What are the DBT skills? 

Research has shown that having specific names of effective skills to use during difficult times helps you reduce emotional suffering and to change ineffective thoughts, habits, and interpersonal patterns.  The skills take six months to complete and includes 24 group sessions.  Many people to take the skills training twice, a year long commitment. 

Four groups of skills in DBT skills training include

• Mindfulness is behavioral and cognitive practice taken out of the Zen-Buddhism tradition aimed at reducing suffering and increasing happiness, increasing self-control, and enhancing awareness in the moment.  Mindfulness is taught at the beginning of each module. 

• Distress Tolerance helps you get through intense emotion, crisis situations, and accept long term life circumstances we cannot change.

• Emotion Regulation helps you understand and change emotions.

• Interpersonal Effectiveness enhances effective communication and building relationships you want.

• A fifth set of Middle Path skills is included only in our Adolescent program involving parenting navigating relationships effectively in families.  The Middle Path Skills are integrated into the other modules.