Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) focuses on teaching people skills which will allow them to respond more effectively to life’s difficulties. In helping realize a balanced perspective pf acceptance and change, an opportunity to become “unstuck” is created for the individual to move forward.
Although DBT skills were first designed for people with Borderline Personality Disorder(BPD), the use of the skills is also effective for other types of emotional dysregulation issues such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. DBT skills in this evidence-based approach are about being able to manage life effectively and have a ‘life worth living’.
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How Is DBT Different?
What became relevant was a dialectical or balanced perspective of acceptance and of change. In other words, there are external situations in life that an individual cannot change and therefore needs to accept as reality. And at the same time, there are changes that must take place within the individual in order to best address the situation. DBT teaches individuals skills around this balanced perspective and, as a result, allows the person to respond to life’s difficulties more effectively.
Comprehensive DBT
Includes 4 Components:
- Skills Training
- Individual Therapy
- Coaching
- Consultation Group
We are able to offer all 4 components at A Wise Mind.
Skills Training → Participants would join 6-8 others for a psycho-educational group – over 14 weeks. There are 4 different skill modules offered: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. Participants are taught skills and asked to complete homework assignments to help reinforce the learning of the material. Many participants choose to complete 2 rounds of the skills training in order to create the best possible results.
Individual Therapy → This is designed to help the individual problem-solve, analyze and assist in applying the learned skills to real-life scenarios.
Coaching → Coaching is generally done over the telephone through texting when individuals are searching for some assistance in using skills to solve a particular real-life issue.
Consultation Group → This is designed to maintain support and integrity of the working model for the therapist and skills trainers.
Through Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, we help people to manage stress, negative emotion, depression and engage in a healthier life.
A Wise Mind Mission
A Wise Mind is dedicated to fostering the potential in individuals, families and the community toward emotional well-being. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is accomplished through skills training, group sessions and individual therapy, as well as reaching out to community leaders, hospitals, schools and corporations.
We realize how challenging it can be to seek help for emotional and behavioural difficulties. A Wise Mind is committed to understanding the unique needs of each of our clients and ensuring the most appropriate treatment is utilized to address those needs.
Your well-being is our ultimate goal.
A Little About Me
Hello, my name is Kristan Graham-Seymour. I am a Registered Social Worker and psychotherapist in Waterloo, Ontario, with over 25 years of experience in social work and have been in private practice for over 10 years. My time spent in the mental health field has brought me vast experience working with adults with mental health issues, behaviourally-challenged children, at-risk youth, dual diagnosis individuals and developmentally disabled individuals. I am also very dedicated to educating the community about mental health issues and increasing awareness among hospital staff, teachers, organizations, business management, insurance companies and family members of those living with mental health concerns. It takes a village… I have an Honours BA in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University. As a fully trained Dialectical Behaviour Therapist, I currently provide private DBT skills training groups for individuals with emotional dysregulation issues and their families. This training involves the understanding and practice of Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance. As well as teaching others, I make a personal effort to use the techniques everyday – embracing the opportunity to interact effectively with others in each present moment. My goal is to help the people I meet to find their own potential for Wise Mind and, as a result, live “A Life Worth Living”.
For the Family
The families of those participating in DBT play an important role in the overall success of this therapy. When the skills being taught are understood by everyone in the household, all family members are on the same page and this unity has improved the overall results and in a much faster timeframe.
In The Community
We are dedicated to bringing DBT skills training to the schools, hospitals and other areas of the community. Emotional health is not just an individual or family concern – it involves everyone. We feel strongly about the opportunity for improved mental health if more people within our community were aware of mental health issues in general and how DBT can help.
Just imagine the impact that this awareness could have in our hospitals, walk-in clinics, family physician offices.
If you are aware of an opportunity within your community, please feel free to contact our office.
What is Next – Beyond DBT
I have learned in the last 12 years of clinical work that emotionally dysregulated individuals needing DBT tend to be very sensitive overall. They require deeper understanding, empathy and validation to overcome emotional obstacles. With this in mind, I have been able to create a new working model for a pathway beyond DBT once the skills have been learned.
This new model looks at the individual holistically from a bio-psycho-social-spiritual perspective, teaching an understanding of those components and creating an agent for change in each of those aspects through awareness. This new model is being applied successfully for individuals who, through DBT skills, have become more emotionally regulated and are searching for more.