Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Addiction Treatment
Dialectical behavior therapy at New Frontier Recovery Center teaches skills for surviving intense emotions and cravings without using, organized into mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. It is delivered alongside CBT inside residential treatment at 591 Squaw Creek Rd in Huntley, Montana.
If you or someone with you is in immediate danger, call 911 or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Understanding the therapy
What is dialectical behavior therapy in addiction?
Dialectical behavior therapy for addiction, or DBT, is a skills-based therapy for people who feel emotions intensely and act on them quickly, a pattern that shows up often in substance use disorder. Where cognitive behavioral therapy works mainly on thoughts, DBT for substance abuse adds a structured set of skills for surviving intense moments without making things worse. The word dialectical points to its central balance, accepting yourself as you are while also working to change, and that balance runs through the whole approach.
At New Frontier Recovery Center in Huntley, Montana, DBT treatment for addiction is delivered inside residential care and used alongside CBT, not as a standalone service. Skills work is grouped into four areas, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, and a person practices them in session before applying them across the structured residential day.
Distress tolerance matters most in early recovery, because it gives a person concrete things to do when a craving or a strong feeling arrives, instead of using. Emotion regulation lowers the daily volume that makes cravings likely in the first place, and interpersonal effectiveness helps a person ask for what they need and hold a boundary without a blowup. That combination is why DBT therapy for addiction is used so often with people whose substance use is tangled up with anger, panic, or self-harm, all addressed within treatment.
- Emotions felt intensely
- Acting on them impulsively
- Anger, panic, and self-harm
- Mindfulness
- Distress tolerance
- Emotion regulation
- Interpersonal effectiveness
- Skills taught in session
- Rehearsed across the day
- Used alongside CBT
- Something to do when a craving hits
- Lowers the daily emotional volume
- Holding a boundary without a blowup
Recovery is possible, and it starts with one call.
Our approach
Why We Use DBT
Distress-tolerance skills matter most in early recovery, and at New Frontier they are matched to each person during a clinical assessment and practiced across the structured residential day. DBT is provided within substance use treatment, never as a standalone mental health service.
Built for intense emotions
DBT was designed for people who feel emotions strongly and act fast, which describes many people entering treatment for substance use.
Concrete crisis skills
Distress-tolerance skills give a person something specific to do when a craving or strong feeling hits, instead of reaching for a substance.
Four practical skill areas
Mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness cover the situations that most often precede a relapse.
Balances acceptance and change
The dialectical stance helps a person accept where they are while still working to change, which lowers shame and keeps them engaged.
Applied across the day
Skills learned in session are practiced during the structured residential schedule, so they become habits rather than ideas.
Works with CBT
DBT and cognitive behavioral therapy are used together, pairing thought-focused work with skills for managing emotion.
Important medical disclosure
This page is educational information, not medical advice. DBT at New Frontier is delivered within substance use disorder treatment, and whether it is part of a given person's plan is a clinical decision made during assessment. New Frontier does not offer standalone mental health therapy.
If you or someone you are with is experiencing a medical emergency, is unresponsive, or is at immediate risk of harm, call 911 now. For a mental health or suicide crisis, call or text 988.
Skills for the hardest moments start here
DBT is one part of the care delivered in our Huntley, Montana residential program. Call our 24-hour admissions line or verify insurance to talk through what treatment could look like.
Our Facility
Inside our Huntley, Montana facility
A calm, private setting in Huntley, Montana designed for healing, not a hospital.
More conditions we treat
Conditions this therapy is used for
Questions
Dialectical Behavior Therapy FAQs
What is dialectical behavior therapy?
How is DBT used at New Frontier?
What are the four DBT skill areas?
How is DBT different from CBT?
Can I get DBT without entering treatment?
Where we serve
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Addiction Treatment in Huntley, Montana
DBT skills work happens inside residential care at New Frontier Recovery Center, 591 Squaw Creek Rd in Huntley, just outside Billings, alongside CBT rather than on its own. We admit adults from across Montana, and skills are practiced through the structured residential day.
Most commercial health plans include some coverage for medically monitored detox and residential treatment. We verify your benefits confidentially, at no cost and no obligation, and explain your coverage in plain language before you commit. Self-pay is welcome.
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