DBT Groups
Location
Our Tuesday teen group is now being held in person at our Sherman Oaks location. Thursday Teen group is online. All adult groups are being held online on a Zoom platform.
We are located at 15233 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks at Sepulveda and Ventura Blvd. near the 405 and 101 Freeways.
Parking available in lot directly next to building. There is also metered street parking.
The DBT Skills Groups are run by two experienced therapists and cover four training modules: Core Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. Each module is designed to help you gain a better sense of emotional control and tolerate the moment by being more mindful of the present. DBT Skills Group is NOT a process group, it is more like a class. Participating in the group requires completing a daily diary card as well as other homework outside of group. It requires adopting a general willingness to make healthy but difficult changes in your life. The group is conducted in an extremely supportive and nonjudgmental space. During the group participants may be asked to share relevant experiences from their week for the purpose of exploring which skills were used or not used. During the second half of the group, a new skill is taught using didactic techniques, role plays and discussions. In general, clients are discouraged from discussing details about suicidal or self-harming behavior in the group as it may be triggering to others. These behaviors are to be discussed in individual therapy. Participating in the group requires a 14 month commitment as it takes about 7 months to complete one round of skills; it is highly suggested that clients stay for 2 rounds of skills in order to fully absorb and apply the skills in their lives. Teens are required to make a minimum 6 month commitment.
The DBT teen group will require at least a 6-7 month commitment, or one round of skills, though 2 rounds is always more effective. All teens must have a therapist to participate in the teen skills group.
For those teens enrolled in our comprehensive program, parents must also participate in their own skills training once a week. This is usually done in a private session with one of our therapists.
Clients are required to complete an individual screening before being placed in a group. In most cases, clients are able to come into group immediately after an assessment as long as they are already engaged in weekly therapy. Clients must provide 2 week's notice to end participation in the groups. Make up groups are allowed if you plan to be absent from group and you give advanced notice.
Intake/Assessment is $200. Groups are $100 per group. Clients must provide 2 week's notice to end participation in the groups. Make up groups are allowed with 48 hours notice of missing group. DBT Groups are not available through insurance, though superbills are provided monthly.
If you are someone who is highly sensitive and struggles with emotion regulation, this group might be a good fit. Also, if you have frequent interpersonal conflicts or simply want to be better at managing your relationships, DBT would be very helpful. You do not have to have a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) to participate in the group; in fact, DBT can be an amazing resource for any individual. DBT helps improve your ability to ask for what you need and create better boundaries with others by learning to say no – all with the right degree of intensity. DBT helps to decrease excessive worries and anxieties that lead to decreased self-esteem and self-harming thoughts and behaviors. DBT will teach you to find the right balance between tolerating emotions vs. learning to distract from them, change them or reduce their intensity. The overall goal of the group is to have a life worth living.The DBT Skills Group meets the requirements of a comprehensive and adherent DBT Program. Participating in a comprehensive DBT program not only requires clients to attend both weekly individual and group therapy but also requires individual therapists to provide phone coaching and participate in a DBT team. If your therapist is not on a DBT team or is not provided phone coaching, you may still participate in the group but you are not participating in DBT. All participants will be assessed to determine appropriateness and be placed in one of our five groups. Throughout the course of your participating in the group, consultation with your therapist is provided for continuity of care.
Clients will receive weekly handouts as well as email reminders and updates. Consultation and collaboration with the client’s individual therapist is also provided. Class size is kept to a maximum of 10 people per group. The DBT Skills Group is a big commitment. In order to be in a group:
- Clients must be willing to work hard and participate fully.
- Clients must participate in weekly individual therapy. (Therapist does not need to be a DBT therapist and does not have to be a therapist with SFVDBT as long as the client meets criteria for this lower level of care.)
- Clients must be willing to complete weekly homework assignments.
- For teen group, parents must be willing to attend group 1 x per month for family group.
- Clients are strongly encouraged to commit to completing two cycles of skills modules (approximately 14 months). For teen group, commitment is 7 mo.
- Before joining the group we ask clients to identify their overall “life worth living” goals: what would make their lives better and their over all long term goals. Client will also identify their “target behaviors,” or what behaviors they want to decrease. These are the behaviors that may be interfering being effective at achieving a life worth living. This may include self-harming behaviors, therapy interfering behaviors or behaviors that get in the way of having a life worth living. Clients are taught to identify behaviors they need to increase (i.e. exercise, socializing, self-care) while simultaneously working on decreasing target behaviors. Discussions about family history and/or trauma may be delayed until clients have enough skills to manage the emotions that may come up as a result of these discussions.