DBT Skills
DBT skills offer concrete ways to ride out intense emotions, tolerate hard moments without making them worse, and stay steady in relationships.
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What DBT skills are
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, includes a set of practical skills for handling strong emotions. At Smiles Trauma Recovery, these skills are used within individual therapy, not as a separate group program. The word dialectical points to holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are right now while also working toward change. After trauma, emotions can arrive fast and big. DBT skills give you something specific to do in those moments besides holding your breath and hoping.
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The four skill areas
DBT skills are usually grouped into four areas. Mindfulness helps you notice what is happening inside you without being swept away. Distress tolerance gives you ways to get through a crisis moment without making it worse. Emotion regulation helps you understand your emotions and reduce how often they overwhelm you. Interpersonal effectiveness helps you ask for what you need, say no, and protect relationships and self-respect. Your therapist chooses which skills to focus on based on what is hardest right now.
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What it can look like day to day
Imagine a reminder of the accident hits during a work meeting, or an argument at home escalates before you know it. A DBT skill might be a quick change in body temperature, paced breathing, naming five things you can see, or a short script for asking for a break. In session, you practice these skills when you are calm so they are easier to reach when you are not. Between sessions, you try them and notice what helps.
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How it supports trauma work
Before processing painful memories, many people need more stability. DBT skills often build that foundation. They can make intense sessions feel safer, help you recover afterward, and reduce the sense that emotions run your life. Skills are also useful on their own when the goal is simply to feel more in control day to day. They pair well with EMDR, CPT, IFS, and somatic approaches, and your clinician will explain how they fit together for you.
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Questions to ask
You might ask: Which DBT skills would help most with what I am facing? How do we practice them in an online session? What if a skill does not work for me? How do skills fit with deeper trauma work? Sessions are 55 minutes and online for people in Arizona during sessions. Smiles Trauma Recovery is not a crisis service; if you are in danger, call or text 988, or call 911.
Questions
Before You Begin
Is this a full DBT program?
No. DBT skills are taught and practiced within individual therapy rather than as a separate group program.
Are DBT skills only for certain diagnoses?
No. Many people use these skills to manage intense emotions after trauma, loss, or major stress.
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