[kirby777]

Hi.

I have yet to find a new T, due to the fact I am procrastinating (to be honest). My diagnoses are MDD, GAD, PTSD (from child hood trauma), and I am agoraphobic...I do NOT want to be around people.

I have been reading about DBT & thought maybe it will help me relate to people better. I am ABLE to be nice to strangers, but people whom I am close with, I call them on their poor behavior towards me, and may not be delivering this very well.

I am taking Pristiq but mu pdoc thinks I am on Wellbutrin ( another long story). I DO thiink the Pristiq makes me a little more aggressive vs Cymbalta...but I am concerned about weight gain....but that is for another board.

Any thoughts on DBT? How do I find a DBT group?

Thanks in advance!

[NowhereUSA]

I'm personally a huge fan of DBT. It seems that to have the best experience with DBT, it works to find a reputable group that's run well. There are groups out there not run well. I was lucky in that there's a major clinic group in my city that is well known for it's DBT groups and in fact, my T was the facilitator of the group I was in the first go round (I did a refresher this last year).

What I like about DBT is that it's very practical. My diagnosis is MDD and GAD. All my life I'd have people tell me things like "Just stop worrying" and other unhelpful statements because I didn't know *how* to handle these emotions. DBT gave me a step by step guide and I've relied on those skills. It didn't cure my MDD but it helped me manage it. We've since found a treatment (ketamine) that fixes my MDD and even my GAD for the most part and having internalized those skills has helped me immensely in living life on more than survival mode.

I'd check with major clinics in your area first. Look for a robust program with a lot of resources. Ideally it should be set up so that you're in group and individual therapy. The length of time varies. Mine was roughly a year with meeting once a week in group and once a week with my individual T. I've known some that were more intensive with two or three meetings a week over a shorter period of time.

If you're anxious about the group piece, finding a T trained as a DBT trained (again likely at a place that has a DBT program) would still be a great resource and could still help you with the skills perhaps in a more tailored way.

[ScarletPimpernel]

My first DBT group was at a county clinic. My current group I found on psychologytoday.com.

You can also buy DBT workbooks. And there are individual Ts who do DBT.

Originally Posted by NowhereUSA

I'm personally a huge fan of DBT. It seems that to have the best experience with DBT, it works to find a reputable group that's run well. There are groups out there not run well. I was lucky in that there's a major clinic group in my city that is well known for it's DBT groups and in fact, my T was the facilitator of the group I was in the first go round (I did a refresher this last year).

I am also a huge fan of DBT and agree 100% with NowhereUSA's advice. There are groups out there claiming to be DBT groups, when, in fact, they are not really DBT...or they're "kind of" DBT. You'll want to ask for your facilitator's credentials - who trained them, how much training did they receive, do they attend a consultation group, etc. You'll also want to consider the time commitment (how long do they take to go through the cycle - typically you go through twice), whether they require you have a DBT trained individual therapist, what the group demographics are (all female or male, coed, ages, diagnoses), whether it's an open group (allowing new people to come in as others graduate) or a closed group (everyone is on the same schedule and no new members are allowed in), etc.

ETA - I would not recommend working from a workbook alone (or with a non-DBT therapist) if you haven't done a skills group. There is a lot of information and it really is helpful to have it taught in a skills group along with the homework assignments. I do know of one person who is doing DBT with her therapist, but her therapist is DBT trained, so it appears to be working well for her.

And - a DBT skills group is not a "therapy" group - it's more of a class group. The agenda typically involves a mindfulness exercise, review of homework and then the teaching of the new skill. Any issues that arise in group are supposed to be taken to your individual session and not resolved in the group (unless it's an issue about the group).

[ScarletPimpernel]

"Real" DBT groups tend to be expensive. Modified groups are usually cheaper and you still learn the same skills.

My current group is a DBT process group. You get to process your week and learn skills to practice rl issues.

There's also now something called radically open DBT? So there are now more developers of DBT besides Marsha Linehan. Modalities are always evolving. DBT came from CBT. DBT will also grow into a new style.