Groups
Group therapy is a great way to address specific concerns, learn skills, and feel supported by others who have experienced similar issues in their own lives. Although many people initially think that group therapy sounds intimidating, most group members are pleasantly surprised by how much they benefit from it. If you are interested in a group not listed here, please contact me with your request. We are starting new groups on a regular basis. Some of our current offerings are:
Veterans
Support and therapy groups for Veterans are designed for adult males and females who may be experiencing intense emotions and distress. This is a trauma focused, DBT based program. Elements of DBT (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness) as well as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Veterans will be covered in this group. Please contact me to express your interest in this group.
Families of Veterans Support Group
This is a support group for those who care for Veterans. The group is for male and female adults. This group is designed as a support group but will include elements of mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness. Please contact me to express your interest in this group.
Ending Emotional Eating
This is not a diet or weight loss group. You have probably already learned how and what to eat. This group is for individuals who have the education, but struggle with putting it in to practice. Based on the principles of Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this 7-week program addresses stress eating, emotional eating (both positive and negative), and using food for comfort. You will learn to set new, more realistic goals and reduce destructive habits which may ultimately lead to improved quality of life. Please contact me to express your interest in this group.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a cognitive behavioral treatment that was originally developed to treat chronically suicidal individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is now recognized as the gold standard psychological treatment for this population. In addition, research has shown that it is effective in treating a wide range of other disorders such as substance dependence, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.
DBT skills training group is focused on enhancing clients’ capabilities by teaching them behavioral skills. The group is run like a class where the group leader teaches the skills and assigns homework for clients to practice using the skills in their everyday lives. Groups meet on a weekly basis for approximately 1.5 hours and it takes approximately 16 weeks to get through the full skills curriculum.
Individuals participating in group should be seen at least one time per month for individual therapy, but may be seen more frequently depending on the individual’s needs. DBT individual therapy is focused on enhancing client motivation and helping clients to apply the skills to specific challenges and events in their lives.
What skills are taught in DBT?
DBT includes four sets of behavioral skills.
- Mindfulness: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment
- Distress Tolerance: how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it
- Interpersonal Effectiveness: how to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others
- Emotion Regulation: how to change emotions that you want to change
There is increasing evidence that DBT skills training alone is a promising intervention for a wide variety of both clinical and nonclinical populations and across settings.
What does “dialectical” mean?
The term “dialectical” means a synthesis or integration of opposites. The primary dialectic within DBT is between the seemingly opposite strategies of acceptance and change. For example, DBT therapists accept clients as they are while also acknowledging that they need to change in order to reach their goals. In addition, all of the skills and strategies taught in DBT are balanced in terms of acceptance and change. For example, the four skills modules include two sets of acceptance-oriented skills (mindfulness and distress tolerance) and two sets of change-oriented skills (emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness).
For more information about DBT programs, please visit the DBT connection page here.