Anxiety disorders are the most commonly occurring mental health diagnoses in the world. They can corrode a person’s wellbeing, interfere with the experience of a full life, and lead to co-occurring substance use disorders when drugs are alcohol are used to quash symptoms. The prevalence of anxiety disorders – from generalized anxiety and social anxiety to panic disorders – has led mental health practitioners and researchers to find increasingly effective treatments. A combination of medication and therapy is the usual course. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is highly effective for treating anxiety.
If you are interested in dialectical behavior therapy in Colorado, consider Mile High Recovery Center in Denver. We offer mental health services for people with anxiety, with or without a co-occurring addiction. To learn more about our DBT program, reach out to speak to someone on our staff. Complete this online form or call 303-268-2144.
Benefits of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Denver
DBT applies principles of mindfulness to a range of disorders. It seeks to regulate emotions, manage stress responses, and shift thinking to achieve more productive behaviors and outcomes.
Dialectical behavior therapy is organized around three essential elements:
- Cognitive – DBT helps clients recognize the thoughts and assumptions that interfere with their functioning while helping them shift these thought patterns from dysfunctional to functional.
- Collaboration – Clients and therapists work together on positive and fluid communication that enables effective learning and skill development.
- Support – An essential component of DBT is supporting clients as they identify, lay claim to, and develop their strengths.
Some of the benefits of DBT include:
- Decreasing behaviors that interfere with therapy
- Learning to master skills and make choices independent of swings in mood/emotion
- Decreasing symptoms of mental disorders such as anxiety
- Lowering the risk of self-harm
- Shifting behaviors that interfere with wellbeing and quality of life
- Aiding in setting achievable goals
- Improving and maintaining overall self-esteem
DBT can be utilized in a group therapy setting or individual therapy. Mile High Recovery Center’s dialectical behavior therapy in Denver is provided by professional clinicians with experience treating people with anxiety and other disorders. Call 303-268-2144 to learn more.
Top DBT Skills for Anxiety
Anxiety symptoms respond very well to DBT because this treatment addresses a client’s high level of emotion by emphasizing certain skills that reframe cognition as well as emotions and behavior. The fact that DBT is also highly effective in treating co-occurring disorders makes it an excellent treatment option for Mile High, which treats mental health, substance use, and dual diagnoses.
DBT is ideal for the treatment of anxiety disorders. It helps clients build on their strengths, turn damaging, unconscious thoughts into healthy, conscious thoughts, and change their maladaptive behaviors. Below are the main pillars of DBT related to the treatment of anxiety.
- Mindfulness increases awareness of self and surroundings. It enhances presence in the moment and helps clients with anxiety stop fixating on a feared future outcome or perseverate about something that can’t be changed.
- Emotional regulation is gained by mitigating excessive emotional reactions, slowing down thinking, and allowing for more thoughtful cognitive processes. Stress management is possible when emotion is not driving the bus, and anxiety responses can be reduced.
- Distress tolerance is difficult for those with anxiety because their already heightened reactions go on hyperdrive if a seemingly intolerable situation arises that can’t be changed. DBT helps clients function in the presence of distressing events, conditions, and emotions.
- Interpersonal effectiveness helps people with anxiety successfully interact with others. Whether fear of social settings, anxiety over being judged, or dread of imagined or real confrontation, DBT addresses these impediments.
Find DBT in Colorado at Mile High Recovery Center
In Colorado, dialectical behavior therapy happens in Denver’s city center at Mile High Recovery Center. Our savvy, highly trained, and compassionate clinical staff is ready to help you overcome your anxiety disorder. If you struggle with a co-occurring substance use disorder, we can help you with your dual diagnosis with a coordinated treatment plan.
To find out more about how Mile High can help you with your anxiety, reach out today. Our online form is simple to use, and the phone works too: 303-268-2144.
