More on Validation and DBT

Validation and DBT:

Validation in DBT involves five different levels. This first two are similar to other psychotherapies and involve unbiased listening and observing, and eliciting and accurately reflecting the patient’s thoughts, feelings, and assumptions. The third step of validation is to articulate for the patient unverbalized emotions, thoughts, or behavior patterns. The idea is to accurately “”read their minds”" and help them learn to accurately label internal states. The fourth step is for the therapist to validate the person’s present behavior based on their past learning history. In other words, from the DBT perspective, any human given the same biological makeup and learning history would end up responding in exactly the same way given the same context. Fifth, the therapist looks for and articulates the part of the patient’s response that is valid and / or wise. The idea is that even dysfunctional behavior, to some degree, makes absolute sense at the time the patient engaged in the behavior (e.g., served to reduce pain) and that if the patient could have done anything different (i.e., more adaptive), he or she would have done so. Thus, the therapist validates the grain of truth in any given response, while at the same time he or she works with the patient to change that very same response.

http://www.portlanddbt.com/pages/lynch.html

Related posts:

1. Validation and DBT
2. An exercise in validation
3. Validation Article from DBT’s perspective
4. Primary and Secondary Emotions
5. Emotional Validation with Honesty
6. Validation versus Agreement
7. All Therapists are Jerks
8. Levels of Validation
9. Helping someone with BPD
10. Ask Bon: Why do you emphasize emotional validation so much?

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