Frequently Asked Questions

Do intense emotions rule your life and your relationships? Do you feel like something is wrong but nothing really explains the way you feel adequately enough? Do you find it difficult to tolerate seemingly constant distress?

Is perfectionism a trait you recognise? Do you have recurring periods of suicidal ideation/behaviour?

The skills I teach in my private practice, through Dialectical Behavioural Therapy can help people who experience problems with suicidal urges, self-harm, extreme emotional sensitivity, mood swings, anger, recurrent depression, anxiety, intense or chaotic relationships, impulsivity and stress.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is the most researched treatment for people who experience difficulties in regulating their emotions. It was originally developed by Dr Marsha Linehan for self-harming individuals who met criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder.

DBT is effective for people who experience overwhelming emotions and want to learn more skilful ways of managing intense suffering, reduce disruptions to their personal relationships and social lives, decrease impulsivity and build lives that they will experience as worth living.

This intensive weekly therapy has proven effective in reducing suicidal behaviour, non-suicidal self-injury as well as improving social and overall functioning. DBT is now widely used as a treatment for eating and mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance dependency. Research also suggests its effectiveness with sexual abuse survivors.

DBT teaches you skills that you learn, practice and then carry with you for the rest of your life, functioning as a sort of toolbox that can allow you to navigate through the world more effectively.

How are the Skills taught?

There are 4 DBT skills modules which are based on the updated Skills Training Manual by Marsha Linehan (2014). Each of these modules is to be attended as part of the full DBT programme. Modules in distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness begin with a week of mindfulness.

*Core Mindfulness consists of 4 weekly sessions and is designed to teach you how to increase your awareness levels, focus better, train your attention, decrease reactivity, judgmentalness and be more accepting of current moment experiences.

*Distress Tolerance module lasts for 8 weeks and is centred on accepting difficult situations and emotions and finding ways to survive and tolerate the moment without engaging in problematic behaviours such as self-harm, conflict or impulsive substance misuse.

*Emotion Regulation entails 12 weekly classes and involves learning to recognise and label current emotions, identify obstacles to changing emotions, reduce emotional reactivity, increase positive emotions, and change emotions that are unhelpful or unwarranted.

*Interpersonal Effectiveness is spread over 8 weeks and teaches effective strategies for asking for what you need, saying no, setting boundaries and coping with interpersonal conflict. This module is of particular relevance to individuals who experience their relationships as chaotic, intense and unstable, and it teaches strategies for maintaining balanced relationships.

Darryl Christie is an accredited Dialectical Behaviour Therapist (one of the first in the UK) and a subject matter expert in Personality disorders (www.sfdbt.co.uk). He was intensively trained by the Linehan Institute in the USA and received expert supervision from both Heidi Heard and Melanie Harned who are both leading world reknowned Clinicians in this field.

He has a thriving private practice in London and is also an experienced trainer, supervisor and Consultant Psychotherapist. He currently supervises the Psychotherapists and Psychologists in both the adult and childrens DBT teams for the Priory Hospitals in and around London. He also provides supervision for the UK’s leading Private Addictions service and two NHS Trusts. He is also the Head of Suicide Prevention at Body and Soul a leading multi-award winning UK Charity.

Darryl has extensively trained NHS mental health staff including Doctors, Nurses, and Occupational Therapists in topics ranging from understanding Personality Disorders, DBT, Mental Health awareness, Assessing Risk and Mindfulness.

In the past Darryl worked for over 17 years in both the NHS and Social services, much of this time in a Specialist Personality Disorder Service where he was authorised by the Secretary of State to undertake complex assessments under the Mental Health Act.

His special interests include Suicidal and self-harming behaviours in adults and children, treating Anxiety and Depression, Eating Problems, Addictions and Complex PTSD as well as the relationship difficulties that often ensue as a result of the above.