DBT Assessment and Validation Strategies Flashcards

What is 'dialectical assessment' in DBT?

Answer: Examining both what is valid/true about a client's behavior and what needs to change, looking for synthesis rather than choosing one side

Dialectical assessment involves looking for what is true and valid in the client's current behavior while simultaneously identifying what needs to change — holding both perspectives without choosing one.

How does DBT approach the assessment of 'secondary emotions'?

Answer: Secondary emotions (emotions about emotions, like shame about feeling angry) are assessed and targeted because they often amplify distress

DBT recognizes secondary emotions (feeling ashamed of fear, or angry about feeling sad) as often amplifying distress, and assesses and targets them to reduce unnecessary emotional suffering.

What is 'behavioral analysis of emotion' in DBT assessment?

Answer: Analyzing the function, antecedents, experiential components, and action urges of a specific emotion

Behavioral analysis of emotion in DBT involves examining what prompted the emotion, its biological and subjective experience, associated action urges, and its consequences in a functional way.

In DBT, what is 'vulnerability assessment' as part of emotional regulation?

Answer: Identifying biological and situational factors (like poor sleep, illness, or substance use) that increase emotional sensitivity

Vulnerability assessment in DBT involves identifying factors like illness, poor sleep, substance use, skipped meals, or lack of pleasant activities that lower the client's threshold for emotional reactivity.

What is the purpose of 'target behavior tracking' in DBT assessment?

Answer: To quantify the frequency, intensity, and context of target behaviors to guide treatment and evaluate progress

Target behavior tracking in DBT systematically monitors the frequency and intensity of priority behaviors (suicidality, self-harm, substance use) to guide session priorities and measure treatment effectiveness.

Which of the following best describes the role of 'structuring' in DBT individual therapy?

Answer: The therapist uses the diary card and hierarchy of targets to organize the session agenda based on the most urgent issues

In DBT individual therapy, the therapist structures sessions using the diary card data and the hierarchy of treatment targets to ensure the most urgent issues receive attention first.