What does DBT stand for?
DBT stands for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, which is a specific type of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. DBT involves 4 modules of skills training; Core Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance.
Who would benefit from DBT?
DBT is great therapy for a wide range of people, including people with diagnosable conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and personality disorder. It isn’t necessary to have a diagnosable mental health condition to benefit from attending the DBT Skills group at Vivamus. If you have difficulties in regulating emotion, relationships with others, or tolerating distress, you can learn skills to help better manage these areas of your life.
How does DBT differ from a support group?
The DBT group focusses on skills training giving people access to real life skills to help stay in the present, tolerate distress, regulate emotions and improve relationships. Whilst there is this focus on skills training, participants often report a supportive element to the DBT group through sharing experiences and relating to others in the group. One of the common things I hear in individual sessions is, “I know now that I am not alone in this struggle”.
How to the skills apply to real life?
DBT teaches a range of skills applicable to a wide variety of people. Core Mindfulness teaches us to stay in the present, which reduces vulnerability to anxiety (worry about the future) and depression (sadness about the past). Emotion Regulation teaches us to manage our emotions. This isn’t to avoid negative emotions but to be able to accept and tolerate even painful emotions, while turning the mind to focus on positive emotions. Interpersonal Effectiveness teaches us to create balance in our lives through attending to relationships and being able to ask for things and say no to others. Distress Tolerance teaches us to manage crises – when you have a problem you cannot solve right away you need skills to survive it.
What about confidentiality?
Confidentiality in a group session is such an important topic and an essential part of group therapy is being able to provide a safe and trusted space for all attendees. In our DBT skills group all participants need to sign a therapy agreement which includes a confidentiality clause. Members of the group are not allowed to talk to anyone outside of the group about any identifying information of group members. Confidentiality has always been respected and strictly adhered to in all of the groups.
Why do I need an assessment before starting the group?
An assessment for DBT group therapy is essential for a number of reasons:
- To ensure that this therapeutic approach is appropriate for you
- To build a relationship with the group facilitator
- To gain commitment to attend all sessions – this is so important as attendance and engagement affects others’ experience of the group.
- To provide orientation to DBT.
How has the transition to conducting the DBT group online been?
The DBT Skills group has transitioned really well to online. Group members are engaging equally well with the group online compared to face to face and participants have reported they have found it to be just as useful, where face-to-face or online. In fact, attending the group online has carried some additional benefits to face-to-face such as, attendance rates have increased as people have the flexibility to attend from any confidential space.
Where can I find out more information?
You can read more about DBT here. For more information about the group or to register, please email hello@vivamus.me, or you can call or WhatsApp us on 0585064243.
Dr. Rebecca Ferguson, Forensic Psychologist, Vivamus.