How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Blends Acceptance and Change
By Dr. Kathryn Korslund Although most therapists are aware of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in some way, shape, or form, few non-practitioners understand what, exactly, is implied by the approach’s “dialectics.” Generally speaking, the notion of a “dialectical” process suggests compromising, blending together, or creating something entirely new; transforming black and white into grey, so to speak. In the context of DBT, however, dialectics involves a push for coexistence, an effort to hold two ostensibly opposing forces next to each other without compromising either’s integrity while searching for synthesis; weaving a black-and-white plaid, so to speak. In fact, the practice of DBT itself emerged from Dr. Marsha Linehan’s attempts to reconcile acceptance- and change-based therapies without losing the effective elements of either. Change vs. Acceptance Change based treatments have...