Parenting with DBT: A Skills-Based Approach

No one told you parenting could be so challenging.

You’re often overwhelmed and anxious, if not angry, sad, or feeling guilty. Raising kids is harder than you ever imagined. Often, it feels like you and your child on opposite teams, fighting for dominance or control. You want the best for your little one, so why is every interaction so hard?

DBT can make things easier.

What is DBT?

DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It was developed by Marsha Linehan to treat those diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Really, it helps people regulate their emotions, cope with distress, be more mindful, and engage in more effective interactions with others.

These are necessary skills in parenting.

Wouldn’t it be helpful as you interacted with your child or teen, if you could stay mindful or purposeful in your interactions? If you could set limits and make requests more effectively? If you could manage your emotions – because everyone knows that your child can push your buttons – and tolerate distress more effectively?

Parenting WITH DBT

Parenting with DBT can help. In this series, we’re going to take a look at how you can use select DBT skills to help you be a more peaceful, in-control parent. If you’re able to manage your emotions and behavior more effectively, this will have a trickle down effect on your little one. We’ll present skills from each of the four DBT modules: 1) Mindfulness 2) Emotion Regulation 3) Distress Tolerance 4) Interpersonal Effectiveness

You can use the skills yourself, teach them to other parents or caretakers, and even share them with your children, in an age-dependent way.

DBT Therapy

Of course, sometimes just reading about skills isn’t enough. Parenting with DBT, for some, requires additional guidance and support.

You’ll need someone to walk you through them, to understand your specific situation, and help you integrate the skills that can help you navigate your challenges. For that, we offer DBT therapy in Miami and online.

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for multiple posts that apply DBT skills to parenting challenges. You’ll understand how the skills can be used to help you, your child, and others around you. More, you’ll see how DBT skills can be used in a broad range of situations. What you learn with regard to parenting can help you in other aspects of life.

In the first part of our series, we’ll introduce the skill Radical Acceptance. Stay tuned for more!