DBT Skills Training is not group therapy. Processing of important client issues are reserved for individual counseling. The skills group focuses on teaching DBT skills with homework given and participants practicing each skill between sessions. Homework review with each client sharing his or her experience utilizing the skill is done at the beginning of each session followed by discussion and teaching of the next skill. It is a requirement in our DBT Skills Training group that each participant have an individual counseling session each week at Full Life or another location. DBT Skills Training group is open to all clients.

Groups:

Daytime DBT: Tues 12-1:30pm

Evening DBT: Thurs 6-7:30pm

DBT creates an effective environment for the client to learn and practice skills. The primary skills addressed are:

• Mindfulness: Being completely aware and engaged in the present moment. People with mental health or substance use issues often spend increased time distracting themselves, thinking about the past, or worrying about the future. Mindfulness is the practice of being fully immersed in the here and now, with kindness and curiosity towards your current experience.
• Distress tolerance: When people experience distress, there is an urge to reduce or change it immediately. Using a substance during periods of stress is an example of an unhealthy way to manage distress. Distress tolerance teaches how to accept and tolerate distress rather than escape from it.
• Interpersonal effectiveness: When communication and conflict resolution skills are lacking, problems increase. DBT teaches people to learn how to have happier, more fulfilling relationships through effective interactions with others.
• Emotional regulation: Distress tolerance moves towards acceptance while emotional regulation works to identify unwanted feelings and find ways to change them.