What is DBT group therapy?
Behavioral skills group therapy allows you to learn important skills that help you accept yourself and your difficulties (mindfulness skills), learn to better regulate and cope with your emotions (emotion regulation skills), learn how to better cope with interpersonal situations (interpersonal effectiveness skills) and learn to tolerate emotional distress (distress tolerance skills). The group is offered once a week and lasts one and a half hours. We believe that participating in all four behavioral skills teaching modules is optimal. However you may also choose, with the help of your therapist, to participate in the modules of your choice. Here is a brief description of each module:
- The emotion regulation module will help you cope with your emotions in a more adaptive way (for example, by reacting less impulsively, feeling less overwhelmed or by reaching a calmer state more quickly) and tolerate emotions when you may not be able to change them or reduce their intensity.
- The mindfulness module will help you to be mindful in the present moment. This will allow you to reduce difficult emotions which are related to on the past or planning for the future. Living in the present moment can also help you be more conscious of yourself. In other words, it can help you be more conscious of the impact your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors at any given moment. Therefore, this skill gives you the power to do things differently.
- The distress tolerance module will help you cope with crisis situations in an adaptive and healthy way, rather than turning to maladaptive strategies (for example, by acting impulsively, by self-harming, by spending, by getting angry with others, by consuming large quantities of food or by turning to substance abuse), which have long term negative consequences.
- The interpersonal effectiveness module will help you maintain and improve your relationships by learning to assert yourself in a positive way by finding a balance between meeting others’ needs and respecting and taking care of yourself.
