This book was
written for therapists, but in simple enough language that it is accessible to
mental health care consumers. It does presuppose a familiarity with DBT but it’s
not necessary to use the book; Dr. Bein explains things well enough to get
through it even if one has never been exposed to DBT or similar therapies.
Bein’s version
combines the therapy of DBT with a philosophy of mindfulness similar to
Buddhism and other spiritual paths, which offers great help in emotional
regulation. This mindfulness teaches the client to not judge themselves or
their thoughts & emotions, but to simply observe the emotions as they occur
and take the time to decide how (and if) to act on them. It also teaches that
thoughts & emotions are just that: they are not truths. The client does not
have to react to the thought because it is not the truth. It can be ignored.
This method
also teaches the clinician that they don’t get to be the one to set the goals
for the client. Rather than striving to make the client compliant in taking his
meds and showing up for group reliably, the client gets to set the goals. Does
the client want to live on their own? What will they have to change to do that?
Do they want to have a job? What do they have to do to manage that? The
clinician has to accept the client, not remake them into a good little success
story.
The first part
of the book talks about the therapy and how it works. Chapter 6, however, is a
set of 15 lessons and activities for the clinician and client to work through. They
seem to be clearly written and I believe they could be used by a client on
their own if they do not have access to a clinician using this system.
I think this is
a great system and a great book and I hope it becomes popular.
This book was provided to me by the Amazon Vine program in return for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review.
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