President’s Message for January 2025

As a minor, Marsha Linehan, who was born in 1943, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She graduated from college with a B.S. in psychology and by 1971 earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in social and experimental personality psychology. As time passed she came to feel that her behavioral health symptoms more likely matched the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder. During her career in academia Linehan utilized her personal experience with mental illness to develop dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) – a variation of traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

The influence of DBT continues to grow. It is now a common therapy for people with borderline personality disorder while some therapists provide a level of it for other mental health conditions as well. It strives to strike a balance between acceptance and the benefits of change. It is also one of the roots of the explosion of the mindfulness movement.

This month our affiliate will skip the Zoom meeting option and offer up DBT in 3D with an in person presentation by two DBT practitioners. Join us in Bedford MA on the evening of January 27th for “DBT Defined.” Prior to the program all are welcome to meet with our affiliate board members for dessert, social time, and a thank you to our volunteers. To start off the presentation, we’ll have a short discussion about our affiliate’s efforts in 2024. Your input is welcome for plans for this year. Details are available in a separate article, namicentralmiddlesex.org/newsletter/dbt-defined.

As we look forward in our brand new calendar year, we already have plans brewing for our March College Panel program and April Spring Fling event. We hope to see you in 3D or online at one of our programs or events! Feel free to reach out to our support groups or send us a note to nami.cmsx@gmail.com. We’re listening.