Standard DBT consists of the following four components, listed below, and are necessary in order to be adherent to the model.

Adult DBT Program:

1. Weekly Individual DBT Therapy: DBT patients attend weekly 50-minute individual therapy sessions. In these meetings, patients identify goals, target specific behaviors to change, and keep a diary card for tracking emotions, behaviors, and skills.

2. DBT Skills Training Group: Patients attend a weekly 75-minute or 90-minute instructional group with up to six participants. DBT Skills Training Group focuses on helping patients acquire the coping skills they will need to solve their own problems and achieve their desired goals. The skills curriculum takes approximately six months to complete. Homework assignments are reviewed and skills that have been practiced during the previous week are discussed and reinforced.

The following four skills modules are covered:

Mindfulness: Skills to increase the capacity to pay attention, non-judgmentally, to the present moment. Strategies to slow down in order to be able to manage thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

Interpersonal Effectiveness: Skills to obtain ones own goals in interpersonal relationships while maintaining the relationship and increasing self-respect.

Emotion Regulation: Skills for understanding, experiencing, and managing emotions in an effective and non-harmful way.

Distress Tolerance: Skills for tolerating high levels of painful emotions and urges. Skills to get through crises and accept reality as it is without making things worse.

3. Telephone Coaching: DBT patients are encouraged to call for brief (five-minute) skills-oriented coaching when they are experiencing difficulty applying skills and prior to hurting themselves.

4. Consultation Team: Rachel Blogg maintains a DBT consultation team, DBT Center of Boca Raton, which provides support, consultation, and supervision for DBT clinicians. The team also collaborates closely with Psychiatrists and other professionals involved in patients' care.

Commitment:

To participate in Rachel Blogg's DBT programs, participants are asked to commit to:
- Weekly individual therapy sessions
- Weekly 70-90 minute DBT Skills Groups
- Participants are asked to commit to a 6-12 month treatment contract with an understanding that failure to attend sessions can be the basis for being discharged from the program

DBT Group Skills Participation Outside of the Full Program

Although a DBT skills group without the other components of the treatment has not been demonstrated to be as effective as full DBT, many people find it helpful in conjunction with their current therapy.

Required to join a DBT group:

Ongoing individual therapy

DBT group intake

A release of information for group leader and therapist to communicate

Finding a qualified DBT Therapist

Finding a therapist who has been properly trained and follows the model as developed by Marsha Linehan is very important. A list of trained therapists can be found at www.behavioraltech.org and a comprehensive DBT therapist will include the 4 components listed above. The following questions might help provide you insight about their qualifications. How many times a week do you see clients? How long is your group and is there a co-leader? Do you do diary cards? Do you provide phone coaching? Are you on a consultation team?

DBT Therapyn Boca Raton, FL

Standard DBT consists of the following four components, listed below, and are necessary in order to be adherent to the model.

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Adult DBT Program:

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