Current Groups
DBT Skills for Clients
Purpose/Mission: This educational group intends to create a space to learn, practice, and discuss Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills. Through the mastery of these flexibly applicable skills, clients can improve a wide variety of concerns through their lives on their own and with the guidance of a counselor. This education provides specific language, skills, concepts, and tools to empower clients on their healing journey. A parallel DBT skills group is conducted with clinicians so clients can feel reassured that they are on the same page and can incorporate these skills into their individual treatment. While this is not specifically a therapy group, clients are able to relate to each other’s concerns, brainstorm ways to make the provided tools fit for their needs, and get insight into how DBT could help achieve their goals for therapy.
Group Outline:
Session 1: Discuss group purpose, confidentiality, group norms, conflict resolution processes, and other topics to orient members to the group format. An introduction to the history of DBT, outline of modules, and cultural considerations will be provided.
Session 2: Centering members in the foundational principles of “dialectics” and Radical Acceptance. Inclusion of modules regarding core mindfulness skills and idea of “wise mind”.
Session 3: The Emotional Regulation module will cover the purpose of emotions, the cycle of experiencing/observing and expressing emotions, “checking the facts”, opposite action, and problem solving. Handouts with an emotional glossary are also provided to normalize and validate the wide variety of emotions and prompting events that clients may face.
Session 4: The Distress Tolerance module will re-introduce radical acceptance and the idea of “willfulness”. Clients will also be guided through ways and examples for creating crisis survival skills/kits. This includes mindfulness, self-soothing, improving the moment, distraction, and specific somatic tools to reduce feelings of distress in the moment.
Group Outline: All sessions will include resources, research, tangible skills, and worksheets that clinicians can use with clients. When possible, materials will be provided in other languages to accommodate diverse client needs. A specific DBT workbook will be utilized and supplemental information, worksheets, and resources will be included as necessary.
Session 5: The Interpersonal Effectiveness module will show clinicians how to spark discussion with clients about their priorities and goals in interpersonal conflict which supports the use of specific approaches to these conflicts. These include Objective Effectiveness (asserting rights and wishes), Relationship Effectiveness (maintaining positive relationships in a way that avoids further harm for self and others), and Self-Respect Effectiveness (asserting needs or boundaries in way that maintains self-respect).
Session 6: Incorporates ideas throughout the course to support clients in the process of creating a life worth living. Skills include accumulating positive emotions and experiences on a short and long-term basis, highlighting client value and priorities, and reducing vulnerability to “negative” emotions through mastery of skills and proactive coping.
DBT Skills Training for Clinicians
Purpose/Mission: Despite its large evidential base, flexible and overarching application, and backing by insurance companies, many clinicians express a lack of confidence or knowledge using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as a modality. This educational group intends to create a structured space to introduce clinicians to the background, principles, and skills encompassed in DBT. This knowledge base provides tangible skills to use as stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with more familiar modalities, shared language, and the ability to create culturally-responsive adaptations to best suit clients’ unique needs. Each session, clinicians will engage in education about modules in the DBT workbook and are encouraged to include their own clinical or personal examples while keeping confidentiality in mind. Members will also engage in intentional dialogue about how they can best apply skills and examples. This group takes an empowerment, anti-oppressive, and client-centered approach that will include discussions about cultural adaptations and considerations for treatment. A parallel group is provided for clients to introduce them to DBT skills and shared language that can be incorporated into individual treatment.
Session 1: Discuss group purpose, confidentiality, group norms, conflict resolution processes, and other topics to orient members to the group format. An introduction to the history of DBT, outline of modules, and cultural considerations will be provided.
Session 2: Centering members in the foundational principles of “dialectics” and Radical Acceptance. Inclusion of modules regarding core mindfulness skills and idea of “wise mind”.
Session 3: The Emotional Regulation module will improve clinician’s ability to provide psycho-education and validation of clients’ emotions. It covers the purpose of emotions, the cycle of experiencing/observing and expressing emotions, “checking the facts”, opposite action, and problem solving. Handouts with an emotional glossary are also provided to normalize and validate the wide variety of emotions and prompting events that clients may face.
Session 4: The Distress Tolerance module will re-introduce radical acceptance and the idea of “willfulness”. Clinicians will also be guided through ways and examples for creating crisis survival skills/kits with clients. This includes mindfulness, self-soothing, improving the moment, distraction, and specific somatic tools to reduce feelings of distress in the moment.
Session 5: The Interpersonal Effectiveness module will prompt discussion about clients’ priorities and goals in interpersonal conflict which supports the use of specific approaches to these conflicts. These skills include Objective Effectiveness (asserting rights and wishes), Relationship Effectiveness (maintaining positive relationships in a way that avoids further harm for self and others), and Self-Respect Effectiveness (asserting needs or boundaries in a way that maintains self-respect).
Session 6: Incorporates ideas throughout the course to support clients in the process of creating a life worth living. Skills include accumulating positive emotions and experiences on a short and long-term basis, highlighting values and priorities, and reducing vulnerability to “negative” emotions through mastery of skills and proactive coping.