In addition to providing general therapy I am also available to provide specialized Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills training. Although initially created as a specific treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is now widely accepted as a beneficial treatment for numerous problems and conditions. In summary, DBT aims to help individuals change by teaching skills and concepts that will (1) decrease unwanted behaviors and patterns and (2) increase emotional stability and health. Skills are broken down into four treatment modules that provide in depth training in four critical areas:
- Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills. These skills aim to help you balance your wants, needs, and priorities with the wants, needs, and priorities of those around you. Skills included in this module revolve around increasing comfort with assertive communication; identifying and establishing healthy relationship boundaries, expectations, and patterns; and learning how to effectively manage relationship problems and difficulties before they become overwhelming.
- Distress Tolerance Skills. These skills aim to help you manage a crisis situation effectively and without resorting to a coping mechanism that creates other short-term or long-term problems for you, your health, or your relationships. Skills included in this module will revolve around helping you (1) manage and respond to overwhelming feelings, (2) decrease impulsive responses, and (3) increase your ability to plan and act effectively and appropriately when in crisis.
- Emotion Regulation Skills. These skills aim to help you decrease the frequency and intensity of overwhelming emotional experiences. Although positive and negative emotions are an inevitable part of life, skills taught in this module will help you manage your emotions by learning to understand them and respond to them in a way that decreases emotional distress and increases emotional health.
- Mindfulness Skills. These skills aim to help you develop a healthy relationship with your emotions and thought processes. Mindfulness skills help you understand yourself, your reactions, your urges and impulses, and help you respond in adaptive, thoughtful, effective, and pragmatic ways to yourself and others.
Determining whether or not DBT is appropriate for you will be a collaborative process involving an assessment of your needs, identification and clarification of your goals, and an examination of your present coping mechanisms and skills.
I offer DBT skills training in two formats, Individual and Group skills training. There are advantages and disadvantages of each format which I can review further with any individual considering engaging with the DBT skills training process.
Individual Skills Training
Individual skills training sessions are targeted, structured, and focused sessions that aim to help an individual learn the core DBT skills mentioned above. Sessions are typically weekly for 50 minutes and will include specific homework assignments for completion and review each week.
Group Skills Training
Group skills training sessions are structured, focused and targeted sessions that encourage learning the DBT skills both from the instructor and from other group members. Group members are expected to attend a weekly homework review session and a skills training session. I am not accepting new members to a DBT group at this time. If you are interested in DBT skills training, please contact me to learn more about individual skills training sessions.
Online Skills Information
While not the same as treatment, I have written up a series of summaries on basic DBT skills on my Instagram account: @CopingWithKate. This can be used to introduce skills and refresh skills from prior therapies.