House on Fire Podcast
BPS has launched a new DBT-based podcast called House on Fire. Hear our clinicians break down how to use and implement DBT skills in real-world scenarios. It’s a little bit educational, a little bit cheeky and a lot of fun. Check it out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Buzzsprout from the image links below.
Psychology Insights from Behavioral Psych Center
How to Self Validate
What is validation? Validation is the recognition that another person’s experience (or our own) makes sense, is logical, fits the facts, and is reasonable. We can validate actions or internal experiences like feelings, thoughts, opinions, desires, and beliefs....
Opposite Action
Be honest - have you ever felt overwhelmed with a task, so much so that you put it off for days, or weeks, or even months? Lately, I have been thinking about avoidance and its effect on people. When we avoid something, such as doing our laundry, cleaning the dishes,...
2024 calls for more Willing hands + Half-smiling
We often think about what we might change when considering our New Years Resolutions. How can I improve? What can I work harder on? How can I further myself? What do I need to change about myself so that I can then accept myself? While change is important, and while...
Understanding DBT and its Trauma Adaptations
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) was originally created by Dr. Marsha Linehan to treat Borderline Personality Disorder. In recent years, DBT has increasingly been found to be effective for any person struggling with up and down, difficult to manage emotions...
Reduce Anxiety with Gratitude this Holiday Season
Reduce Anxiety with Gratitude this Holiday Season Have you ever had a thought that you could not get out of your head? Maybe you had one thought that led to hundreds of other thoughts. You might have tried to tell yourself a variation of, “ok, I need to stop thinking...
Reducing Your Emotional Vulnerability So You Can Fight Your Monsters This Halloween
Who are your monsters? We all have our monsters and they don’t just come out on Halloween. Our monsters are our unwanted emotions that disrupt our lives sometimes. I don’t know about you all, but my spookiest monster’s fear and anger love to come out when I am tired...
Debunking Sleep Myths Part II
Tips and Tricks to Optimize Your Sleep As promised, we could not leave you dark from our last blog post on sleep myths, and we are back with some tips and tricks to optimize sleep! Thankfully, a significant amount of research has taken place to develop methods to...
Debunking Myths about Sleep!
Picture this: It’s an important night! You’ve got a big presentation tomorrow! You’re about to meet your in-laws for the first time! You’re traveling first thing in the morning! Whatever the scenario, all you want is to get a good night's sleep, but you’re wide-awake...
Owning Your Attachment Style
Turns out I am anxiously attached…so now what?! Thank you, readers, for patiently waiting! Now that we have learned about what the heck Attachment Style is, we can apply some DBT tools that can help assist us in owning our attachment in a way that maintains our...
Attachment Styles
Do any of the following thoughts ring true for you when dating or in relationship? I feel smothered. She is way too needy. They always leave. He doesn’t respect my space. I feel comfortable being close to my partner. I feel anxious when I am away from my...
Considering Culture in providing DBT for Latinx Populations in the United States
When it comes to providing therapy, including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every individual is unique, and their experiences, values, and beliefs are shaped by their culture. Culture shapes how we understand and...
Self Compassion
Recently, in an off-handed, quasi-self deprecating way, a dear friend remarked to me, “If I were to speak to others the way I speak to myself, I don’t think I’d have that many friends.” I was struck by the statement, as my assumptions about this individual ran wholly...
Cut That Cord! A Parent’s Guide to Using Opposite Action
Here we are again. You’re staring at a sink filled with food-crusted plates, overflowing cups, and more silverware than you can count. How many times have you said, “Clean up after yourself!”? How many conversations have you had about the importance of taking...
Addressing Body Image Concerns Using Mirror Exposure
Who hasn’t experienced some form of self-criticism about their body image? We are all too familiar with examining ourselves in the mirror and zeroing in on whatever it is that we do not like. It’s a process so many of us unconsciously engage in…but what effect does it...
The Adolescent Brain
Brains are like race cars: Powerful, innovative, dynamic, tough, and function like well-oiled machines. Sometimes, however, steering a race car can be hard to maintain control of. Brains are not that different. Our brains have their own accelerator as well as a...
Start SMART this New Year
The New Year is accompanied by a fairly familiar tradition: Setting New Year’s resolutions and then great difficulty actually reaching those resolutions. It is something that, at one point or another, most of us are guilty of experiencing. We pinpoint behaviors to...
The Mindful Brain
The practice of mindfulness can transform us from a rote state to an intentional state. Like a caterpillar morphing into a beautiful butterfly, mindfulness can help transform you into a happier and healthier version of yourself. Yet, what is mindfulness doing in the...
Thinking Dialectically about Recovering from Addiction
Whether you struggle with substance abuse or know someone who does, addiction impacts all of us. It’s easy to judge, to assume, or to have strong opinions about what you think someone should do to get better and survive. It likely comes from a place of love or fear,...