DBT multi-family skills group

The group teaches teens and their parent(s) the following DBT skill modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and walking the middle path. It has a class-like format with handouts, take-home exercises, and experiential activities, but there is no expectation that group members share information that is uncomfortable. Research has shown that caregivers' involvement makes treatment more effective because caregivers learn to serve as coaches for their children and benefit from learning the skills themselves. Teens must have an individual DBT therapist at the Center for CBT or be a program-approved outside DBT provider.