Service Detail

Lewisham Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Service is part of the wider SLaM DBT Service and is attached to Lewisham CMHTs. DBT is an evidence-based therapy for people whose difficulties with regulating emotions creates significant problems in their lives, and who have a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD)/Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

In DBT, clients are taught skilful ways of managing emotional distress, solving problematic situations and improving their relationships. The DBT programme is delivered in a validating therapeutic environment which focuses on clients' strengths and sensitivities and enables them to develop effective strategies to build a 'life worth living'.

Clients have a DBT assessment and, if suitable, they are offered DBT Ôpre-treatment'. This prepares clients for the full DBT programme, which includes weekly individual and group DBT sessions and DBT phone coaching, and all DBT therapists attend DBT Consult. Clients work towards reducing and stopping all life-threatening behaviours, reducing therapy-interfering and quality of life-interfering behaviours, reducing trauma symptoms, increasing behavioural skills and achieving Ôlife worth living' goals.

Mental health professionals can make referrals by contacting a member of the Lewisham DBT Service to discuss cases in the first instance for screening, and then emailing the therapist they contacted with a completed Lewisham DBT Service referral form attached. NB: Currently, clients need to be under the care of a mental health team in Lewisham to access the Lewisham DBT Service.