Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Group
(DBT Group)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment for emotion dysregulation, addictive behavior, and impulsivity. DBT group therapy has been shown in numerous clinical trials to be highly effective for a number of traditionally difficult-to-treat issues, such as substance use, compulsive behavior, anxiety, and depression.
Unlike most forms of psychotherapy group therapy, DBT therapy is structured less like a support group and more like a class. A curriculum of skills is covered in weekly sessions, and the skills are presented in an informal workshop format. The skills covered are based on the most current psychological science and are designed to help people regulate intense emotions and cope better with challenging situations. Instead of group members merely talking about the things that aren't working in their lives, the focus in this kind of therapy group is on learning and practicing skills for well-being.
DBT Skills and Skills Training
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy is a newer form of psychotherapy that targets problematic thoughts and behaviors to improve emotional well-being and mental health. Rather than merely talking about recurring problems in the therapy session, clients in behavioral therapy work collaboratively with their therapists to identify and then modify these problematic patterns. It is a much more active approach than traditional talk therapy and is focused on immediate change. Behavior therapy is an evidence-based treatment that empowers individuals to make meaningful and lasting changes in their lives actively.
DBT Group
A Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills group is a class designed to teach the skills necessary to manage emotions, improve relationships, and cope with distress effectively. DBT skills groups are a core component of the comprehensive DBT treatment developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan. In a DBT skills group, participants learn and practice specific coping skills through structured lessons and exercises. The emphasis is on acquiring practical tools to navigate challenging situations and emotions.
In contrast, a support group primarily focuses on providing a space for individuals to share their experiences, feelings, and challenges with others who are going through similar situations.
Group skills training differs from traditional support groups in that support groups do not typically offer the structured skill-building approach of a DBT skills group. The primary distinction lies in the therapeutic intent: DBT skills groups aim to equip individuals with practical coping strategies, whereas support groups offer a platform to process difficulties in life out loud. Both types of groups can be beneficial. However, there is significantly more research supporting the effectiveness of skills groups.
Mindfulness Skills Module
Most psychological problems are, in some part, due to getting caught up in thoughts about the past or the future, or thoughts that are overly judgmental. Mindfulness skills in DBT are about helping people connect to the present moment fully and nonjudgmentally. In DBT, people learn to disconnect from unhelpful thinking patterns to more skillfully and fully deal with the here and now. Most cutting-edge psychological protocols now include mindfulness training due to its effectiveness in helping a wide range of issues. Mindfulness training has been shown to result in long-term changes in brain function, leading to improved concentration, emotional balance, immune function, pain management, and age-related cognitive decline. Mindfulness practice is at the core of every skill practiced in DBT.
Distress Tolerance Skills Module
In DBT, distress tolerance skills focus on helping people weather intense emotions without worsening things. Many distress tolerance skills are aimed at helping people to free themselves from urges, addictions, and other kinds of compulsive behavior. At its core, distress tolerance is about learning to make space for painful emotions and states of mind and act skillfully without becoming ensnared by the struggle people ordinarily engage in with these emotions and urges. Some distress tolerance skills are about immediately resetting the emotion modulation system to ‘reboot’ intense emotional episodes. Others are about learning to “urge-surf,” which means to relate to urges differently to reduce impulsivity and addictive behavior.
Emotion Regulation Skills Module
Emotion regulation training in DBT is aimed at teaching people ways to modulate their emotions more effectively using clinically proven strategies. One important skill in emotion regulation is identifying factors that increase physiological vulnerability to intense negative emotions and intervening to limit their impact. Another set of emotion regulation skills helps people reduce the frequency of unwanted emotions by short-circuiting cycles that maintain clinical depression and anxiety disorders. The main goal of this skills training is to decrease emotional suffering and struggling with being flooded by negative emotions. Negative emotions are a part of being human, but people frequently overwhelmed by emotions benefit from employing emotion regulation skills.
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills Module
Interpersonal effectiveness skills in DBT help people improve the quality of their relationships, a vital component of emotional health and well-being. By learning concrete skills and practicing them outside of group therapy, people in DBT learn to be more effective at getting what they need from others. Just as important, DBT teaches new skills to build fulfilling relationships while ending destructive ones. The main thrust of interpersonal effectiveness in DBT group is to create and maintain balance in relationships, which can serve as the foundation for an emotionally balanced life.
At Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles, we offer DBT group therapy over Zoom to supplement individual therapy. This therapy approach is known as DBT-informed therapy, and it has been shown to be helpful for people who do not suffer from the most severe psychiatric illness but need extra help managing intense emotions. Click the button below to ask a question or schedule a free phone consultation to determine if DBT is right for you.
Find Dialectical Behavior Therapy Centers in Southern California
Below is a listing of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) programs and resources in Southern California. There are two kinds of programs: Fully-adherent DBT (also known as standard DBT) and DBT-informed therapy. Fully adherent DBT is an intensive outpatient treatment program designed for people with severe mental health challenges, such as borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT-informed is a lower level of care designed for people who struggle with emotion regulation but are better able to manage symptoms with less intensive psychiatric treatment. At Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles, we provide DBT-informed therapy. You can learn more about our evidence-based therapy center and our treatment team of expert therapists here.
Only programs providing fully-adherent/intensive outpatient DBT are included in this list. The teams below have specialized training in treating severe emotion dysregulation challenges using an intensive outpatient program model.
Low-Fee DBT Programs
Edelman Mental Health Center, West Los Angeles: 310-966-6500
Long Beach Mental Health Center, Long Beach: 562-599-9280
Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance: 310-222-3020
Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center, Culver City: 310-390-6612
Training Clinics (using primarily unlicensed trainee-therapists)
UCLA Psychology Clinic, Los Angeles: 310-825-2305
Private-Pay and Programs Covered By Insurance
Westside DBT, Los Angeles: 310-772-8118
Clearview Treatment Center, Los Angeles: 800-573-0770
ABC Recovery Center, Indio: 760-289-2128
Applied DBT Clinicians, San Diego: 619-569-0777
Loma Linda Behavioral Medicine Center, Redlands: 909-558-9288
Crestwood Behavioral Health Center, Bakersfield: 661-363-8127
DBT Center of Orange County: 949-480-7767
DBT Center of San Diego, San Diego 619-602-0726
DBT Center of San Gabriel Valley, Sierra Madre: 626-470-9834
For a complete listing of certified DBT intensive outpatient treatment programs outside of southern California, visit the Behavioral Tech Clinical Resource Directory.