Adolescent DBT works best when caregivers and youths learn skills together so that caregivers can help youths use their skills. Family members/caregivers who are willing to do so attend skills training alongside the youth to learn the following skills.
- Mindfulness Skills: We call these skills the core skills, because they help with all the other skills we learn and because they are very important. Mindfulness Skills will help you become more aware of what is going on inside and outside of yourself and will help you have better control over your mind and thoughts.
- Distress Tolerance Skills: Distress Tolerance skills will help you get through crisis skillfully without doing things that will make the situation worse. They will help you cope with the most difficult and intense emotions. They will teach you to take care of yourself when things get very difficult and will help reduce the suffering that often comes with crisis situations and intense distress
- Emotion Regulation Skills: This set of skills will help you understand your emotions better and notice them as they are happening. It will also help you change emotions that you no longer want to have and reduce how often you experience unpleasant emotions.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills: Often times, intense emotions make it difficult to get what you want when you interact with others. Not getting your needs met in interpersonal interactions can also cause intense emotions. That’s why we teach you specific skills to ask for what you want, say no to things you do not want, stand up for yourself and maintain your relationships while doing this.
- Walk the Middle Path: These skills will help you reach compromises and be able to better understand each other. These skills are unique to Adolescent DBT and tend to help families support each other better.
Family skills training in DBT is offered in a Multi Family Skills Group, attended by up to six families and their youths. Youths must attend individual therapy at least twice per month while they attend the group with their families.
Our multi-family skills training groups runs for 90-minutes every week, for 20 weeks
Families can join a group at the start of any module.
Next available start dates:
- Summer 2021
$200/session per family (one adolescent and one parent/guardian)
Please contact us for more information about Multi-Family Skills Training or to register for the group.
- Access to a computer with a microphone and camera connected to high-speed internet or a phone to call into the group session.
- Access to a private undisturbed space from which you can call into the group. We recommend that you use headphones to call into the group to ensure every group member’s privacy
- Access to any distress tolerance items you may require during the group session
- You will be required to sign our online group agreement prior to being provided with the information to join the group session