Over-control is often one of the hardest dynamics to treat in mental health recovery. The rigidity, perfectionism, or extreme anxiety that plague our clients can block important aspects of their deepest work. In the messy world of intimacy and relationships, clients must learn to be flexible and tolerate the feeling of vulnerability in order to create ‘a life worth sharing’. To this end, we will explore RO-DBT, and the skills and methods used in the treatment to help decrease the burden of control that is preventing them from making the progress in life that they seek. RO DBT helps to illuminate the suffering and loneliness experienced by so many of our clients despite them working so hard in life.

In the pandemic, many people were left at home isolated, stressed and afraid. By virtue of this unfortunate circumstance, people turned to food, alcohol, avoidance, over-control, for soothing, comfort, connection, attachment, and nurturance making them feel even further away from their most intimate personal connections. Helping people feel reconnected to their tribes is a huge tenet of RO-DBT that we as clinicians can be empowered to utilize to help heal the emotional loneliness so many people face. RO DBT helps clients decrease the over-controlled behaviors that keep them isolated. RO DBT also helps decrease self-judgment, judgement of others, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, obsessions, and rigidity all found in the hardest to treat aspects of our clients.

1) Clinicians will be educated in Radically open DBT

2) Clinicians will learn about radical openness and over-control.

3) Clinicians will learn about self- enquiry.

4) Clinicians will be introduced to the RO DBT diary card

5) Clinicians will learn key RO DBT skills to help clients in recovery from anxiety, depression, ASD, OCD, anorexia, and more