Frequently asked questions

DBT is a good fit for you if you are having symptoms of anxiety, depression, anger, relationship conflicts and tensions, and would like to learn healthier coping skills besides going to self-destructive behaviors (i.e. self-harm, anger outbursts, binge eating, rumination, avoidance, and any form of impulsivity). DBT is different than traditional types of therapy in that it is skills based treatment. Many clients come to DBT because they have done talk therapy or CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), but need more in terms of regulating emotions, decreasing destructive behavior patterns, and retraining the brain. DBT is often a next step for clients who have already done this traditional type of therapy and therefore have good self awareness of their goals, stressors, and triggers but need concrete coping skills to manage emotions, relationship patterns, and feel more confident in approaching current day stressors and symptoms. DBT is also a good fit if you have had past issues or trauma that is affecting your life today and need help working through these symptoms to improve the quality of your life and relationships.

I was intensively trained in DBT by Behavioral Tech in 2008 which is a leading training and certification organization that educates mental health professionals in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). The founder of this organization is Marsha Linehan, who created DBT. I have been leading multiple DBT groups consistently in my private practice since then (18 years). Being intensively trained means I am also part of a DBT team (DBT Associates of Austin) where we provide consultation to one another. I also follow the DBT model of offering clients a DBT Skills group, supplementing with individual therapy, I review Diary Cards with my clients, and provide coaching calls as needed in between sessions to assist clients in using skills in real life situations instead of going to crisis behaviors. Before being trained in DBT, I worked at Seton Shoal Creek hospital providing CBT and psychodynanic group therapy to senior adults in an intensive outpatient program. I have over 25 years in the mental health field and experience in group therapy.

Personally, I am only accepting clients who wish to join a DBT skills group and supplement with individual therapy as needed. The main reason is because the research on retraining the brain shows that three aspects of treatment are needed for success: individual therapy, the DBT skills group, and reaching out for coaching when needed to implement new skills instead of going to crisis behaviors. Only doing individual therapy but not learning the DBT skills taught in the group will limit someone's progress. It takes me 45 minutes in the DBT skills group to teach a skill. Each individual session lasts 45 minutes, so teaching a skill in individual therapy is just not the same. Also, I have been leading DBT skills groups for almost two decades, and I have seen clients make effective momentum and progress from what the DBT groups offer in terms of receiving the weekly coaching, accountability in learning and practicing the skills, and observing and hearing from other peers in the group how they are applying the skills.

The DBT Skills Group is structured more like a coping skills class rather than real group therapy. There is no feedback or interaction amongst group members. The first 45 minutes of the group is solely spent on me as the DBT skills coach giving 5-6 minutes of coaching to each group member. The next 45 minutes is where I teach the skill, and I am doing about 75% of the talking. Group members will still interact me, ask questions, share personal examples, and share applications to the skill. Since I provide four different skills groups, I do my best to place clients in groups with others will similar issues and goals. The value of this is that it provides you with a safe space to not feel alone, learn from others who are being vulnerable, and gain deeper insights from just observing how others are receiving coaching from me and applying the DBT skills. Also, seeing other group members who have attended group longer provides you with a sense of hope as you see others getting better and making progress. It usually takes my clients a few weeks to get comfortable with the format and then it feels very natural sharing in group, being with others, and learning one new coping skill each week. The reason I provide my DBT Skills group virtually through Zoom is because I do not see that we lose anything from being virtual. My clients have given me feedback that the virtual aspect actually makes the therapy more accessible to them, gives them a better use of their time due to not having to commute back and forth, and allows them more flexibility to attend with busy work schedules.

The DBT Skills Group lasts 34 weeks. It takes me this amount of time to teach all of the four modules of DBT in Mindfulness, Relationship Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance. All of these skills build on each other. The research shows that it takes at least a year of treatment to retrain the brain, but these groups last almost 9 months and I recommend completing all of the modules to get the most out of the treatment. Many of my clients even choose to attend a step-down group (a DBT Advanced Group) after completing the skills group to get ongoing support, deeper skill application, and to prevent relapse. The DBT Skills group is always ongoing, so clients can join at any time.