The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning ... (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

"I've tried out three DBT self-help books, and this one is by far the best. It's well laid out, easy to understand and very user-friendly. It teaches you mindfulness techniques as well as skills for getting through a crisis, improving mood, and getting your needs met in relationships. I've found these particularly useful for coping with stress.

One of the things I like about this book is it doesn't make any assumptions about the reader, or target a particular mental health problem. DBT was originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder, but this book is equally suitable for people who want to learn DBT skills to tackle other issues.

The other DBT books I've read were Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life by Scott Spradlin and Depressed & Anxious by Thomas Marra. The former is very much aimed at people with BPD, and I couldn't relate to a lot of it. It also goes into a lot of detail on some aspects of DBT, but is sketchy about others. Depressed & Anxious was a very difficult book to understand, and I gave up after one and a half chapters.

So if you're interested in DBT, whatever your diagnosis, in my opinion The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook is the one to try!"
~ Written on 2008-02-28