FAQ for DBT Skills Class
How can I benefit from attending DBT skills class?
Research on DBT skills groups show learning the skills helps a wide variety of people. In fact, the skills are so useful that a subset of the skills is being taught in middle schools nationwide. By attending our skills group you will learn skills in four main areas:
Mindfulness- helps you replace automatic unhelpful ways of reacting with actions that help you live a
life consistent with your goals and values.
Distress Tolerance-teaches you ways to handle the distress you experience when things happen that
are beyond your ability to change. It also gives you tools to “hack” extreme distress by changing your
body physiology using temperature, movement, breathing, and muscle relaxation.
Emotion Regulation-increases understanding of emotions, which allows you to regulate them more
effectively. You’ll learn tools to change your emotions when you choose to, and how to tolerate
uncomfortable emotions and understand their function.
Interpersonal Effectiveness- skills for relationships including how to ask for something effectively and how to say no when you want to. You will also learn basic self-compassion skills.
Research on DBT skills groups show learning the skills helps a wide variety of people. In fact, the skills are so useful that a subset of the skills is being taught in middle schools nationwide. By attending our skills group you will learn skills in four main areas:
Mindfulness- helps you replace automatic unhelpful ways of reacting with actions that help you live a
life consistent with your goals and values.
Distress Tolerance-teaches you ways to handle the distress you experience when things happen that
are beyond your ability to change. It also gives you tools to “hack” extreme distress by changing your
body physiology using temperature, movement, breathing, and muscle relaxation.
Emotion Regulation-increases understanding of emotions, which allows you to regulate them more
effectively. You’ll learn tools to change your emotions when you choose to, and how to tolerate
uncomfortable emotions and understand their function.
Interpersonal Effectiveness- skills for relationships including how to ask for something effectively and how to say no when you want to. You will also learn basic self-compassion skills.
How many weeks is the class? How long is each individual session of the class?
It takes 24 weeks to learn all the DBT skills. These 24 weeks are broken down into three 8 week modules. Each module covers one of the topics above, and Mindfulness is woven into each module. Class meets once a week for 90-120 minutes on Zoom. In addition to attending weekly skills class, you’ll need to make a conscious effort to practice the skills between sessions. We help motivate you to practice the skills by assigning weekly homework that involves practicing the skills (no extra reading involved). During the next class you share how your practice went and ask any questions you have about the skills. We encourage you to emphasize your practicing skills over doing them perfectly. After they complete 24 weeks of skills class about half of our clients choose to repeat the 24 weeks to “cement” their learning.
24 weeks sounds like a lot....
No doubt about it, DBT skills class is a big commitment. We can understand that 24 weeks can sound
like a lot of time….and yet changing the way you regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and become an
effective self-advocate are also really big tasks. To us it makes sense you’d need this much time
because we’ve seen the results of clients who make attending and practicing the skills a priority. Change takes time.
like a lot of time….and yet changing the way you regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and become an
effective self-advocate are also really big tasks. To us it makes sense you’d need this much time
because we’ve seen the results of clients who make attending and practicing the skills a priority. Change takes time.
Groups of new people make me nervous. Will I have to talk or have my camera on?
Most people who attend our classes feel nervous, so you are not alone. Sometimes we even get nervous if it’s been a while since we’ve taught a skill. This will fade over time as long as you keep coming to class. We’re also happy to talk to you before or after class about things that could possibly help. And yes, you will need to have your camera on during class (it’s a HIPAA thing that we can’t change). Many people find their anxiety decreases when they know more about what to expect during their class experience. So here is some more information about attending DBT skills class:
1. When telling us about your homework, you don’t have to share personal details. Saying “Something happened that was really upsetting, and then I had the urge to yell at my friend….but I used the TIP skill instead.” That’s all you need to say. We don’t need to know exactly what happened….or that it made you kick a rock or say a bad word, or do the “ugly cry” (We’ve been there too!)
2. Facilitators share personal examples of when we’ve used a skill, or a time when we wish we had used a skill (we’ve been there too). None of us are perfect.
3. It’s okay to report the skill didn’t work for you. We have a lot of experience helping clients fine tune the skills or suggesting alternate skills to try. We’ll be teaching you 24+ skills while you’re with us, and not everyone will be a winner for you, but you will learn some that will change your life.
If your anxiety about attending is still high, but you really want to try attending the group, I encourage you to email us at seattledbtskills@gmail.com and set up a time for a phone or video call. We’d be happy to see if there’s something we can do to help
1. When telling us about your homework, you don’t have to share personal details. Saying “Something happened that was really upsetting, and then I had the urge to yell at my friend….but I used the TIP skill instead.” That’s all you need to say. We don’t need to know exactly what happened….or that it made you kick a rock or say a bad word, or do the “ugly cry” (We’ve been there too!)
2. Facilitators share personal examples of when we’ve used a skill, or a time when we wish we had used a skill (we’ve been there too). None of us are perfect.
3. It’s okay to report the skill didn’t work for you. We have a lot of experience helping clients fine tune the skills or suggesting alternate skills to try. We’ll be teaching you 24+ skills while you’re with us, and not everyone will be a winner for you, but you will learn some that will change your life.
If your anxiety about attending is still high, but you really want to try attending the group, I encourage you to email us at seattledbtskills@gmail.com and set up a time for a phone or video call. We’d be happy to see if there’s something we can do to help
Do you take insurance?
We don’t take insurance for our DBT Skills class. Upon your request we can send you a Superbill (like a
receipt) which you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. Whether or not
you receive reimbursement is decided by your insurance company. To find out more, call the number on
the back of your insurance card and ask about your coverage for Out of Network, Outpatient Mental
Health Groups. CPT code 90853.
receipt) which you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. Whether or not
you receive reimbursement is decided by your insurance company. To find out more, call the number on
the back of your insurance card and ask about your coverage for Out of Network, Outpatient Mental
Health Groups. CPT code 90853.
Do How much does skills class cost?
Skills class costs $75 week. Because we reserve your seat for you every week, you will be charged for class even when you are unable to attend. We will send you the homework assignment and any other handouts from the class you missed.
Do I need a book for the class?
Yes, you will need to purchase:
DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets 2nd Edition by Marsha Linehan
ISBN-10 #1572307811
This is a spiral bound workbook, which you will need to record your homework in. It is available from many online book sellers for about $30-$35
How do I sign up?
You can fill out the form on our website or email us a seattledbtskills@gmail.com and let us know you want to sign up for DBT Skills
class. We’ll send you an invite to our online client portal where you can fill out our intake paperwork and
securely store a credit card for payment. Once you’ve done this, we’ll schedule you for a 15 minute
orientation call. After the call we will send you the link for the class and a syllabus.
class. We’ll send you an invite to our online client portal where you can fill out our intake paperwork and
securely store a credit card for payment. Once you’ve done this, we’ll schedule you for a 15 minute
orientation call. After the call we will send you the link for the class and a syllabus.