DBT Group Therapy: Mastering Skills for Emotional Balance and Healthy Relationships

Dialectical behavior therapy, commonly abbreviated as DBT, is a type of psychotherapy (therapy) that is rooted in the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It was originally designed to treat borderline personality disorder, but ever since, its use has expanded to a broad spectrum of behavioral and mental health conditions.

While DBT is understood as an individual therapy, at the NuView Treatment Center, we believe that a supportive group setting can contribute to your skill development, like mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. You will also benefit as you find a sense of belonging and community.

Dialectical behavior therapy emerged as an individual therapy, mainly designed to treat borderline personality disorder. It is an evidence-based practice that enables you to acknowledge the reality of your thinking, emotional, and behavioral patterns so that you can move toward making positive changes in your life. It integrates the opposing (“dialectical”) ideas of acceptance and change.

DBT also involves group sessions, and DBT group therapy is more of a skills training setting. You learn the DBT-centered skills of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness along with other members. Within a group setting, DBT seeks to enhance your capabilities so that you can function better in your day-to-day lives.

Dialectical behavior therapy and, by extension, DBT group therapy have 4 main pillars or core techniques that are delivered in skill training sessions:

1. Mindfulness:

You learn and practice mindfulness, which means you connect with your present by paying attention to your thoughts and emotions at a given point in time. As you pay attention to your thoughts and emotions, you acknowledge them and interpret them in a more empathetic manner.

2. Distress Tolerance:

Crisis is common in life; therefore, learning distress tolerance allows you to face crisis situations with resilience. You learn to evaluate, cope, and distract yourself from these circumstances while also developing self-soothing techniques.

3. Emotion Regulation:

Emotion regulation is when you are able to recognize and manage your emotions - mainly by increasing or reducing their intensity.

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness:

Interpersonal effectiveness is crucial to developing enriching interpersonal relationships in your life. It involves learning to communicate with dignity and respect, say no, and let go of any negative feelings you may have toward others.

DBT therapy groups are different from process groups and supportive groups; they are more of a training and learning setting. It is a weekly therapy, where a licensed and skilled therapist will teach you a new skill every week. Post this, homework will be assigned to you so that you can practice the skills you learned outside in the real world.

As we mentioned before, the four major skills you are going to learn are:

• Mindfulness
• Distress tolerance
• Emotion regulation
• Interpersonal effectiveness.

At the end of each session, you will be given a worksheet. It is a step-by-step guide to practicing the skills you acquired during the session and will reinforce your learnings. After this, you will be assigned homework so as to bring tangible changes. If you are unable to complete your homework for any reason, your therapist will understand the hurdles and enable you to navigate them so that you can perform better in the coming week.

DBT group therapy has many benefits. It is an evidence-based practice that leads to the following:

Better Mental Health:

The skills you learn in the therapy will reduce symptoms of distress, anxiety, depression, and other negativities and contribute to your overall mental health.

Healthy Practices:

You incorporate healthy living practices like mindfulness that uplift your mind and body.

Positive Relationships:

You will learn to connect, develop, and foster strong interpersonal relationships in your life that enrich and add meaning to your life.

Wide Applicability:

This therapy can benefit a number of people across different ages, genders, races, cultures, and so on.

Long-Lasting:

The skills you learn and the connections you cultivate usher in lasting positive changes in your life.

DBT group therapy addresses a wide range of conditions, which are as follows:

• Anxiety Disorders
• Depression
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Eating Disorders
• Substance Use Disorders
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Managing Interpersonal Relationships.

DBT group therapy focuses on teaching crucial skills to deal with different conditions, and it is also beneficial in easing certain unwanted, distressing symptoms.

Like other therapies, DBT group therapy also has certain challenges that need to be overcome for it to be effective.

As the therapy is provided in a group setting, you will have to face your vulnerabilities in a group setting, which can be especially difficult for those who are not comfortable in such settings. However, with a trained therapist and supportive members, it can be a safe environment where you can open up, learn, and grow.

Skills training is at the core of DBT group therapy. For many, this in itself can be challenging as you need to break old habits and pave the way for new ones. However, with time, patience, and effort, you can break the old negative cycle and practice new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving to experience positive, tangible changes in life.

Finally, it can be said that DBT group therapy may not be for all. While an efficient practice, if you feel that it is not for you, then you can choose from a wide range of therapies that can be tailored to your needs and goals.

Q1. Is Dialectical Behavior Group Therapy Effective?

A: Yes, DBT group therapy is a highly effective evidence-based practice. Its success rates are especially high when it is used in combination with individual DBT therapy.

Q2. Who Can Benefit from DBT Group Therapy?

A: DBT group therapy is widely applicable and can benefit a large number of people from different backgrounds. It is a long therapy, as it will take seven months to review all modules, and as each module is repeated twice for lasting changes, it can take fourteen months altogether. However, this time will be properly utilized to break old negative habits and build new, positive ones.

Q3. What Are the Long-Term Outcomes of DBT Group Therapy?

A: DBT group therapy leads to lasting outcomes like better mental health, greater self-esteem and self-control, better interpersonal relationships, healthy coping mechanisms, and an overall better quality of life.