{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Mary Alice}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

There are plenty more hugs where that came from. I'm getting the impression that DBT is not specifically what you have an aversion to, but the idea that your T is using a technique that is written out and is used with other people, not just talking with you like a friend would, right? It wouldn't matter what the technique was, because the above would apply to any standardized technique?

If it is DBT itself what you don't like, then I would say to ask him to use something else instead, or find a different therapist who used a different method. But they all work from a theoretical foundation and use techniques that they and others have used before. The art is in choosing and modifying the techniques to fit and be appropriate for each individual client.

Maybe you would prefer a humanistic, or person-centered approach. Since that theory and technique gives the control to the client, and the therapist is there pretty much to give empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard, it might feel less like a technique. I like some things about person-centered therapy, but the lack of structure can drive me nuts. I wind up sitting there trying to think of something to say, and I think that a lot of time is wasted without anything being accomplished. You might talk to your T about theoretical orientations and alternative techniques. He probably could change to something else, but has chosen DBT because it seems the most appropriate for you.


<font color=orange>"Everyone has a need for significance; and if we can't make that possible, or even probable, in our society, then it will be obtained in destructive ways." -Rollo May</font color=orange>