Brookhaven Hospital: Mental Health Treatment for Behavioral Health Problems, Chemical Dependency, Eating Disorders, Brain Injuries, and Renewal Christian Treatment and Recovery

Tuesday, August 01, 2006 9:07 AM
posted by R. Shock

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Originally conceived as a treatment for Borderline personality disorder, Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is now being used for a variety of diagnoses.

DBT consists of two essential components:

Individual therapy in which the patient and therapist discuss issues of the previous week while adhering to an ordered list of things to be addressed. Issues of suicide or self injury are discussed first, followed by issues that might interefere with therapy, followed by quality of life issues and then, last but not least, issues of improving the patient's life in general.

Group therapy, or "skills group", which meets typically once a week and lasts for 2-2½ hours in which patients concentrate on learning to use life skills that break down into four "modules",
- Mindfulness
- Emotion regulation
- Interpersonal effectiveness
- Distress tolerance

Of these four life skills, the greatest emphasis is given to mindfulness, a concept that comes from the Buddhist tradition. Simply put, mindfulness is the quality of being intentionally conscious and aware of one's thoughts and actions in a non-judgmental fashion.

When clinical studies found Dialectical behavioral therapy to be very effective against Borderline personality disorder, its use became expanded to include eating disorders and other emotional disorders.
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Rolf B. Gainer, Ph.D., Diplomate ABDA, is the Chief Executive Office at Brookhaven Hospital and the Vice President of Rehabilitation Institutes of America. Dr. Gainer has been involved in the design and operation of treatment programs since 1977.

Stephen Harnish, MD is the Medical Director of Brookhaven Hospital. Dr. Harnish is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and is well known in Oklahoma for his informative radio and television appearances.

Aric Thorpe, MHR, is Brookhaven Hospital's Pastoral Liaison Representative. He conducts the quarterly Minister's Lifeline series and provides mental health information to pastors and clergy.

Sarah McGee, BA, serves as the Community Education Provider for Brookhaven Hospital. She provides information on mental health and drug and alcohol treatment to healthcare professionals in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

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