• No need to break from work, family, or school. We’ll work with you to make a structured plan that works with your schedule.
• Skilled providers who have your progress in mind. The Rockland team will create a unique plan for you, because your life is your own.
• Effective, evidence-based methods are at the core. If you’re in DBT for emotional dysregulation, we might pair it with solutions-focused therapies so you can reach your goals.
• Group-driven healing keeps you connected. Build bonds with others during DBT group therapy in our Massachusetts center and practice your interpersonal skills directly in sessions.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is available at every level of care we offer: our partial hospitalization program (PHP) for full-day structured support, our intensive outpatient program (IOP) for several sessions a week around work and family, and telehealth when getting to Sharon isn’t practical.

DBT vs. CBT

DBT grew out of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the two share DNA. The short version: CBT focuses on changing unhelpful thoughts; DBT focuses on managing intense emotions and accepting what can’t simply be argued away. If your main struggle is emotional intensity, self-harm urges, or stormy relationships, DBT is usually the better fit. We’ve written a full comparison of CBT vs. DBT if you want the details. Still unsure? The intake assessment settles it with you, not for you.

DBT therapy near Sharon, MA

Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health serves Sharon, MA, and the surrounding communities of Foxborough, Walpole, Norfolk, and Canton, plus clients from across the South Shore and Greater Boston. Want to see the kinds of skills you’d practice? Our guide to DBT activities and interventions is the most-read resource on our site.

Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health
374 Old Post Rd, Sharon, MA 02067
Free on-site parking

Call 855.520.0531 for a free consultation, or verify your insurance online. It takes a few minutes.

Footnotes:

1. Dialectical Behavior Therapy — StatPearls, National Library of Medicine