Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) was implemented in a treatment of a female client from Sierra Leone, who had been experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and who has been experiencing suicidal thoughts.
DBT has a number of distinctive defining characteristics. As its name suggests, its overriding characteristic is an emphasis on “dialectics” – that is, the reconciliation of opposites in a continual process of synthesis. The most fundamental dialectic is the necessity of accepting the client just as she is within a context of trying to teach her to change.
DBT has been perceived as a form of cognitive-behavioural therapy, in order to help the client to learn problem-solving techniques for dealing with stressful experiences in her life. It appeared important for the client to improve social skills and controlling anger and depressed state. As the client experienced multiple psychological, physical and sexual traumas and lossless in her country of origin, her Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) reacted excessively to a stress level and it took her longer to achieve homeostasis.
DBT helped the client to address her multiple traumas via: a) Practicing Mindfulness, b) achieving her Emotional Regulation, c) learning to Tolerate Distress by self soothing, and d) improving Interpersonal Relationships through self relationships and objective effectiveness skill being developed.
