The Center for Effective Living is offering a new group therapy option for those dealing with depression and anxiety. Our “Skills” group focuses on the “Four Core Skill Areas” of mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance and emotion regulation. These skills, which compose the core of “Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT),” are the framework within which group members learn to manage their thoughts, emotions and behaviors.
If you’re unfamiliar with DBT, here’s a little of what the National Alliance on Mental Illness has to say about it:
DBT… emphasizes validation, or accepting uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and behaviors instead of struggling with them. By having an individual come to terms with the troubling thoughts, emotions or behaviors that they struggle with, change no longer appears impossible and they can work with their therapist to create a gradual plan for recovery.
The therapist’s role in DBT is to help the person find a balance between acceptance and change. They also help the person develop new skills, like coping methods and mindfulness practices, so that the person has the power to improve unhealthy thoughts and behaviors… Improving coping strategies is an essential aspect of successful DBT treatment.
Studies have shown DBT to be effective at producing significant and long-lasting improvement for people experiencing a mental illness. It helps decrease the frequency and severity of dangerous behaviors, uses positive reinforcement to motivate change, emphasizes the individual’s strengths and helps translate the things learned in therapy to the person’s everyday life.
Our Skills for Managing Difficult Emotions group therapy is a safe space for individuals to come together to improve their day-to-day management of some symptoms of depression and anxiety. The group meets from 6-7:30pm Tuesdays and is covered by insurance. All a person needs to do to join is complete an intake to ensure they are appropriate for group. Contact us today for more information.