Who is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) For?
Are you a parent to an emotionally sensitive teen?
Do you often notice your teen expressing extreme emotions (guilt, confusion, anger, for instance?)
Are you “’walking on eggshells” to avoid conflicts at home?
Does your teen seem out of control, impulsive, or destructive?
Do you worry about your teen’s eating or drinking?
Has your teen intentionally hurt themselves or have they talked about dying or suicide?
If you nodded your head in agreement, the chances are high that your teen needs help managing emotions and behaviors. That’s where dialectical behavior therapy comes into play!
Families seeking DBT often express feeling grief that they don’t have the relationship they expected with their teen. You may feel frustrated that nothing seems to change their behavior, no matter how much therapy you have tried. Angry at your teen’s behavior toward you or with your partner for making things worse. Hopeless about things ever changing in your home.
DBT Adolescent Program
Finding the right support for your teen can be daunting. As a parent you have one goal: finding your child the best possible treatment you can. We know that finding a treatment center offering effective, research proven support for adolescents is difficult.
Our team of teen specialists is committed to filling that gap.
DBT is a proven method for adolescents with high emotional sensitivity and who are emotionally reactive. For teens with high-risk behaviors, DBT is often the only intervention that works. Four decades of research shows that DBT skills training can reduce suicidality, self-harm, eating disorders, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety for teens.
We know that families heal better together, so parents are an active part of our Adolescent DBT treatment. Parents and caregivers need the same skills as teens and learn alongside them in our multifamily skills classes. This helps you create a validating and supportive environment so your teen can thrive. Having our team in your corner helps you escape cycles of crisis with your teen.
We can help you create calm instead of chaos.
DBT is research proven to help with a variety of serious emotional and behavioral problems:
- Suicidal ideation, suicidal behaviors, and/or non-suicidal self-injury
- Emotional/behavioral dysregulation
- Major depression or anxiety
- Family or relationship conflict
- Impulsive or destructive behaviors
- Anger management issues
- Alcohol and/or substance abuse
- Impulse control problems
- Eating disorders
What is a Comprehensive DBT Program?
Connections Child and Family Center is the only facility in North Houston offering a Comprehensive DBT program for adolescents. DBT is delivered by experienced clinicians intensively trained through the founder of DBT, Marsha Linehan’s training institute, Behavior Tech.
Our Comprehensive DBT Adolescent Program includes all four core components of DBT:
Individual therapy: In an individual session, therapists use DBT as the intervention to help them apply the skills they learn in group. In between sessions, therapists instruct teens to track their own emotions and behavior using the DBT Diary Card.
Skills training: Teens learn the five core modules of DBT together with their caregiver or support person, so both have the same language and skills. After each class, the skills trainer will give homework. This homework usually is using a certain DBT skill before the next class.
Phone coaching: When a teen has intense emotion or harmful urges, they can ask for phone coaching through a secure line. This is important when a teen needs help in using a coping skill. The coaching most often includes helping the teen problem-solve or validating of their efforts to cope.
Consultation team: Our DBT team meets weekly to improve the motivation and abilities of our DBT providers. Teens have the benefit of the knowledge and experience of the whole team, in addition to their own provider.
Each component of a DBT comprehensive program supports the other.
What is a DBT-Informed Program?
DBT-informed programs combine DBT skills training with other treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy, or others.
The primary individual therapist may or may not be trained in DBT.
Which DBT Program is Best for My Teen?
Since every teen is unique, there is not a one size fits all answer. A Comprehensive DBT program may be appropriate for some teens, especially if they present with life threatening or self-destructive behaviors.
DBT helps teens change extreme, negative, life-threatening behaviors and emotions to positive, life worth living ones.
Learn more about the effectiveness of DBT at this link to Behavior Tech’s DBT Research Trials. Learn more about the importance of what to look for in a DBT program as a parent.
What Changes Can I Expect After Completing the DBT Adolescent Program?
Your teen will be able to handle intense emotions more effectively. They will have tools to use instead of making problems worse by self-harming, blowing up, or avoiding. They will practice expressing themselves with effective communication. Your teen will be able to think rationally about problems, instead of responding to emotions.
As a parent or caregiver, you’ll learn just what to say when your teen shows intense emotions. You will learn what behaviors to be worried about, and what behaviors are typical in teens. You will walk away with your own set of self-soothing skills to make it through hard moments and manage parenting stress.
The practical tools you will learn will help you create real, lasting changes in behavior and family relationships. Our DBT program will give you confidence in your ability to help your teen make healthy choices and stop self-destructive behaviors.
In short: dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is beneficial for you, your child, and your family – as a whole!
For more information on the DBT program, we offer, book a discovery call.
Why Choose Connections CFC to Help You?
Connections CFC has the ONLY comprehensive DBT adolescent program in Montgomery County and North Houston. We believe you and your family deserve the fully adherent DBT model to experience truly transformational treatment.
Here are some good reasons why we are the best fit for your DBT treatment.
- We provide complete and comprehensive DBT, are adherent to the model, and have Linehan-trained therapists specializing in teens and families.
- We have a multidisciplinary team that includes psychologists, marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, and counselors.
- Our team has a variety of additional specialty training to address co-existing issue such as trauma or eating disorders. We have the skills to help your whole family.
- We actively involve parents and families in the healing process and equip them with the same skills as their teen.