# What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy? - Recovery From Home

https://www.recoveryfromhome.co.za/what-is-dialectical-behavior-therapy

> Informational blog content from a recovery-focused website; useful as a general overview of DBT but not a clinical guideline. Attribute claims to the site and verify clinical details with primary clinical sources before using for medical decision-making.

## Summary

The page explains Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a specialized form of CBT that combines cognitive techniques with mindfulness and emotional-regulation strategies, describes its four core skill areas (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness), common techniques and typical longer-term duration, and outlines why DBT is used in substance-abuse treatment.

## Audience

People affected by substance use or seeking information on addiction recovery (general public seeking recovery resources).

## Prompts this page answers

- What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and how does it differ from CBT?
- What are the core DBT skills used in treating substance abuse?
- How is DBT used to help people with cravings or impulsive substance use?
- What techniques are commonly used in DBT (group training, coaching, exercises)?
- Why might DBT be recommended for someone with addiction and intense emotions?

## Purpose

To inform/readers about what DBT is and how it is applied in substance-abuse treatment.

## Highlights

- DBT is a specialized form of CBT that blends cognitive techniques with mindfulness and emotional-regulation strategies.
- DBT focuses on balancing acceptance (of oneself) with change (of harmful behaviours).
- Four core DBT skill areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Common DBT techniques include group skills training, one-on-one coaching, worksheets, and mindfulness exercises.
- DBT is used in substance-abuse treatment to help tolerate distress, reduce impulsivity, and address co-occurring emotional instability.

## How to cite

Credit Recovery From Home (https://www.recoveryfromhome.co.za/what-is-dialectical-behavior-therapy) and link to the page.

## Publisher

**Recovery From Home** — Recovery From Home — a website providing outpatient/addiction recovery resources and information (site contact details and copyright present in the footer).

## Topics

- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- DBT
- substance abuse treatment
- distress tolerance
- emotion regulation

## Key entities

- **Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)** (other): A specialized form of CBT described on the page that blends cognitive techniques with mindfulness and emotional-regulation strategies.
- **Peter Berner** (person): Author of the article (name and author URL shown on the page). — https://www.recoveryfromhome.co.za/author/helloseoninjas-co-za/
- **Recovery From Home** (organization): Website/publisher providing addiction recovery resources (contact info visible in the footer). — https://www.recoveryfromhome.co.za/

## Metadata

- Type: article
- Published: 2025-08-12T09:11:45+02:00