First Group DBT session today... vent about the leader...

I'm dying for Monday to find out.

I'm also a bit nervous, honestly. These stories are SO OUTRAGEOUS. Will he believe me?

I'm going to ask him, before I start spilling.

Do you believe me when I tell you things?
I need you to believe how crazy this was, because I will go mad if you don't. If you can't believe me, I won't tell you.

I agree that this t is a nutcase, but not all dbt t's are like that. I have a dbt t, and I attend a dbt group, and they are great.

My t doesn't think dbt is the only way. It's just like everything else, there's always going to be some that are good and some that are bad.../

This lady sounds awful! But i really love your responses! Her telling me to put my feet on the floor ...telling me how to sit would already tick me off!

Did this group Therapist go to "The Mickey Mouse School of Psychotherapy"? I have a sneaking suspicion she did.

I want to see her degree... is it signed?

Of course it's signed..... by snow-white!

you're right, I have experience with only one group of DBT practitioners, it didn't end well, I didn't handle it well, they wanted me to stop seeing my T; because of things I said, they thought I was in danger of being seduced by him; my pdoc who is associated with them still is suspicious of my T. So I can understand they've probably seen a lot of people get stuck here, which is why try DBT. I did really learn a lot from DBT. But this person - has issues, I think. Hopefully she can teach the material in spite of them.

That might be difficult!

We've got some serious brainpower on this board, and we can't expect all Ts to match that.

I just want to give you kudos on how you handle the whole situation and that nutcase of a lady. I'm always shocked when I hear about people like this giving advice to others. I think it's awesome you were able to voice your opinion even if it wasnt well accepted. If you choose to go back I would keep questioning anything that didn't seem right.

Wow, that T sounds so condescending! I'm in a DBT group, but our T is a bit flexible in that she uses the material but teaches as it fits for the group. She also encourages us to use our own examples and always asks permission before sharing anything she knows from individual. DBT has helped me so much, but my group T is a major part conveying the information in a helpful and comprehensible way. I would definitely recommend trying another group. $50 a group is actually really reasonable (I pay $45 which is a really good deal around here). $10 for a crappy group is just a waste. I hope you get the help you need- which may NOT be with this woman.

I know it's reasonable, it's just about what I can afford right now. And honestly? I'd rather see my regular T twice a week than go to a group class once a week and see him once a week, because he charges about the same as what these groups charge.

I can understand that. I love my individual T and really enjoy when I see her twice a week (every other week) and she's actually a lot cheaper than group for me (takes my insurance, group T does not). Even though I'm not as fond of my group T, she does offer another perspective which is good.

Also, I sometimes go into individual and share something from group that really clicked or worked for me, and my T is like "That's what I've been talking about for weeks." Lol, whoops. Hearing it in another way helps me learn. The biggest benefit I've found is being able to relate to others in the group. This is coming from someone who does NOT like groups, I'll take one-on-one and maybe a group of 3 any day and generally dislike being around more people, yet it's refreshing to hear from people who relate and/or have suggestions and isn't a professional.

No pressure, of course, it's your choice. I'm just offering my experience as an example of how a dbt group has been extremely helpful for me. Good luck with your treatment either way

Thanks.

I definitely decided not to go back to the group that was the original subject of this thread.

I have been reading Linehan's book, and as far as I can tell, she says HERSELF that DBT in ADDITION to regular psychotherapy is not significantly more effective than just psychotherapy. Of course, on the same page she says that DBT is one of the only things shown to help people with BPD. I plan to talk about it with my T on Monday. Maybe I'm missing something.

It certainly sounds like it was an odd experience. I would not go back either.