Summit Malibu’s
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Skills Training

Mindfulness Based Recovery and Relapse Prevention

“God grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to Change the things I can;
and Wisdom to know the difference.”

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Training combines the change-oriented effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy with the acceptance-based wisdom of mindfulness practice. In addiction the natural tension and flow, the dialectics, of acceptance and change are critically disturbed. DBT Skills Training focuses on consciously restoring the life transforming dynamics of acceptance and change through the mindful acquiring and functioning of a wisdom based state of mind. In providing tools that support the serenity goal of the 12-Step recovery model, the training enhances the 12-Step Programs’ effectiveness. The core objective of Summit Malibu’s DBT Skills Training is to self-empower the recovering addict who is struggling in the areas of interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and, most especially, mindfulness of the thoughts, feelings and experiences motivating behavior at any given moment. DBT skills help to replace ineffective coping strategies causing misery and distress, with skills that bring conscious intention to one’s actions as they relate to ongoing recovery, relapse prevention, and to long-term goals that support the creation of a life worth living.