DBT Skills for Teens and Their Parents, North Little Rock, AR
Based on skills and concepts from Dialectical Behavior Therapy(DBT)
In this program, your teen will learn and practice skills to increase socio-emotional understanding, emotional regulation, coping skills to strengthen resilience and tolerance for stress. During each class, teens are taught important skills and are given the opportunity to practice their new skills through modeling, role-play, activities, and games. In their simultaneous group, parents learn how to assist teens in using their new skills, and they learn strategies to strengthen their relationship with their teens, develop open communication, and create a safe, healthy relationship that will thrive as their teens grow into adulthood. The course includes weekly homework, and “Practice Sessions” designed to build their skills outside of the class.
Details
The DBT Skills class for highly sensitive teens and their caregivers has limited enrollment. Each class includes up to six students and caregivers. Classes are held on Tuesday evenings at Arkansas Families First, and run from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Regular attendance and parent participation are required.
- The class is intended for teens who struggle with emotional regulation, impulsivity, parent-teen conflict, and relationship problems.
- Teens and young adults in the program often struggle with ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and behavioral disorders.
- Even though structure, support, and encouragement are of emphasis, in order to participate, teens must be able to manage their behavior and communicate well enough to participate in small group discussions.
- A screening session is held before the group to prepare teens and parents and to assess their fit for the program.
- The cost of the screening session is $50.00. The screening session is intended to provide additional details about the program and to ensure the group is a good fit for each participant.
- The entire program consists of four, 6-week modules covering 1) Emotion Regulation, 2) Distress Tolerance, 3) Interpersonal Effectiveness, and 4) “Walking The Middle Path skills” to help teens and families resolve conflict and improve relationships. Mindfulness skills will be addressed across all four modules.
- The cost of participation in each 6-week course is $180.00, which is $30.00 per week. We ask that families pay before the first class.
- Teens and caregivers are encouraged to participate in all four modules but are not required to do so.
Emotion Regulation
Learn effective skills for understanding and navigating emotions.The Basics
Basic skills to assist teens in managing emotions and intense mood swings.
Distress Tolerance
Learn skills to accept reality and handle crises without making it worse.Just don't make it worse
Learn skills for tolerating painful emotions when you can’t make it better immediately and don’t want to make it worse.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Learn strategies to build and strengthen relationships, and end destructive ones.Do What Works in Relationships
Get what you want and need while maintaining relationships and your self-respect.
Walking the Middle Path
Families and teens learn skills to navigate common family relationship challenges.The Power of Both/And Thinking
Avoid assumptions and extreme thinking, balance acceptance and change, and learn how flexibility helps to improve communication.
What skills are covered?
- How to get through overwhelming moments of sadness, anxiety, or anger without hurting yourself or others
- How to describe and become more aware of how you feel
- How to build a life that is satisfying, rich, and worth living even with stressful life situations
- How to accept current life challenges and take practical steps toward change
- How to replace problem behaviors with skillful behaviors
- How to learn more than one way to think about a situation and how two opposite ideas can be true at the same time (dialectical thinking)
More about DBT…
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavior treatment created by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. DBT was adapted to treat teens suffering from emotional dysregulation, mood disorders, self-harm, and interpersonal difficulties. DBT can help teens who struggle with family conflict, mood swings, anger outbursts, drug use, risky behaviors, depression, anxiety.
To learn more about Dialectical Behavior Therapy, click the link to the webpage, “What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)” from Behavior Tech, the training organization created by Dr. Linehan, and for an illustrated view of the different modes of DBT, check out the videos below:
Resources
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About Us
Arkansas Families First is a multidisciplinary behavioral health care group that offers a variety of health services for children, teens and families in Central Arkansas. Our group of independently practicing providers strive to provide the best, most comprehensive care that modern psychology, psychiatry, counseling, and other disciplines have to offer.
Mission
Arkansas Families First is devoted to unlocking the full potential of children and families. We utilize the latest research and the most skilled providers in the service of improving people’s lives. We strive to empower parents and to integrate multiple disciplines in the building of strong families and healthy children.
Our Promise
We take a strengths-based approach utilizing the latest evidence-based treatments and include parents in all aspects of treatment and assessment. We’ll find the service and the provider that best fits your family. With our growing list of clinicians, if you are not satisfied with your provider or services will help you make the necessary changes.
