In the Young Teen DBT Group (aka Multi-Family Group) the teen (age 12-14) and his or her parent or guardian attend group together.  Research shows DBT Skills groups can be helpful for EVERYONE, and have been adapted to school, corporate and other settings. Not only is this model helpful for the teen, but parents consistently report benefitting from learning the skills and using them in their own lives! 

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By the time a family is considering DBT, the teen has very often been involved in a lot of therapy, and can become resentful that he or she is the only one who is expected to change. Having a parent involved in the group is an acknowledgment that the family is there for the teen and helps take away the stigma of being "the problem" within the family. Parents and teens as a team, rather than adversaries, is ALWAYS, the way to go!

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Developmentally, your young teen and you are entering what can become a really tough stage for parents and their adolescents to navigate. This is a great time to connect with your young teen and create some solid skills together!

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The Young Teen DBT Group focuses on 5 skills sets: 

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• Mindfulness: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment

• Distress Tolerance: how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it

• Interpersonal Effectiveness: how to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others

• Emotion Regulation: how to change emotions that you want to change

• Walking the Middle Path: How to reduce the conflicts with family and friends, and moving away from black and white thinking.

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