Our Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills group is an evidence-based therapeutic modality that has been proven effective in managing intense emotions, reducing self-harming behaviors, and improving communication and relationships. We have been using DBT in our teen groups for several years, noticing many success stories in how teens approach their life, improve their world view and find safety in our group environment. While this focuses on building the skills specific to DBT: core mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance, it also provides effective ways for teens to identify their values, develop healthy communication patterns and boundaries within their relationships.
We meet weekly, in 16 week blocks, to help teens overcome the following challenges:
- Teens that have difficulty managing big emotions, and often have a difficult time recovering from intense emotions
- Teens that have a pattern struggling with anxiety or depression, including a confirmed diagnosis of anxiety, major depressive disorder or other mood disorders
- Has a difficult time identifying or sharing feelings. Your teen may shut down, avoid or isolate in an effort to escape the pain of discussing their experiences.
- May have thoughts about self-harm or self-destructive behaviors, including suicidal ideation
- Struggle with conflict at home or at school, including bullying, teasing and rejection, which may result in school refusal or isolation at home