DBT Skills Group
Do you tend to feel emotions more intensely than others or are your emotions getting in the way of your relationships, self-esteem, or your quality of life? If so, then a DBT skills group may be right for you.
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) Skills Groups teach participants the skills of Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Interpersonal Effectiveness, each in 6 week, 105 minute sessions. The groups are structured more like a class rather than a process group or support group. Each class begins with a Mindfulness exercise intended to calm the mind and body and to allow participants to settle into the present moment. After our mindfulness exercise group members discuss how effective or difficult it was for them to apply the DBT skill from the previous week's class to their relationships and daily lives. Clients can participate as much or as little as they want with more enhanced learning coming from more active participation. Following this part of the class, a new skill is taught and questions are answered.
In these groups/classes participants will learn to become more aware of their thoughts and emotions and how they are impacting their relationships and behavior choices. Additionally, we work on letting go of judgment of oneself and others while learning how to accept and cope with life's challenges rather than resisting or avoiding them. When we learn how to balance our emotions and reactions to them, tolerate or cope with difficult and distressing situations, and become more effective in our interpersonal skills we tend to feel calmer, more confident, and have richer relationships and life experiences. Class modules run consecutively, often with a one week break in between. Participants may start the program with any module and are not required to take all the modules, yet it is highly recommended.
Additionally, if you are working with another therapist for individual work and he or she has recommended DBT Skills group you may continue working with that therapist and I'd be happy to coordinate with him or her as your DBT facilitator. You may also choose to work with me on a individual basis if that fits your needs.
Classes are held on Tuesday nights from 6:00 - 7:45pm.
** Classes have resumed in person (subject to change based on CDC requirements at which time classes will resume on Zoom)
Each module/class runs for 6 weeks with a maximum size of 10 participants (There are 4 modules in a DBT program)
$300 for six, 105 minute classes ($50/week) plus $10 supply fee (when in person)
* Please feel free to contact me with questions to see if this group is a good fit for you or to find out when the next group begins
* I have been running DBT groups since 2012 and spent 1 year in an intensive DBT training program.
Who Can Benefit from these Classes?
Anyone who struggles with the following:
Identifying/Labeling emotions
Regulating their emotions
Accepting difficult realities
Not having a clear sense of self
Has difficulty forming and keeping relationships
Engages in impulsive behaviors
Engages in suicidal thoughts/self-harming behavior
Has tendencies to avoid others and situations
Engages in unhelpful or ineffective behaviors
Engages in ineffective problem-solving
Mindfulness Class Objectives
Includes mindful meditation at the start of every class.
Learn how to be in and stay in the present moment. Stop ruminating about the past or fortune telling about the future.
Learn to increase awareness of your mind, body, and surroundings by utilizing OBSERVE & DESCRIBE skills.
Learn how to find your WISE MIND and keep EMOTION mind and REASONABLE mind in balance.
Learn to turn willful behavior into willing behavior.
Learn how to be intentional with your attention and to strengthen the ATTENTION muscle to increase focus.
Learn how to self-validate and to validate others.
Learn about dialectics - letting go of black and white or all or nothing thinking. Find the "middle path" with your thoughts and feelings. .
Includes workbook, review of skills from previous week through group discussion, & new skill development.
Enjoy the benefits of being in a small group environment.
Emotion Regulation Class Objectives
Includes mindful meditation at the start of every class.
Begin to learn mindfulness skills or strengthen your current mindfulness practice
Learn to experience emotions without judging or blocking them
Learn to identify obstacles to changing emotions
Learn to become less emotionally reactive
Learn how to experience more positive emotions
Learn how to take action even when your emotions are fighting you
Learn how to tolerate negative emotions
Includes workbook, review of skills from previous week through group discussion, & new skill development.
Interpersonal Effectiveness Class Objectives
Includes mindful meditation at the start of every class.
Learn how to be more skillful in asking others for help
Learn how to say “no” when needed
Learn how to get your opinions taken more seriously
Learn how to strengthen your current relationships & how to build new ones
Learn how to increase your self-respect & find more balance in your relationships
Includes workbook, review of skills from previous week through group discussion, & new skill development.
Distress Tolerance/Coping Skills Class Objectives
Includes mindful meditation at the start of every class.
Learn skills to help cope with immediate crisis situations/stressors without making things worse
Learn how to stop acting in Emotion Mind
Learn how to accept reality when you are unable to change it and it is not what you want it to be
Learn ways to manage intense emotions
Includes workbook, review of skills from previous week through group discussion, & new skill development.
Feedback from past DBT participants
"I feel like a different person since I began the first class. These classes helped me to have more peace in my life and has changed my life for the better."
"The classes have increased my awareness and taught me skills to handle difficult emotions and to choose responses that are more in line with the person I want to be."
"The classes have helped me to have more positive relationships with my family and friends."
"Amy is friendly, personable, funny. She has confidence and knowledge and cares about the people in her classes. She is willing to share her own personal journey and how the skills help her in real life situations."
The Mindfulness theme that runs throughout all of the classes has made me more aware of how much time I spend stuck in my thoughts as opposed to really living in the present."
"Amy is a fantastic facilitator. Her style of teaching, kindness, and ability to keep the group on task is invaluable."
"The classes allow us to go over real life issues and to support one another and to get support from other classmates."
"The classes teach key life skills that we all need."