DBT Groups
WMA provides DBT skills group* and DBT Consultation to therapists.
*We do NOT provide individual therapy
at this time.
Group participants must be actively participating in individual therapy with their therapist.
Please have your therapist complete the
"Therapist Referral to DBT Group" form below.
1
Learn Healthy Coping Skills
Unhealthy behaviors evolve as a way to cope with a situation or attempt to solve a problem. While these behaviors might provide temporary relief, they often are not effective in the long-term. DBT Skills groups help to enhance one’s coping capabilities.
2
Four (4) Skills Modules
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Mindfulness Skills: the practice of being fully aware and present in the moment
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Distress Tolerance: how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, and "letting it be"
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Interpersonal Effectiveness: how to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others
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Emotion Regulation: how to change emotions that you want to change
3
On-Line Groups
Our groups meet once a week for two hours via Zoom or in-person.
DBT is a skills/teaching group, not a process group.
First hour of group:
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Group leader will review DBT Diary Cards individually with each group member to give coaching, feedback, and observations about skills used in an effective way.
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Group members not only benefit from the individual coaching, but by being exposed to hearing how other group members are practicing skills.
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Second hour of group
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Group goes over one DBT skill
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Multiple handouts, homework sheets, experiential exercises, board work, and discussion are used as learning tools.
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Group members are asked to practice this one skill over the week and to give feedback the following week on how this skill worked for them and what challenges occurred.
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The size of each DBT group is limited to a maximum of seven members to ensure enough time for all members to participate.
All of the DBT skills build on each other. The group lasts a total of 6 months to finish all of the modules (Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance).
4
Two (2) Hour Groups
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skills training groups are an important part of DBT treatment. Some say the groups have the biggest impact on treatment (1).
Wise Mind Academy groups are all live, taught by intensively trained DBT therapists. Groups are interactive: you can ask questions, share your own experiences, and learn from your groupmates experiences. Groups are held on-line and/or in-person.
Each module is taught in 8 week sessions.
5
Commitment
Group members are asked to be able to commit to 6 months of the group therapy, which meets once a week, before joining the group.
However, research recommends at least a year of skills training for clients to be able to learn, practice, and apply new coping skills to replace their maladaptive coping mechanisms.
