How can DBT help me?
Balancing Our Reason & Emotion Minds
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Every human experiences times where they have 'swung' and been stuck in either Reason or Emotion Mind. Some of us spend most all of our time in one of them, neglecting the other side. Because of this, we are always imbalanced and cannot find our 'wise' part where serenity is. We suffer the "weaknesses" associate with each dialectic and will eventually have to overcompensate by swinging into the other dialectic.
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) teaches us how to notice which dialectic we are currently in, what strengths and what weaknesses it has. It then gives us the skills and abilities to either soothe our Emotion mind to find calm, or tune into our emotions, values, wants, and needs out of Reason mind to find Wise Mind.
This brings balance in our lives, where we don't have to explode or blow up or have a melt down, and we also don't have to neglect our values, wants and needs.
DBT is the leading treatment for self-harm and suicide ideation, mood swings, intense irritability and rage, Bipolar disorder, PTSD, panic attacks and intense anxiety, intrusive worry, medication-resistant depression, and borderline personality disorder. These are the same evidence-based skills taught at residential treatment facilities, crisis centers, addiction recovery and behavioral hospitals.
DBT is very effective for the following treatment goals:
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Anxiety: learn how to relax and take it easy
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Anxiety: become calmer and more laid-back
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Anxiety: cope with my negative thoughts, ruminations, or guilt
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Anxiety: learn how to master anxiety or panic attacks
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Depression: find a way out of my negative mood, sadness, or sense of inner emptiness
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Depression: learn how to cope with my negative thoughts, ruminations, or sense of guilt
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Self-Harm: learned how to stop physically hurting or injuring myself
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Suicide: overcome my suicidal thoughts or regain the desire to live
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Emotion Regulation: learn how to cope with my mood or mood swings
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Emotion Regulation: learn how to deal with strong negative feelings (e.g., anger, rage)
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Emotion Regulation: learn how to cope with difficult situations without using drugs or alcohol
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Emotion Regulation: learn how to handle stressful situations better
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Relationship Skills: learn how to be more assertive with others and set appropriate boundaries
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Relationship Skills: figure out what my limits are and how to act accordingly
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Relationship Skills: clarify my needs and desires and learn how to express them more effectively
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Relationship Skills: allow myself to experience feelings and express them more effectively
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Relationship Skills: improve my relationship with my partner, spouse, or significant other
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Relationship Skills: learn how to be a better or more confident parent
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Relationship Skills: learn how to handle other people’s reactions to my actions or choices (criticism, rejection, praise, etc.)
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Relationship Skills: learn how to connect with other people (and how to maintain relationships)
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Relationship Skills: learn how to become more intimate with others and trust others
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Frequently Asked Questions about our DBT Skills Groups:
Question:
Answer:
How many groups are there?
Within the DBT curriculum, there are four 'modules' or units with a different focus.
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Module 1 is Mindfulness (i.e. self-awareness and self-calming).
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Module 2 is Distress Tolerance (i.e. how to calm down, manage and survive Crisis)
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Module 3 is Emotion Regulation (i.e. preventative skills and more self soothing)
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Module 4 is Interpersonal Effectiveness, (i.e. how do I do all of the above skills within the context of relationships and other people, and health relationship education)
In the Adult DBT skills groups, all participants are required to start in the first block (which focuses on Modules 1 & 2 and is held on Wednesdays from 6-7:20pm) before they can graduate to the second block (Modules 3 & 4, also held on Wednesdays from 7:30pm-8:50pm). Each block runs between *6-7 weekly sessions to learn and practice all the skills. (*this varies depending on the amount of people in the group, and individual needs)
The teen group isn't split into blocks, and instead runs through all four modules at the same time each week. It takes approximately 12-14 weeks to complete all curriculum.
Question:
Answer:
How much does it cost?
Do you take insurance?
Each group is $60. This includes all supplies, handouts, activities and other expenses. Currently, I do not accept insurance (I likely will be on insurance panels after credentialing is done starting December 2022-March 2023) but I do accept HSA payments, credit card, and ecclesiastical pay.
Until I am credentialed I can provide Insurance Reimbursement. I am able to send ‘superbills’ or give you receipts to send to your insurance to be billed as ‘out-of-network’ so that you can work with your insurance to be reimbursed.
This is approximately 1/3 the cost of individual therapy (and muuuuuuch less expensive than residential treatment, the ER, a crisis center, or psychiatric inpatient). Research also shows that learning these skills in a group setting is more effective and less time-consuming than learning them within an individual therapy setting.
Answer:
Question:
Is this group therapy?
Or a support group?
This is a psychoeducation, *experiential group—not a therapy, support or ‘processing’ group (such as Alcoholics Anonymous, or NAMI support groups for example). Therefore, there will be limited self-disclosure, and instead the groups focus on learning and practicing skills, art and sensory activities, self-discovery, practicing interpersonal skills with peers, roleplaying (if you are comfortable), and experiencing calming and grounding techniques, crisis skills, coping skills and mindfulness experiences.
*Traditional DBT is much more lecture-based; I have adapted the same curriculum to an experiential and hands-on format that has proven to be very effective for my group members
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Answer:
When do groups start? When can I enroll?
Groups are running continuously all year long. The only time is if there aren't enough people registered or enrolled to keep having group (we need at least 2 people at each time). Groups are open enrollment which means you can join at anytime.
However, once you register, you are committed to attend all the groups in the first block (adults), or all 12-14 groups (teens). No matter where we are in the curriculum or the module (or section of the curriculum) you are welcome to join and you will eventually learn all the skills taught.
For example, let's say the group is currently learning the curriculum in the second module, which is week #5 or the fifth group your peers have attended. You join and start attending that week; the peers in your group that day may have started on week #1 of the curriculum, so they will end the group at the end of the curriculum, but you will keep attending as the curriculum starts over until you have learned/attended weeks 1-4 (which you missed originally). This way everyone doesn't have to start at the same time but will always get all the curriculum and learn all of the skills.
I do have quite a few clients who are just constantly attending the group to keep the skills fresh on their minds.
Question:
What if I am sick or out of town? Will I be charged?
Answer:
If you RSVP at least 24 hours in advance (email: jessica@balancedserenitytherapy.com, or admin@balancedserenitytherapy.com) you will not be charged. While you are registered for all the curriculum, you will not be charged for the groups you miss if there is at least 24 hours in advance notice.
All other absences will be charged a no-show/late-cancellation fee which is $60- the price of the group you would have attended.
Answer:
Question:
Can I attend just one group to try it out?
Yes, with prior approval and permission (email: jessica@balancedserenitytherapy.com, or admin@balancedserenitytherapy.com). You will still pay for that one 'trial' group ($60), but until you inform us whether you want to keep participating we will not register you for the full curriculum.
Question:
Can I attend via telehealth? Or is it only in-person?
Answer:
Currently, it is required to attend the experiential groups in-person due to the fact that most of the experiential activities can only be done 'in-person.' If you are sick or ill, we can make an exception for those times to attend via google-meets with a link. However, it should be very occasionally, and your participation will not be as enriched as it would be if you were there in-person. If you are interested in a more lecture-based and anonymous, online option, the online adult 'lunch-hour' group would be a good fit for you. See the differences between these groups below:
Answer:
Question:
What is the difference between the in-person experiential DBT Group and the Online Group?
This is what each group looks like and the differences between them:
Experiential, Adult In-Person DBT Skills Group:
This group focuses on learning the DBT skills through minimal lecture, preferring interactive, and experiential ways to practice, learn and experience each DBT skill. This is effective for those who struggle with a 'PowerPoint', worksheet, and lecture-based learning. This is very effective for those that find fulfillment with developing friendships, connections and confidential support with those around them that are needing and learning the skills just like them (while still not being a 'support group' or 'personal sharing' group like Alcoholics Anonymous, for example).
Online, Anonymous Adult DBT Skills Group:
This group takes place over a HIPAA-Compliant Google Meets platform each week during the 'lunch hour.' All participants prepare worksheets so that they can follow along the lecture-based group; there is minimal participation and interaction, but all of those are facilitated via PollEv, which is a platform the clients can type or text in responses anonymously. I will read the responses to help facilitate a discussion when necessary. This group is great for clients who prefer to not have in-person interaction, have a hard time scheduling to attend group in-person (due to work, kids, school etc.) and prefer to be anonymous. *Although this group meets online, you must still physically reside or live in the state of Utah to attend this group.
Answer:
Question:
Why do I have to learn DBT in a group instead of individual therapy?
Research shows that learning these skills in a group setting is more effective and less time-consuming than learning them within an individual therapy setting. In my own experience, when I have taught DBT skills to client within individual sessions, it is very hard to actually learn all the curriculum. Often we get distracted on tangents, family history or the current drama happening. I will still teach skills within individual sessions but I still prefer to do it in a group setting.
Thus, learning the skills within a skills group minimizes the time spent on other things and focuses on actually learning the skills. Plus, it lets me teach the skills in a fun, interactive, creative, experiential way that I often cannot do within individual sessions.