Accessibility Tools

Newsletter Subscription

"I have always been astonished at the resilience of the human spirit.

We have the innate drive to not only survive life's challenges, but to transform, grow & thrive as a result of them.

~ Sharon

Sharon emphasizes the importance of providing an emotionally safe and compassionate environment for building trust and therapeutic engagement while developing individualized treatment plans that incorporate evidence-based practice.

Online Counselling Sessions

This is a challenging time for all of us . We are now offering online therapy sessions so you can receive the important mental health services they need without the barrier of where you are located and finding qualified clinicians.

Currently, online therapy is the primary mode of treatment we provide.

We are using a ZOOM platform to provide online psychotherapy sessions. All you need is an internet connection and a private place in your home to participate in online counseling.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

Both CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) are evidenced based therapies. What does that mean to you? These treatments have been researched and tested and proven to be effective treatment in many mood disorders and chronic health conditions. Dr. Buchalter has training in both these therapies.

What are the four core skills of DBT?

At its core, DBT helps people build four major skills:

  1. Mindfulness
  2. Distress tolerance
  3. Interpersonal effectiveness
  4. Emotional regulation

Many mental health professionals will agree that emotional regulation is a skill that is critically important in the development of healthy relationships. One that should the primary focus when working with children and their parents.

However, DBT puts a little more emphasis on managing emotions and interpersonal relationships. This is largely because it was originally developed as a treatment for BPD (Borderline Personality Disorders), which is often marked by dramatic swings in mood and behavior that can make having relationships with others difficult. However there is growing evidence that DBT is an excellent form of treatment for Diabetes and Depression.

Emotion regulation skills teach you to:

  • recognize emotions
  • overcome barriers to emotions that have positive effects
  • reduce vulnerability
  • increase emotions that have positive effects
  • be more mindful of emotions without judging them
  • expose yourself to your emotions
  • avoid giving into emotional urges
  • solve problems in helpful ways

Dr. Sharon Fried-Buchalter, a Distinguished Clinical Psychologist, as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Licensed Clinical Hypnotherapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has been practicing since 1996 and specializes in counseling children, adolescents, parents, couples, and families. Utilizing her multi-modality approach, Dr. Buchalter combines different types of therapy that includes psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), play, hypnotherapy, and family systems approach. She has expertise in the assessment and counseling of neuro-diverse children of all ages. As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Dr. Buchalter conducts hypnotherapy for pain and behavioral management, and regression therapy. She is also trained in Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT), which is a short-term solution focused approach to healing trauma.

What Skills Does DBT Help Develop?

With DBT, you'll learn to use four core skills, sometimes called modules, to cope with emotional distress in positive, productive ways. Linehan refers to these four skills as the “active ingredients” of DBT.

Mindfulness and distress tolerance skills help you work toward acceptance of your thoughts and behaviors. Emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills help you work toward changing your thoughts and behaviors.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is about being aware of and accepting what's happening in the present moment. This can help you learn to notice and accept your thoughts and feelings without judgement.

In the context of DBT, mindfulness is broken down into “what” skills and “how” skills.

Here's a closer look at the four skills.

“How” skills teach you how to be more mindful by:

Mindfulness

Balancing rational thoughts with emotions using radical acceptance to learn to tolerate aspects of yourself (as long as they aren't hurting you or others) taking effective action using mindfulness skills regularly overcoming things that make mindfulness difficult, such as sleepiness, restlessness, and doubt

Distress tolerance.

Mindfulness can go a long way, but it isn't always enough, especially in moments of crisis. That's where distress tolerance comes in. Distress tolerance skills help you get through rough patches without turning to potentially destructive coping techniques.

Interpersonal effectiveness skills

These skills can help you be clear about these things. These skills combine listening skills, social skills, and assertiveness training to help you learn how to change situations while remaining true to your values.

Emotion regulation skills

These skills help you learn to deal with primary emotional reactions before they lead to a chain of distressing secondary reactions. For example, a primary emotion of anger might lead to guilt, worthlessness, shame, and even depression.

What Techniques Does DBT Use?

DBT uses three types of therapy approaches to teach the four core skills discussed above. Some believe this combination of techniques is part of what makes DBT so effective.

One-on-one therapy

DBT usually involves an hour of one-on-one therapy each week. In these sessions, you'll talk with your therapist about whatever you're working on or trying to manage.

Your therapist will also use this time to build up your skills and help you navigate specific challenges.

Skills training

DBT involves a skills training group, which is similar to a group therapy session. Skills groups usually meet once a week for two hours. Our programs are set up for 90 days.

During skills group, you'll learn about and practice each skill, talking through scenarios with other people in your group. This is one of the key components of DBT.

Phone coaching

Some therapists also offer phone coaching for extra support between your one-on-one appointments. This might be a good thing to have in your back pocket if you often find yourself feeling overwhelmed or just need a bit of extra support.

Over the phone, your therapist will guide you through how to use your DBT skills to tackle the challenge at hand.

DBT may also help with a range of other conditions, including:

Depression and Diabetes. A small 2003 study found a combination of antidepressants and DBT was more effective for treating depression in adults than antidepressants alone. An older study from 2001 looked at how DBT helped a small group of women with binge eating disorder. Of those who participated in DBT, 89 percent had stopped binge eating completely after treatment.

  • It is my passion and purpose to inspire you with the guidance you need through every step of the way of your shift and/or healing. I seek to identify strengths and needs in both a compassionate and accepting way.

    I look forward to assisting you in discovering your optimal life.

    ~ Sharon Fried-Buchalter