DBT-A is based on the understanding that difficulty managing emotions can lead to impulsive actions, poor decision-making, and destructive behaviors. These behaviors may relieve distress in the short term but, in the long term, can be damaging to physical health, self-esteem, relationships, and overall quality of life.
DBT-A focuses on teaching a broad range of coping skills that replace familiar behaviors that negatively impact quality of life. With treatment, the teen gains a broader repertoire of tools to help cope when challenges arise.
Teaches clients to live ‘here and now’ and not stay in the past or worry about the future.
Teaches clients how to detect and reflect a person’s emotions without judgment and determine what role those emotions play in our bodies and minds.
Teaches clients how to tolerate strong emotions that usually send the person into a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts, often leading to destructive behaviors.
Teaches clients to ask for what they need from themselves and others while keeping calm if things don’t go as desired.
Addresses issues that arise within the family that can undermine treatment. It emphasizes dialectics, validation and behavior change, teaching caregivers and their adolescents the skills needed to decrease conflict.
*If the treatment has 1–3 of these components, it is considered DBT-informed.
The caregiver’s role
Caregivers will have their own separate skills training sessions. They will also be part of the teen’s individual therapy at times, or be included through additional family sessions. Therapists may provide phone text coaching to caregivers in addition to the adolescent. Caregiver involvement is important in determining the efficacy of the treatment.
Believing everything is great or everything is horrible, and “sticky” or inflexible thinking.
Hurting themselves or others, breaking objects or possessions, and making decisions quickly without thinking through the consequences.
Being highly sensitive to their own and others’ feelings, beating themselves up over small things, feeling emotions more strongly than siblings or friends, and having trouble moving on from negative feelings.
Parents and teachers sometimes say they have to “walk on eggshells” around these children to avoid explosions of feelings and behaviors. DBT-A addresses this through structured treatment that helps teens and their families increase flexible thinking and gain more control over big feelings and behaviors. It also helps teens learn how to make and keep appropriate friendships and relationships.
Monday, 4:00–5:30 PM
Wednesday, 4:45–6:15 PM
Therapist or prescriber referral required for Comprehensive DBT. All clients must be in weekly individual DBT therapy in addition to skills group if suicidal ideation or self-harm is present. $450 per 6-week module billed at $75 per week. A limited number of income based sliding-scale slots are available.
