Yellow September, DBT and the role of family members: Taking care of those who take care also saves lives.

Yellow September invites us to talk about emotional pain, psychic suffering and the importance of preventing suicide with more empathy, information and action. In this scenario, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) stands out as an evidence -based approach that supports not only people who suffer, but also to their families - especially when we talk about adolescents and adults with intense emotional deregulation, self -harm or suicidal thoughts.

Talking about suicide requires sensitivity, but also clarity: often the desire to die is not a desire to end life, but to end pain. Therefore, DBT helps build bridges between pain and life that is worth living. It does not promise that suffering will disappear, but shows that it is possible to deal better with emotions and create internal spaces of hope and choice, even in the middle of darkness.

Thus, my wish is that this yellow September we can remember that vulnerability is not weakness, it is humanity. And that no one needs to cross the pain alone. DBT is a possible path of reconnection with others, with oneself, life and family.

For many fathers, mothers, siblings and partners, dealing with frequent emotional crises of a loved one can be exhaustive, confusing and lonely. Often the fear of “doing something wrong” paralyzes, and the relationship wears out between attempts at control, silence and despair. This is where the DBT skill training for family members enters as a powerful tool.

This training offers family members concrete resources to improve communication, reduce conflicts and support safer bonds. It teaches family members to validate emotions without reinforcing problematic behaviors, setting limits with firmness and empathy, and cultivating presence with less judgment and more acceptance.

In the context of suicide prevention, this is essential. Often well-meaning family members act with unintentionally criticism or invalidation, which can increase the isolation and suffering of those who already feel “broken” inside. DBT shows that it is possible to take care without control, support without annulling and love with wisdom.

Among the skills taught in training are:

• Emotional Validation : Learning to recognize and welcome the pain of the other without minimizing, dramatizing or invalidating.
• Mindfulness in Family : Being present in interactions, without automatic reactions.
• Tolerance to the malaise on both sides : strategies for family members to take care of themselves in the midst of chaos.
• Effective and assertive communication : Know how to ask, say no and negotiate with respect.
• Dialectical Limits : Balance firmness and flexibility, understanding and consequence.

Well -oriented families can be a very important protective factor . They do not need to “save” alone, but they can learn to be with , in a way that strengthens hope and promotes life choices.

If you live with someone who faces intense emotional pain, know: you also deserve support and you are not alone . And this support can transform the environment, the relationship and even the future.

To do so, I invite you to participate in the Family Skill Training of the CEFI core. For more information contact us.