Multifamily DBT Therapy for Adolescents

Our Adolescent DBT Program (ages 13-18)
The adolescent program is a researched adaptation of the Dialectic Behavior Therapy program developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph. D. Our program is designed to focus on adolescents who have difficulty managing their emotions. It is aimed at changing the typical behavior patterns of emotionally challenged adolescents such as suicidal ideation, self-injury and other self-destructive behaviors, defiance, and self-esteem issues. DBT works on the premise that clients are doing the best they can to cope and they are using coping skills that worked in the past but are no longer effective. DBT assumes that the adolescent wants to feel better and have a better quality of life. This combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy teaches the adolescent to control emotions by developing a sense of self-acceptance.

All of the normal modes of the therapy are required:
- Individual DBT Therapy (each adolescent must be engaged with a therapist who is part of a DBT Consultation Team.)
- Multi-Family Skills Training Group
- Telephone coaching to the client
- DBT Consultation to the therapist

The program is approximately 6 months long. Adolescents meet with their therapist once per week for an hour, as well as participate in a multifamily skills group with their parent(s)/caregiver(s) once per week for two hours. The multifamily skills group consists of 5 sets of behavioral skills. Parent(s)/Caregiver(s) are required to participate in the multi-family skills group with their teen.
- Core Mindfulness (this is a two-week unit, which is repeated at the beginning of each of the other 4 units.)
- Distress Tolerance Unit
- Emotion Regulation Unit
- Interpersonal Effectiveness Unit
- Walking the Middle Path Unit

Multi-Family Skills Group Options
Tuesdays from 5:00-7:00 pm (telehealth only)
Wednesdays from 3:00-5:00pm

Parent/Caregiver Requirement
Parents and family play an important role in helping clients change their behavioral patterns. We have discovered that the adolescents we work with have the best results and show improvement faster when their parents are as involved in the process as their child. Although your child’s behaviors are often what brought them into our program, the family system as a whole has been affected and may need to learn how to change certain things together in order for things to improve. We understand this is a big commitment for families but hope you will see it as an investment in your family’s future.

For more information on our Adolescent DBT Program and what Adolescent DBT is, please watch the video below: