DBT Groups
WMA provides DBT skills group* and DBT Consultation to therapists.
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*We do NOT provide individual therapy
at this time.
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Group participants must be actively participating in individual therapy with their therapist.
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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
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Our groups meet once a week for two hours via Zoom or in-person.
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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.
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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).
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​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.
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​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.
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​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.
