During individual DBT therapy sessions, the therapist pays close attention to client behaviors looking for motivational concerns, including personal and environmental factors that inhibit effective behaviors (the things clients want to do more) and that elicit and reinforce maladaptive behaviors (the things clients want to do less). Then, the individual therapist is responsible for helping the client inhibit maladaptive behaviors and replace them with adaptive, skillful responses. Specifically, the therapist will utilize diary cards to help individuals track and report their behaviors between sessions. The goal is to begin recognizing the maladaptive behaviors and replacing them with one of the four modules developed through DBT. DBT modules are simply strategies you can use to navigate difficult situations. The four DBT modules are mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Radically Open DBT is a form of therapy that utilizes the approaches and methods developed in DBT to specifically target over-controlling behaviors. In order to help individuals achieve greater emotional well-being, RO DBT seeks to increase openness, flexibility, and social-connectedness.

The practice involves looking at where an individual is and helping them to feel open to doing the opposite of what they would naturally be included to do. For individuals who struggle with control, radical openness can help them release some of the rigidness and inflexibility in order to experience more authentic emotional response and connection with other people.

It can be difficult to recognize over-control as a problem. Self-control is often considered a positive because it shows that a person is able to carefully control their emotions and behaviors in order to ensure their safety, delay gratification, or achieve some other goal. People with high levels of self-control are often strivers who work toward achieving great things. Unfortunately, over-control can make it difficult to adapt and develop resilience to life changes, and excessive self-control may inhibit the development of healthy interpersonal relationships. RO DBT helps individuals struggling with over-control to increase emotional wellbeing, improve their relationships, and change damaging behaviors. Like other forms of DBT, RO DBT may involve a combination of individual and group therapy sessions where you will learn and practice new skills with “homework” assignments where you apply your new skills in the outside world.

Skills Training Groups is a weekly 90-minute group that feels more like a class. DBT has four modules that are explored in order to help individuals achieve their goals. By developing skills within each of these four modules, people often experience success in making positive changes. While it’s easy to consider each of these modules individually, they should actually all work together to help individuals make complex changes to the ways they approach the outside world and handle internal turmoil.

Mindfulness—is the core of DBT, and it teaches individuals how to increase awareness and live in the present moment without judgement.

Distress Tolerance—this module of DBT explores how to tolerate painful experiences and stressors outside of your control while avoiding panic attacks and not making a crisis more difficult or less safe.

Emotion Regulation—similar to distress tolerance but focused inward, emotional regulation is all about how to control overwhelming intense emotions, so individuals have command and peace in even the most difficult situations.

Interpersonal Effectiveness—the final module of DBT explores how to effectively communicate with others and set appropriate and healthy boundaries.

We currently offer virtual as well as in-person group options.

Adult DBT Skills Group Schedule: Virtual Tuesday Group at 12pm and In-Person Wednesday Group at 5pm.

If you are a Provider curious about what it's like to refer your individual client into our DBT Adult Skills Groups, please read the following:

Clients that are struggling with suicidal ideations or behaviors, self-harm, impulsive behaviors, emotion/cognitive dysregulation and interpersonal issues may be a good fit for Adult DBT Skills Group.

Clients may continue to see you for individual therapy while seeing us for Adult DBT Skills Group. We will ask you to complete a provider agreement form prior to the client starting DBT Skills Group. This form will make both our roles clear moving forward. It also makes it clear what will happen if the client finds themself in a crisis situation.

Group leaders will be in contact with you if there are any concerns in their presentation or attendance. We have a four miss rule!

We ask that clients have their individual sessions no less than twice per month.

When it comes to making real change, many receive effective support through individual and/or group therapy sessions, and they’re easily able to apply these knew skills and strategies to daily life. For others, it takes time, and maybe some help understanding how to apply learned strategies and skills to your life outside the therapy practice. Comprehensive dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) incorporates a full range of therapy solutions, including phone coaching to help clients generalize new skills and strategies to be applicable to daily life.

The skills you discuss and ideas you explore in individual and group therapy sessions seem simple during your session. Then, you have to go back to your life, and it’s not always clear how to apply what you’ve learned during DBT sessions. Phone coaching is ideal when a crisis situation arises, you feel urges to self-harm, you engage in impulsive behaviors, or you’re in conflict with other people. Your therapist can help you work through the situation safely and effectively, applying your new knowledge as you move through your daily routines. On the phone, your therapist will discuss the situation, provide support, and help you find the right solution. You should expect these calls to last for about ten minutes.