Trauma may affect mental health for years. Single or repeated trauma may make managing emotions and actions difficult.
When seeking trauma treatment, patients may take drugs or seek cognitive behavioral therapy.
There's another way.
Dialectical behavior therapy may help trauma survivors, particularly Black women. DBT teaches personality disorder patients coping and living skills to promote self-awareness and self-fulfillment.
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Hence, the 2023 Community Support Grant, a collaboration between BEAM and Healthline, partially supported the DBT Skills Group for Black Women. Clerrisa Cooper, clinical director of North Atlanta DBT, and Winter Foddrell, a therapist at Revolution Psychotherapy, lead the group.
What Is DBT?
Cognitive or talking treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients with emotional issues is DBT. DBT teaches self-acceptance and emotional regulation.
According to a 2016 research, DBT may aid in managing:
- alcohol or drug misuse
- anxiety and depressive disorders
- eating disorders
- emotional dysregulation
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- self-harm
- suicidal behavior
DBT sessions help people develop the following:
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- mindfulness
- distress tolerance
- interpersonal effectiveness
- emotional regulation skills
How Does DBT Differ From Other Therapy Modalities?
The DBT method is unique.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may help individuals identify negative thoughts and actions and develop rational approaches to handle challenging circumstances.
DBT emphasizes the social and emotional elements of mental illness by teaching healthy coping skills.
BPD is commonly treated with DBT. A 2023 article highlights how DBT focuses on identifying one's individuality and distinguishing it from other treatments.
BPD and related mental health problems may cause identity disruption.
Research indicates that DBT successfully treats identity crises in women with BPD (2011 research).
Why Does This Help Trauma Victims?
DBT may help trauma survivors with relationship issues.
Cooper stated most DBT clients have a history of relationship problems or instability. Traumatized people typically struggle to feel connected to themselves and life.
The Importance Of Stabilization First
DBT may be useful for trauma survivors since it stabilizes before addressing trauma.
In preparation for deeper trauma therapy, DBT teaches self-regulation via stabilization.
"Once we can stabilize you and get you more committed to staying alive, not self-harm, excessive substance use, or having sex with people you regret afterward," Cooper added. We can stop such behaviors, and after you stabilize, we can begin trauma reprocessing, if necessary.
In extreme circumstances, stabilization matters.
"When we start seeing folks, particularly for individual DBT, they're coming in actively self-harming or suicidal," said Foddrell. "We work with them on stabilization and ensuring they have the tools to survive a crisis without worsening it."
Race & Gender Barriers
Racial and gender inequality cause trauma, not only mental illness. Systemic concerns may traumatize People of Color, women, and LGBTQIA+ people.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), emotional stress from race-related variables such as discrimination, impediments to access, and stereotypes may lead to racial trauma among People of Color.
Certain ethnicities and genders may have trouble getting mental health treatment owing to structural and cultural obstacles. The following types of racism may prevent People of Color from receiving effective mental health care:
- systemic and structural
- institutional
- cultural
- interpersonal
Systemic & Structural Racism
A 2022 study found that systemic and structural racism in laws, policies, structures, and behaviors might perpetuate unjust treatment and discrimination of People of Color, thereby resulting in negative health effects.
Institutional Racism
In the U.S. healthcare system, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) states that institutional racism from healthcare professionals against patients of specific races and ethnicities might contribute to health disparities.
Cultural Racism
A 2017 article defines cultural racism as the belief that one's race and culture are superior to others due to variables such as language, religion, immigrant status, social support reliance, and profiling. These variables may also impact minority mental health treatment.
Interpersonal Racism
Interpersonal racism is racial prejudice toward another ethnicity or race. A 2022 article suggests that healthcare personnel's racism toward Black patients may disrupt treatment delivery and result in negative results.
Race & Gender Racism
Women seeking mental health care may face particular hurdles. In a 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey, one-third of women reported waiting over a month for mental healthcare appointments due to few providers or fees, despite increased demand.
Due to social, emotional, and physiological disparities caused by gender-based discrimination, women have more mental problems than males.
For Black women, race and gender merge. Discrimination, oppression, and institutional racism may affect them both.
Affirmative Healing
Black women with trauma and mental illness need a safe place to express themselves. They may benefit from a therapeutic setting where other clients and therapists validate their identities.
Cooper said Black patients had trouble connecting with therapists or group members from other cultures.
Cooper stated, "That's something I've heard from several clients, especially my clients that have been in other DBT skills groups, where the clinicians are white or where most of the different clients are white or don't have shared identities.
Black women may express their thoughts without over-explaining to non-believers in an embracing healing place.
"There's just a foundational level of understanding and shared experience that certain things don't have to be translated because we just know," said Cooper. "Then, we realize we're also different."
DBT treats trauma and personality problems well. It promotes self-awareness of emotions and actions and good coping.
Systemic racism and other kinds of discrimination undermine mental healthcare access for marginalized groups, notably People of Color and women.
A safe forum for trauma and mental health discussions benefits Black women.
