‘What Does Self-Care Look Like — to the Practicing Clinician?’ – BLOG POST

by NIce Speech Lady  March 17, 2018

This will be a long blog post today, I apologize for that. And, I don’t.

As clinicians, we give and give of ourselves. How do we re-plug? How do we replenish what we give to others each day — so that we can enjoy the independence we encourage others to achieve? How do we perform self-care on a global level? Listed below are the concepts of a mindfulness-based counseling approach that is skill-set based: dialectal behavioral therapy. From DBT skills groups, I have processed what I have learned and have organized it in this manner. As a speech pathologist, I have to take care of myself — practicing the concepts on the list below (or not) can “make me” or “break me.” I hope you find the list helpful.

• Gratitude practices.A structured daily gratitude practice does not need to be complex — but recognizing thankfulness of having a home to live in, breath to breathe in each day, meaningful participation in organizations and experiencing gratitude for the amazing people to have experiences with— can shift a mindset each day into taking care of self. It will assist in reminding and motivating the “why” of fighting the fight called life. As well, when a person is experiencing intentional gratitude, fear and anger tend to not co-exist as intensely — which allows for a decrease in emotional suffering. This can look different on different days, but it can be the simple task of writing a list of five new aspects to be grateful for each day, calling a best friend each day to communicate three things to be thankful for, or it could be listing to someone else’s gratitude comments and applying them to self. Carrying this gratitude throughout the day in interacting with others will allow for an extension of this helpful experience and focus. Reflecting on these points of gratitude at the end of the day will also be beneficial.
• Start-of-the-day rituals that work for self, each day. Such activities that are ritualized that prep a day for beneficial thinking include: consistent movement of the body to awaken the mind and initiate endorphins, a few minutes of singularly focusing on a hot cup of something, a three-sentence or more journal entry of the plan to achieve today, performing tasks that are pleasurable and healthy to initiate confidence for the day, creating an attack of action at any point during the day where there are challenging moments, and setting a plan for mindful eating for the day that is achievable. Starting the day in a beneficial way can shift focus for continued positive self-care, for moments that will come later in the day. This sets the stage for an emotional reserve, as the day will make it’s withdrawals.
• Mindfulness tasks. It is a multi-tasking world. It is encouraged — “it is efficient,” the world says. All the while, the reality and effects of consistently multi-tasking hold the potential for being crushing, crippling, and overwhelming. The opposite of this is mindfulness. There can be opportunities for multi-tasking that may be beneficial, such as dancing to music during house-cleaning tasks, intentionally smiling a pirate smile while singing, or listening to encouraging words while exercising— but for the most part, performing one task at a time — and focusing on the present moment — is more of a benefit, because it is mindful. It decreases anxiety, allows for living in this moment alone — so to not focus on the pains of the past or the worries of the future — but rather, to focus on the task of “right now.” This has a calming effect. Performing a daily mindfulness practice brings in awareness of “the now” — which is emotionally stabilizing and centering. Performing a different mindfulness task each day invites the intention of the desire of focus on what will be effective and beneficial. A list of various mindfulness tasks could be endless, but some of the helpful examples of mindfulness tasks involve ten minutes solid of the following activities (singularly): coloring, saying a beneficial word to self with eyes closed, focusing on performing one thing at a time — such as washing dishes or performing a grounding task where there is an observation and a verbalization of the different five senses’ perception in the environment, listening to nature sounds on YouTube.com with eyes closed, looking straight in the mirror and verbalizing the reminder of what individual qualities exist, focusing alone on folding the laundry, listening to another to just be there for them — without input — except a hug, being affectionate to pets, simple organizing without focusing on other thoughts, writing a poem, contributing toward another person without being asked or expected, fully giving 100% to a workout, deep breathing practices, visualization practices, repeatedly watching fish swim, smelling different perfumes or essential oils, taking a bubble bath and just focusing on experiencing it alone, playing a game of “solitary pool,” taking a walk, driving with no particular destination in mind, focusing on relaxation or mindful acknowledgement of different parts of the body in a systematic manner through guided meditation, eating a meal without any other stimuli or media, smelling flowers, remembering a pleasant event and closing eyes to experience the reliving of it, focusing on putting on makeup in a new and unique way, thrift-store rummaging, closing eyes and communicating “it is going to work out, it is going to be OK,” imagining and believing of all of the beneficial things that are to come in the next year or next decade, writing a hand-written letter to friends of family member, prayer, reading motivating and encouraging exts, looking at favorite breeds of dogs in puppy pictures, brainstorm new ways to contribute to others, imagine what an ideal day would be like, writing a song, learning about a skill that is brand-new, continuously shaking/focusing on the flecks of snow in a snow globe, playing an instrument, dancing, drawing, listening to an old favorite song, imagine one positive step to take today, etc. Also, planning for slam-drunk pleasurable experiences for the rest of the day is helpful as well to continue to decrease emotional vulnerabilities and to continue the day in a mindfulness focus.
• Take time throughout the day to increase awareness of current emotion, thought and physical sensations that result from emotional experiences, interpretations or interactions with others. Learn to “observe and describe” feelings, processes and physical responses that are current. Oftentimes, being able to label an experience assists in tolerating it, or improving it. Self “Check-ins” on a regular basis allows for also being mindful of current emotional experiences — and this leads to the awareness to start formulating how to respond. For intense emotions, or emotions that have the potential to lead to responses in behavior that are not beneficial or helpful — the dialectical behavioral therapy counseling skill of “STOP” is particularly helpful (Stop. Take a step back. Observe. Proceed mindfully). This avoid impulsivity, and acting on urges.
• Self-cheerleading can result in self-encouragement. Examples include: 

— “Do what others are not willing to do. Have a standard for myself that will benefit the situation rather than not adding to the intensity of emotion.”
— “I can visualize the life that I desire. It is the first step to moving toward it.”
— “If I can see it in my mind, I can hold it in my hand.”
— “How I start is the day is a good preparation and foundation for how I will end the day. If I can master the morning, I set myself up for a more effective day. I am worth that.”
— “My dreams are important, and valuable. It is valid that I desire things in my life that are meaningful. Let’s take a step toward my life worth living….. right now.”
— “Half-smiling is recognizing that I am grateful that I am alive. I recognize all of the joys that life has to offer.”
— “I honor where I am at the moment.”
— “I can decide how I will respond to others today; I will not let others have control over how I respond. I can choose to make wise choices.”
— “I can choose to racially accept things that are outside of my control.”
— “Asking for help is a skill and it is a step of strength to ask others for assistance.”
— “I am big enough for my dreams, and my dreams are big enough for me.”
— “I matter.”
— “It may be 100% accurate that I feel this way right now, but it is also true that this will likely decrease in intensity. Ride it out. It will be OK.”
— “My past doesn’t equal my future. I can hit the “re-set” button any time I choose to.”
— “I have control of my effort, willingness, choices, perspective and interpretations in any situation I find myself in. I am not a slave to what is to come, I have choices in how to respond, and how to view situations.”
— “It is a miracle that I exist as a person in this time and place, and I am created for a unique purpose in this life that only I can achieve. It is my job to figure out what that purpose is and do what I can each day to achieve it.”
— “Life bring up a number of challenges and difficulties, I need to not be my own worst enemy — but my best advocate and helper.”

• On a regular basis during the day, the question of “what does my wise-mind say?” can be asked, and will benefit most situations. There are three states of mind from a DBT model: emotion mind, rational mind, and the convergence of the two: wise-mind. Wise-mind acknowledges emotional experiences and also marries emotion with logic, rational thinking, etc. — to take both perspectives in account before proceeding mindfully. When solely operating in thought, emotion, interpretation, physical sensation experience and behavior in emotion mind, only emotion is the focus: fear, anger, sadness, triggering experiences, anxiety, happiness, impulsivity, joy, urges, and the focus tends to be on self alone and that self’s emotional experience, not taking into account rational thinking. When solely operating in thought, interpretation and behavior in reason/logic mind, it can tend to be very calculated, systematic, robotic, unfeeling and doesn’t take into account others’ emotions, experiences, or conditions that are outside of the available data. The dialectic of both honoring emotional experiences and bringing in reason and logic delivers the state of wise-mind, giving an individual wisdom about how to proceed in situations — leading to a place of effectiveness. Sometimes, wise-mind recommendations are to wait and respond later — or it may communicate that a mindful and effective action needs to occur now. Asking in any situation: “what does my wise-mind say?” about to proceed is one of the best ways to “do what works” in trying to achieve a desired outcome, and leads to regulation of emotion. Acting in a wise-mind perspective also assists in preventing the need to have to perform a relationship repair in the future due to acting on urges or being impulsive due to remaining in emotion mind. When proceed mindfully in wise-mind, self-care at it’s core is being performed, because it is incorporating both the honoring of the emotional experience of self and others, and also recruiting logic and reason as well so to move forward with the wisdom of careful consideration and effectiveness. Proceeding by not taking into account rational thought and logic (only operating solely in emotion mind) can be impulsive, emotionally intense and tends to result in the thinking that feelings in and of themselves are “the truth.” Proceeding by not taking into account emotion (only operating solely in rational mind) doesn’t honor the emotional experience, and can appear cold and unfeeling to others — it doesn’t contribute to realtionships with self or others.  Neither of these approaches in extremes are effective. Merging the two by proceeding with wise-mind allows for self to experience the most beneficial way to perform thoughts, experience emotions, interpret events going on in the environment, ultimately leading to behaviors that are helpful. If it is identified that thinking or behaviors are centered in a state of mind outside of wise-mind, mindfulness practices for re-centering can be performed to “lean back in” to wise-mind.
• Identifying the definition of an individual’s “life worth living” is crucial to self-care. This is an individualistic description of what is a meaningful life for each person. Once a definition of a “life worth living” can be formulated, communicated and applied in a life, suffering decreases — because, then all steps that are made mindfully are made with the objective in mind. Writing down this definition is helpful, and practicing the writing it on a regular basis is beneficial to continue to be mindful of what benefits the individual.
• If emotions that are perceived as unpleasant, it is best to not to be in denial of it or emotionally “run away” —but instead honor it — and allow the wave to pass. Reminders that emotions are neither good nor bad — they just exist —also allows for toleration of the emotion. It will pass sooner or later, and using mindfulness skills, emotion regulation skills and distress tolerance skills of DBT can help with tolerating the movement of the emotional wave. Fighting the emotion leads to suffering. Leaning into wise-mind can assist in shifting into a place of a desired emotional experience.
• Recognizing that not all skills and effort work all of the time — and realizing practice of the skills will come with continued effort and commitment — are also important components, as it could be discouraging if outcomes are not achieved in the intended time-frame. Take it easy, one day at a time, and one moment at a time. Seek out help when needed. Recognize strides made, and celebrate any progress, even the most minute. Each day is an opportunity to continue to learn new skills. Avoiding extreme choices in thinking is helpful. Avoiding absolutes is helpful. Also, replacing the word “but” in statements and thoughts with “and” help to remind self that much of life is a dialectic, not just black or white.
• Planning and execution of pleasurable experiences can aid in self-care. These are the pleasant, enjoyable activities that an individual finds highly satisfying. Examples of pleasurable activities include: hunting, doodling, make a new friend,  basket-weaving, playing card games, relaxing, listing to music, playing catch, playing a plane, going on a trip, kissing, brushing hair, gifting someone with a surprise, going on a cruise, flirting, talking on the phone, making up ghost stories, looking at new car models, splurging, trying out a new restaurant, fantasizing about the future, acting, conducting an experiment, surprising someone, thinking “I am a person who can cope,” horseback riding, gathering seashells, arranging flowers, making a list of big goals in a lifetime, etc. The list is endless, and so are the benefits of intentionally performing pleasurable experiences.
• Continue with an approach of curiosity in all things. If curiosity exists, there also continues to be opportunities for growth, and learning different ways of approaching situations.
• Identifying if “willingness” exists, or a “willfulness” in proceeding with a task or activity. There is no judgement is there is willfulness to a task, and it is helpful to acknowledge it, because oftentimes that can aid in leaning toward willingness to proceed and participate in an event or activity. Also, keeping in mind that how to approach a situation may aid in acknowledging that willingness can be the next step. There are many skills to assist in tolerating a situation, and choosing willingness over willfulness allows for this.
• Approach situations with a non-judgmental stance. Rather than judging aspects of life, behaviors, choices and events as “good or “bad,” it is a non-judgmental stance that sees these as “beneficial” or “not beneficial,” and “helpful” or “not helpful.” Once there is movement in working toward a non-judgmental stance, emotional suffering tends to decrease and emotional regulation tends to increase due to the focus being on observing and describing, and taking situation as they come in a factual manner. Intentionally subscribing to a non-judgmental stance aids in interactions with others. It also aids in our view of ourselves, and reduces shame.
• Part of mindfulness involves the intention act of fully participating in all activities. Examples of fully participating could mean: intentionally listening without thinking about a grocery store shopping list, to throwing self fully into an activity, not caring what others will think. Fully giving over self to tasks can lead to pleasurable experiences and participate in adding to an emotional reserve, so that when challenges come along, there has been an “all-in” with experiences to date, which impact effectiveness in handling undesirable situations.
• Identifying and reducing factors that create emotional vulnerability is critical to self-care. PLEASE is a DBT skill acronym for taking care of the physical aspects of the body and mind: treating Physical (illness), (balanced) Eating, (avoid) Altering (drugs) — meaning mood-altering drugs and alcohol, work toward (balanced) Sleep, (get) Exercise. All of these practices reduce vulnerabilities and are areas that can be influenced with awareness, attention and repetition. Building mastery in these areas is encouraged. If physical needs are intentionally addressed, the likelihood of being vulnerable to emotional heightened-experiences decreases.
• Also, addressing issues or situations that are causing vulnerabilities are important, too. If not communicating a message to another person is causing a vulnerability and a difficulty in being effective on a global level, this needs to be addressed. If the communication is anticipated to be challenging or difficult in nature, DBT skills such as DEAR MAN, GIVE and FAST (or a combination) can be utilized as a framework in order to ensure setting-up the interaction as best as possible to achieve the objective. Addressing issues with others in an effective manner aids in reducing vulnerabilities. DEAR MAN is an interpersonal effectiveness skill acronym that describes how to mindfully communicate with others when there is a clear objective in mind that is desired in interaction: Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, (stay) Mindful, Appear (confident), Negotiate. GIVE is another interpersonal effectiveness skill acronym — where there is a message that is desired to be communicated, but the paramount focus of the interaction is effectiveness within the relationship; in a sense, the objective is the relationship’s health. Asking “How do I want this person to feel about me after the interaction?” is helpful in using GIVE — it stands for: Gentle (manner), (act) Interested, Validate (others), Easy (manner). FAST is a DBT skill that is utilized when the objective is to maintain or achieve self-respect effectiveness. This skills can be utilized if a situation has arisen that has caused the speaker to question their own self-worth. The question for this interpersonal effectiveness skills is: “How do I want to feel about myself after the interaction?” FAST stands for: (be) Fair, (no) Apologies, Stick (to values), (be) Truthful.
• Knowing when to “back-off” and take a break is beneficial. Part being mindful and having effectiveness in daily tasks is knowing when to scale back, when to shift focus and when to decide to come back to re-visit an activity or subject when the timing will be more effective.
• When wise-mind communicates that a current emotion is not benefitting the situation, and an opposite-action-to current emotion is needed, following through on “opposite action” is helpful. Many times it is known what needs to be done in a situation, but there isn’t willingness to follow-through. Intentionally performing “opposite actions” can be helpful, and this is a skills that requires practice oftentimes before the full benefit of the skill can be experienced.
• When conflict or distress arises in the day, awareness that of the following will be helpful:
  — See challenges in the day as puzzles rather than as unsolvable problems — reminders that there is always a solution to a situation that can be beneficial.
  — Use “IMPROVE the moment” — a DBT skill that describes the benefits of: Imagery, Prayer, Relaxation, One (thing in the moment), Vacation, Encouragement.
  — Self-soothing activities can be particularly helpful (incorporate the five senses to calm self). In addition, movement is another self-soothing task that can assist with tolerating distress.
  — Use “ACCEPTS” — a DBT skill whose acronym stands for: Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, (opposite) Emotions, Pushing (away), Thoughts, Sensations. These skills involve distracting the mind and focus for short periods of time in order to provide an “emotional break” in order to tolerate distress.
  — Use “TIPP” — a DBT skill that stands for: (cold) Temperature, Intense (exercise), Paced (breathing), and Paired (muscle relaxation).
  — Radical acceptance — one of the most complex DBT skills, radical acceptance is not accepting that the situation is “OK,” or acceptable — but it is a mindful and effective practice of recognition that an undesirable situation is not going to change. It is the realization that there is not a current action for proceeding to resolve the issue in the manner that would be desired. All avenues have been expended in communicating with others in an effective manner, and all choices that could be made to find a solution that would be preferred by self have been expended — and the only way to proceed at this point is make a choice — to continue to suffer or accept “it is what it is.” If all efforts have been pursed fully, and there are no other options for addressing a situation, the most mindful and effective skill to proceed with, moving forward, is radical acceptance — it reduces suffering. It isn’t just a matter of “radially accepting” alone— use of other DBT skills assist the radical acceptance process — pros and cons, IMPROVE, ACCEPTS, TIPP, pleasurable experiences, PLEASE, checking the facts, participating in tasks to distract for a short period of time, STOP, mindfulness, non-judgmental stance, etc. “Turning the Mind” is also a part of radical acceptance — it involves realizing there is a choice to made — a “fork in the road,” so to speak. In “Turning the Mind,” guide to: 1. Observe. 2. Make an Inner Commitment to accept reality. 3. Do it Again. 4. Develop a Plan. Sometimes as well, the situation may change in the future, and it can be revisited at that time. When nothing else can be intentionally pursued in addressing an undesirable situation  — radical acceptance is the skill that is the solution that assists in tolerating distress.
• Contribute toward a greater cause. Meaningful activities to self or to others in the person’s life can assist in contributing toward encouraging emotions that are pleasurable, and can also build and contribute to significant relationships. Connecting with others by contributing to a cause greater than self can bring a sense of fulfillment and purpose, therefore reducing emotional vulnerabilities.
• Recognizing when burnout or stress levels become unmanageable, and the responding in a way that will be beneficial. Self-soothing, asking for help, journaling, listing to an inspirational song, getting needed rest, taking a walk, changing temperature of the environment, etc., all can be helpful. Making mindful and thoughtful changes in work, home or volunteer opportunities that incorporate wise-mind are important — that contribute to self-care, and hold high the priorities of a life worth living.
• Being mindful to recognize when personalization is occurring is helpful. Oftentimes, the phrase “don’t take it personally” occurs, and many cringe when others make this comment, because it is invalidating. A helpful practice is the self-awareness that perhaps the interpretation that is occurring with a situation or event goes beyond the “now situation.” Perhaps there is more going on underneath the surface; it doesn’t invalidate that the feelings are real, but a consideration that there may be more to the emotional reaction is helpful. This is an individual practice and takes effort, and self-validation.
• Picking a loyal, fierce “Dream Team” is important for anyone desiring to pursue self-care. Choosing who is “the” support system is paramount. Who to go to when the “rubber meets the road” when help is needed is critical for people who feel burnout or stress easily. A loving, caring and understanding “Dream Team” member can gently ask if perhaps personalization is occurring, if PLEASE skills are being utilized on a a daily basis, what mindfulness tasks have been performed, how global care is being approached, and provide validating and supportive encouragement when “how to proceed” is being considered. A helpful “Dream Team” can also advocate when professional help is needed, or when action needs to be taken immediately for safety. Understanding, validating, motivating, cheer-leading, sensitive, loving and intuitive people tend to be effective “Dream Team” members. Having a history, and having the ability to ask if a thought or interpretation could be seen in a different way in a manner that can be received is helpful. Some people benefit from more of an extended “Dream Team,” while others may benefit from a very tight-knit group. It is also beneficial if the “Dream Team” members know each other and interact on a regular basis as well. Knowing who to go to when hope is needed can be the difference between emotional regulation and complete burnout.
• Making a list of affirmations can be helpful for reading in the more stressful times: “I am smart,” “I am accomplished,” “I have a big heart,” etc. — specific to the individual, can be a means of self-motivation and self-validation.
• Recruiting help from a power greater than ourselves. Identifying a spiritual practice that makes sense for the individual can provide great sense of hope, strength and purpose. From organized spiritual communities to alternative medicinal practices to recovery groups to nature and general common goodwill — finding a power great than ourselves can aid in increasing an emotional reserve and encouragement.
• Setting boundaries and acknowledging limits can aid in self-care as well. Reaching out to the “Dream Team” to navigate difficult situations can be helpful. It is important though to first identify rights of every person. There is a list of “Your Legitimate Rights” in the DBT manual, which are worth listing:
  “1. You have a right to need things from others.
  2. You have a right to put yourself first sometimes.
  3. You have a right to feel and express your emotions or you pain.
  4. You have a right to be the final judge of your beliefs and accept them as legitimate.
  5. You have the right to your own opinions an convictions.
  6. You have the right to your experience — even if it’s different from that of other people.
  7. You have a right to protest any treatment or criticism that feels bad to you.
  8. You have a right to negotiate for change.
  9. You have a right to ask for help, emotional support, or anything else you need (even though you may not always get it).
  10. You have a right to say no; saying no doesn’t make you bad or selfish.
  11. You have a right to not justify yourself to others.
  12. You have a right to to not take responsibility for someone else’s problem.
  13. You have a right to choose to not respond to a situation.
  14. You have a right, sometimes, to inconvenience or disappoint others.”
• Avoiding certain behaviors are important: vegging out for long periods of time, partaking in mood-altering substances to avoid pain, unbalanced sleep, not moving each day to keep the blood flowing, re-traumatizing ourselves over situations we cannot control, obsessing/ruminating, self-injurious thoughts or behaviors, saying negative things to ourselves, being overtaken by worry, self-sabotaging behaviors, isolating ourselves for long periods of time, and choosing to open-up to people who communicate in a manner that is invalidating. All of these behaviors should be avoided. If the ability to do so independently is not possible, please seek professional help.
• On a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis — time set aside for self-reflection is helpful. Prior to this, it is beneficial to:
  — Ask emotionally safe people for gentle feedback: where is self-sabotage occurring?
  — Reflect on how the plans for self-care are coming to fruition, and how to have a new plan of action or approach.
  — A determination of new mindfulness practices can be explored.
  — Identify where there is a lack of balance in all practices, perspectives and communications with others.
• Effectiveness practices. Approaching each situation with a mindset of “effectiveness” is extremely important. Doing what is “going to work” in each situation can be a definition of effectiveness. It isn’t about methods being perfect, but methods working. “Doing what works” involves all of the above listed DBT skills, as well as “checking the facts,” performing problem solving and “pros and cons” of performing a behavior (and the pros and cons of not performing a behavior) — all of these practices add information in how to proceed in a way that will achieve the desired outcome. This will center in the focus into wise-mind, which will then lead to effectiveness in interactions with others and in self-dialogue.
• Final thoughts: Rest when needed. Make all attempts to mindfully communicate emotional needs in core relationships if indicated— you have a right to ask for what you need. Use interpersonal effectivenss skills like DEAR MAN, FAST and GIVE to communicate these needs. If such efforts do not bring about the results that are desired, if possible, reduce the frequency of communication with invalidating people in your life, and people who do not respect your communciation of your boundaries. Take steps toward radical acceptance with the situations that are out of your control after all attempts are made. Use distress tolerance skills for moving toward radical acceptance, and in any situation that is difficult to emotionally tolerate. Perform pleasurable experiences on a regular basis, and other emotion regulation skills, such as PLEASE. Listen to your body, listen to your feelings. Feelings and physical responses to feelings are a barometer of what is going on inside self — typically, observation of an intense, undesirable feeling is an indicator that a mindfulness skill is needed for emotional centering, and for direction in how to respond to a situation in wise-mind. Practicing mindfulness, effectiveness, self-soothing, pleasurable experiences on a personal, individual level each day leads to building relationships that are stronger so that when a repair needs to occur, there is a history of positive interactions present. Performing gratitude practices and anticipating beneficial and helpful aspects of life coming to fruition are mindfulness practices that set the course for an outlook at anticipates interactions with others that can lead to assisting others with identifying and achieving their own life worth living. And finally, there is expontential benefits to tapping-into wise mind on a regular basis in all things, when approaching a situation — ask: “what is going to work in this situation?” in order to maintain the orientation of effectiveness in all thought processes, interactions and perspectives.

Self-care is possible, and necessary. And doable. You are worth it.

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*This blog entry is Bekah Wilson Nice’s (“Nice Speech Lady”’s) perspective/processing/application/“take-away” from the Dialectal Behavior Therapy approach skill set — for emotional and overall self-care. DBT is an evidence-based practice that demonstrates efficacy for many types of mental health diagnoses, and for the population of people who do not. There now exists a movement to teach mindfulness and DBT into the public school systems, teaching children how to use mindfulness to perform self-care and set limits for themselves, as well as learning how to interact with others in a more effective manner to achieve the desired outcomes.

To the reader who is not familiar with Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, it is encouraged that an act of self-discovery of this approach be initiated — by viewing The Behavioral Tech website.

Wilson Nice, SLP, is the owner of Nice Speech Lady, a platform for medical SLPs to acquire practical/evidence-based clinical resources.