[MINIME]

DBT (doing Bad Therapy)

DBT for therapists. This paper will explain the proper way for DBT to be used for “professionals”.

First the mindfulness. There are three different minds that therapists seem to have
1. Emotional mind= this is the mind you are in if you disagree with something your client says. If you find yourself making that well known therapist face that says to the client “whoa slow down there I have some very interesting information to add to fix that, to point out the error of your toxic thinking. “ This is your emotional mind you need to instruct your client when she sees this face to point out to you that you are slipping into emotional mind and to spray you in the face with the provided spray bottle of water. This is a proven technique used on cats who also think they know better then everyone else. In the future client will only have to show the bottle of water to change behavior of therapists.

2. Reasonable mind= this mind state is the state you in when you decide that the client is right. The client has always been right and will always be right. This is the point in your work when you start listening to clients views as the gospel of how the world really is. If they say every one hates them then you will know that to be a fact. If they say your crabby today then you will use 15 minutes to reflect on why your crabby and if you don’t feel crabby you will know that the client is never wrong and you will immediately excuse yourself from the session and call your support person to “explore” your denial of your crabbiness. Also when the client says that’s stupid you will immediately and profusely apologize to the client for wasting their time with stupid things.

3. Wise mind= this is when you use emotional and wise mind together. SO if you find yourself constantly disagreeing with your client and making that face your reasonable mind will automatically kick in before the spray bottle can be pulled out and you will be able to understand that no matter what a client says they are absolutely right and you must adjust your inner world view to accommodate that new knowledge you just learned about the world. This is a very important step in the DBT process because it will save a lot of time during sessions and allow the client more time to help you grow as a person.

Here is a common prayer adjusted for you

God grant me the serenity to accept my clients are always right
To change the way I think
And the wisdom to accept this as fact

Distress Tolerance when your client is in distress

Activities= do stuff like getting up and repeatedly walk into walls. Make fun of your self saying things like Im just a stupid therapist and then start drooling, show your clients that your notes you have been taking are really just your grocery list and or making fun of someone the client hates (especially other therapists), take the spray bottle and squirt into your own face while saying stupid stupid stupid., talk badly about other therapists that you work with starting sentences out by saying you think I do stupid things well you know what ________ did, take your client to the bathroom and try to walk on water (in the toilet) to show then that yes infact you are just another human (flush the toilet first we don’t want a sick therapist), and you cant walk on water.

Contributing= do something for your client. If your client is about to be seen for a new meds appointment bring to session a variety of different possibilities and ask the client to pick one for you to take. Then the client will observe any side effects in you and decide if they want the drug or not. Make a “hit” list of people your client doesn’t like or has hurt them and try to get the committed to a state hospital.

Comparisons= use the skill to compare your clients. The client in the room of course has to be the best and least crazy of course. Make a running list of stupid things your clients do or say and share them with the client that needs the laugh the most. Compare different schools of therapy and adjust your therapy practice to the one that sees to make the client the most sane. Compare different dsm dx and let the client pick which one she wants to be.

Opposite emotions= every time you client says I feel sad you say no your happy. If they say there happy say no your sad and so on. For this exercise make sure there is plenty of room between you and the client for safety.

Pushing away= When your client is really upset and the above activities have not worked you may use this one. The object of pushing away is to block the unwanted emotions from the clients mind. There are nay ways to do this. One idea is to allow the client to stick a fork into the electric outlets and in essence fry the emotions out. Shoot rubber bands at your client this is effective because they will be to busy dodging rubber bands to have any feelings. If this doesn’t work then surprise your client by telling them your leaving the agency effective immediately you were fired for reasons you cant talk about. Then when the client is upset at that news you say surprise I’m kidding. The client will be relived and the unhappy emotions will be forgotten Unless of course you’re a crappy therapist this wont work.

Distracting with other thoughts= say stuff to your client about stuff you have observed them doing of course all untrue and spend the session discussing the hidden meaning behind these behaviors. For example say that you note that every time your clients brings up his mother he starts sucking his toes. Or when the clients tries to say therapy she says torture and then explore the meaning. The original feelings will be replaced by confusion and fear.

Sensations= you may use the eclectic outlet and the fork along with the rubber band therapy in this activity also. Play catch with a cactus or hand tennis with a bee. Have a jar of fire ants available for the client to use.

[pachyderm]

> In the future client will only have to show the bottle of water to change behavior of therapists.

This pretty much works for my cats...

[complic8d]

LOL!!! I've been through DBT stuff, this is great!

[MINIME]

Thanks. I wrote this tio "punish" my therapist for making me learn it. SHe says it helps PTSD. I wil give it to her tomarrow. That will show her!! lol

[emilyjeanne]

I just read your "DBT" paper. I loved it. I'm currently doing DBT and laughed out loud.

Just started DBT last week! I was impressed when the therapist had said EVERYONE has had homicidal thoughts like "I could just kill that person" & I said I never have. She looked at me a little askance, but later she said she learned something & she shouldn't generalize like that as I was the first person she has met who has not had those kinds of thoughts so not EVERYONE has them. I liked that she didn't try to convince me that I DO have them.--Suzy

[rdoc]

hi there all,
therapist can convince us to do things, if they want to, I am going to my therapist today, she new this is the third time,but my last place in went for therapy tragger me into fear,panic, and anixty. that I am scare now that something going to happen to me. you have a therapist who talks of any kind of killing seemm wrong to me.
rdoc