Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Teens

Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling offers a comprehensive outpatient Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program for adolescents ages 12 to 17 and their caregivers. DBT helps teenagers who experience significant trouble managing their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. The DBT Program at Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling is not appropriate for individuals with a psychotic spectrum diagnosis.

Components of Adolescent DBT
1) Weekly individual DBT sessions
  • Work together using behavior analysis strategies to identify and better understand the teen’s problem behaviors
  • Identify effective coping skills for managing intense emotions and impulsive behaviors
  • Problem-solve through challenges or barriers to treatment adherence using new skills
  • Provide emotional support
2) Weekly DBT Skills Training Class

Teens and their caregivers attend a weekly DBT Skills Training class, learning new skills to increase emotional regulation and decrease problem behaviors. DBT Skills Training class covers the following core modules:

  • Mindfulness
  • Emotion Regulation
  • Distress Tolerance
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness
  • Walking the Middle Path

Graduation from the Comprehensive DBT Program requires completing two six-month cycles of the five core modules. This provides teens and their caregivers the opportunity to learn and review the skills, supporting skill mastery and application in daily life.

3) Phone Coaching

Teens can contact a DBT therapist by phone seven days a week for coaching in skills application. This phone coaching is intended to help generalize skills; it is not intended for crisis intervention.

4) Consultation with Schools and other Health Professionals

Individual therapists will work closely with schools, psychiatrists, and other physicians to ensure coordination of services.

What is DBT?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a multi-component treatment developed by Marsha M. Linehan to treat problems in emotion regulation. It balances the use of change techniques from cognitive-behavior therapy with acceptance strategies. It is designed to address skill deficits in affect regulation, impulse control, assertiveness, and distress tolerance.

In adolescents, these issues commonly present as:

  • Self-injurious behaviors
  • Impulsive/disruptive behaviors
  • School refusal/truancy
  • Anger management difficulties
  • Persistent peer conflict
  • Persistent familial conflict
  • Mood swings
  • Suicidality

To schedule an initial consultation, call 269-615-7637 x 1

Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling

269-615-7637

Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling