DBT Skills Group: What Is It?
What is a DBT Skills Group and Is It for Me?
A DBT skills group will help you be more mindful, increase your ability to handle distressing situations, allow you to gain a deeper understanding into your emotions, while learning to regulate your emotions more effectively and give you the space to build better interpersonal skills to serve yourself and your relationships with others. By joining a DBT skills group, you will not only learn these life changing skills but you will find and be connected to your most authentic Self.
About Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Are you experiencing borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviors, mood disorders and/or PTSD symptoms? Are you struggling to regulate your emotions or communicate effectively? Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) can help for any one of these conditions or symptoms, as this therapeutic approach offers techniques that enable effective living for almost anyone.
DBT is a modified type of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) that can treat a broad range of complicated symptoms and concerns. DBT works to address people’s ideas about themselves, emotional pain and how they handle the world around them. The modules that are taught allow people to learn effective ways to navigate painful thoughts and feelings so that they can find healthier ways of coping with life. In doing so, not only will you be connected to your authentic Self, but you will increase your sense of awareness and build a life you feel is worth living.
The goals of DBT are to successfully teach participants the four therapy modules which include:
Core Mindfulness: How to live in the moment and pay attention to what is happening within you as well as what is happening around you in through a nonjudgmental lens; Mindfulness is about slowing down and focusing on using healthier coping skills
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Learning to become more assertive in relationships, saying no, actively listening, communicating more effectively and respecting yourself and others
Emotion Regulation: Navigating powerful emotions in a more effective manner by learning how to identify, name and change your emotions
Distress Tolerance: Managing emotional distress by learning how to cope through an emotional situation without making it worse
What is a DBT Skills Group?
Are you thinking about joining a DBT group? Maybe your therapist suggested you check out what this type of group has to offer. Or, maybe you are just curious about the benefits of DBT? Let’s dive into what happens in a DBT skills group and how it is different from other therapy groups.
A DBT skills group is based on the key components of DBT, which include Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness. The group setting offers the opportunity to learn, understand and practice the skills in a safe and structured environment with other people which ultimately allows you to build your tool box of new skills so you can build the life that you want.
It is important to note that DBT groups are more like a class, rather than a support or process group. While you will get plenty of support and encouragement while learning the new skills, the focus of the group is not support nor is the group time spent processing feelings between group members. Joining a DBT group is like taking a class, without the added pressure of tests or grades! The purpose is to learn new skills and help you make positive changes toward your goals. Through the use of handouts, worksheets, exercises, discussions and homework group members are able to learn which each skill has to offer and how these skills can be implemented into their everyday life to create a life worth living.
How It Works
In this 16-week intimate and intensive skills group you learn to be more mindful and connected to the present moment, increase your ability to manage emotional distress, regulate emotions and build effective communication patterns to strengthen interpersonal relationships. But, you might be wondering, how does this actually happen? How does it work? How do I learn all of these skills? Well, here is the low down…every group begins with a mindfulness practice, followed by reviewing homework and finishing up with learning a new skill for that week.
Mindfulness Practice: Each group will begin with a mindfulness practice, as mindfulness is the foundation of DBT, it is pivotal that mindfulness is practiced every week! The type of mindfulness practice will vary from week to week and will teach you different ways to connect to the present moment. Even if you have done mindfulness practices before…you will learn DBT’s approach to mindfulness!
Homework Review: Following the mindfulness practice, comes the homework review. I know the term homework is anxiety inducing because it brings up negative thoughts associated with school…but don't worry, DBT homework is not graded. It is simply a therapeutic and simple way for you to practice the skill discussed in group the previous week and to give feedback the following week about how the skill worked for you, did not work for you and/or any challenges that you experienced.
Learning a New Skill: The last portion of the group is dedicated to learning about a new skill. Depending on what week of the DBT skills group we are in, will depend on the skill that we are learning!
Joining a DBT group is no joke! It truly does require a significant commitment of time and effort. Not only are you committing to 16 weeks of an hour and a half in a group, but you are committing to actively listening, participating, practicing skills and completing homework. So, it is a lot to ask! However, if you truly put in the effort, participate and immerse yourself in the DBT world, you truly can make life lasting changes to live your most authentic life.