Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Group (DBT)

Dialectical behaviour therapy which is commonly referred to as DBT is a model of therapy that combines cognitive behavioural techniques with acceptance and mindfulness awareness.

The DBT group at the Mindfulness Clinic runs once a week for 20 weeks.  Each week group members meet for 2 hours to learn practical skills that can help you enhance your quality of life. Each class has two facilitators and we limit the class size to 12 people, so you can get the personal attention you need.

In terms of the benefits of the program, people who complete the DBT group notice that they are more aware of their feelings, they have less intense reactions to other people and situations and when they do have intense reactions they are better able to take care of themselves. They are also better able to communicate their needs and feelings to others. Some other possible benefits are – reduction in suicidal thoughts, hopelessness, anger and hostility, fewer hospitalizations, reduction in substance use, and increased overall functioning.

In this group you will learn five important skills – mindfulness, distress tolerance, dialectics, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.

Mindfulness skills are considered foundational in DBT and will help you with the other skills taught in the course. The mindfulness skills in DBT will help you control your attention while accepting and building tolerance to strong emotions. This leads to an increased capacity to respond rather than react in given situations.

The distress tolerance skills taught in the course will help you learn to manage emotional pain and distress better. As much as we would like to, we cannot completely protect ourselves from pain in life however, we can learn to improve our ability to cope with it. In this module, you will learn strategies for self-soothing and distraction, to get through crises without making things worse.

In the dialectics module you will learn skills to find a more balanced perspective – or walk the middle path as is often said in DBT.  Skills covered in this part of the course involve validating yourself and others and reducing black and white thinking.

You will also learn emotion regulation skills.    When we are able to regulate our emotions, we tend to be more effective and tend to make greater gains towards personal goals. In this part of the course, you will learn to better understand your emotions, shift your emotional state when it may be in your best interest to do so and build self-mastery.

Finally you will learn interpersonal effectiveness skills. You will learn assertiveness skills and strategies for asking for what you need, saying “no”, and dealing with interpersonal conflicts. Honing these skills can help you improve relationships while preserving self-respect.

If you are interested in DBT or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us 416-847-7118 or email info@themindfulnessclinic.ca.