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Our Adolescent DBT Skills Training is a comprehensive program that runs for 16 weeks and includes weekly 2.5 hours group sessions.  We focus on the whole family as a system, and we expect parent's involvement in the process. As per our detailed group schedule, parents will be required to attend some sessions with their child. 

Each session includes a mindfulness exercise in the beginning and end of the session, homework review, and new content (skills). Combined sessions will cover content review and practice of skills with parent's attendance. 

We ensure a practical approach with a strong focus on skills application. The treatment plan is considered most effective when group sessions are combined with individual sessions running at the same time. This will give you the opportunity to discuss and apply specific DBT skills to your current everyday life. Therefore, it is also recommended that each client attends an individual session for skills acquisition and generalisation based on each participant’s individual experience.

Individual sessions can be obtained through Medicare rebates that allow up to 10 sessions per calendar year. Additional family sessions may be recommended if needed.

Telephone coaching from your therapist can be available in-between sessions if you’re  experiencing emotional crisis.  

The breakdown of content covered in the 16-week program is:

Mindfulness - 2 weeks

  1. Introduction to DBT, values and Life Worth Living goals, 3 states of mind.

  2. Mindfulness core skills.

Emotion Regulation - 4 weeks

  1. Understanding and describing emotions + model of emotion.

  2. Accumulating positive experiences short and long-term (+values and goals, review of Life Worth Living).

  3. Building mastery, coping ahead, and taking care of your body (PLEASE skills).

  4. Options for problem solving, checking the facts and opposite action. 

Review session (with parents) - 1 week

  1. Mindfulness core skills review + Mindfulness of current emotion. Mindfulness activities: vision map for Life Worth Living and Emotion regulation skills.

Distress Tolerance - 4 weeks

  1. Crisis survival skills: STOP, TIPP, pros and cons.

  2. Distracting: ACCEPT, improving the moment and self-soothing.

  3. Radical acceptance, turning the mind, 

  4. Willingness/ Wilfulness.

Review session (with parents) - 1 week

  1. Mindfulness and Distress tolerance – review + Mindfulness of current thoughts. Mindfulness activities: self-soothing kit.

Walking the Middle Path (with parents) - 2 weeks

  1. Dialectics, validation, and self-validation.

  2. Behaviour change: ways to increase, decrease or stop behaviour.

 Interpersonal Effectiveness - 2 weeks

  1. Goals for interpersonal effectiveness. DEAR MAN and FAST skills.

  2. Mindfulness of others, GIVE and THINK skills + Loving kindness mindfulness 

Adolescent DBT Skills Training

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