What's a DBT group like?

I'm starting one soon, don't know when, but within the next couple months or so. Just wondering what to expect. I've been doing DBT with my therapist so I know what it's all about, just wondering what it's like in a group setting.

I did a DBT group years ago and found it quite helpful, in part because I was in a group of people who all had similar negative coping strategies to me. I found I connected more with people in my DBT group than in most other group therapy that I've done.

The structure of the group was basically as follows:
1. mindfulness exercise.
2. Discussion of the skills practice (homework) from the previous week.
3. Leaning new skill

4. Discussion of some examples of new skill
or at least that's what I remember.

Hope you find DBT helpful.

I did a DBT group for 2 years.....years ago. Some in our group are still friends cause it did create a connection.

Each group I am sure is handled differently. We did Mindfullness between each section. Our T started off teaching each time then we went around the room to check in & talk through the homework chart about what we did, what we learned & sometimes what we could have done differently & more DBT-ish. Best therapy I ever had & my private T reinforced what was learned. I have actually healed & learned so much from it that I am basically totally functional now (given where I came from with useless therapy for 13 years this was truly a blessing to my life

depends on the type of group. theres two different kinds of group therapy....

peer support - this is when its mostly folks who have the same problem or are on the same treatment program get together to talk like friends with others like their self. most times they are where you can do all kinds of discussions about your problems and the treatment program, most peer support groups I have found for anything end up mostly being a B....... and moan fest unless you have a leader of the group who will keep the complaining and downward negative talk spiral to a minimum.

Therapeutic peer or professional led groups have more structure, they have a definite topic each meeting, a definite facilitator who keeps the meeting on track and on topic of the meeting. prevents the downward spiral of the meeting being monopolized or negative downward spiral of being a B and Moan fest. actual practice work gets done where the facillitating person leads the group through a series of skills. they do that through the use of discussions, and actual therapeutic work of practicing the skills that are being taught either through individual therapy sessions or as a class.

in other words

peer support groups whether led by a treatment provider or someone in the group is like recess or coffee hour of people with the same problems or treatment program getting together to talk about their problems and the program.

therapeutic groups whether led by a treatment provider or someone in the group are like going to school and taking a class to study, its structured in a way that allows for learning the educational material and practicing the skills being taught.

there are groups that are a combination of both types of groups but it gets very complicated, and most sink within the first year or two, when trying to mix the flexibility of very little structure with a structured group style.

I have seen many support groups go under because they tried to add educational, and structure and I have seen therapeutic style groups go under with their efforts to add a flexible support structure to their groups.

my suggestion is talk with the group facilitator to get more information about the group, what they do and so on, then decide if thats what you want to do, make your decision after being fully informed about the group. talk with your therapist that is teaching you the DBT skills to be sure the group meets the same standards and such that she /he is teaching you. after you are fully informed on all angles you will be able to make the best decision for you.

I attended
One for two years.

It’s a huge commitment

I attended DBT classes for about 2 years. We met every other week for 2 hours. It was great. I met some great people and the teacher/leader was wonderful. DBT skills can help you in so many ways. I particularly like the Mindfulness section. Each class had some sort of Mindfulness exercise at the start (it was not just sitting there meditating). Then the teacher would discuss a topic/skill from the book. At the end we would do a round table where everyone would bring up something they may be struggling with and we would collectively offer suggestions based on DBT skills. It was all voluntary, no one forced you to participate if you did not want to.

Based on previous responses, I would definitely only attend one that is led by someone well trained in DBT. Mine was a psychiatric nurse who had many DBT certifications. Also, it is a big commitment. At minimum you need to plan on attending 6-12 months to get the most out of it. However, the time is well spent and will teach you skills that will serve you for a lifetime.