Therapist Tips and Advice: Managing Client Crises and Self-Regulation

United States Department of Homeland Security

Clients with borderline personality disorder often have addictive behaviors that require more than mindfulness and distress tolerance.
Tools like diary cards and chain analysis help track client behaviors and identify triggers, facilitating targeted interventions.
DBT therapists must practice DBT skills in their own lives to model effective coping strategies for their clients, including self-disclosure when appropriate.
Distress tolerance skills, while aimed at short-term coping, help clients stabilize their lives and enable them to learn more advanced skills for long-term well-being.
The Pros and Cons exercise is helpful for clients experiencing urges to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of their actions versus healthier coping strategies.
Not all DBT skills work for every client; therapists need to explore and tailor interventions based on what resonates with each individual.