Anyone have any experience with a DBT group?

My new therapist has invited me to join a DBT therapy group tomorrow night. Not sure what to expect. I have difficulty doing new things outside the house. I get a bit anxious that somehow I'll do something wrong. I'd feel a little bit more comfortable if I kind of knew what to expect.

I'm sure my T would have told me if I had thought to ask. Duh! Maybe I'll email her about it. hmmm.... Still would appreciate any help anyone could give.

I'm currently in a DBT group twice a week. The group teaches mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal skills. Each of those items are taught in modules. Basically, you are taught how to manage your emotions. How to deal with personal conflict etc. It is more of a teaching group. There is homework. I hated it in the beginning. But I see the value now and look forward to each group. Feel free to ask me any questions.

The linehan skills manual is good to use at home too, youy might google it.

I'm currently trying to get into a DBT group, but I need to have a T, and I'm not having any luck finding one. Also using a great workbook, called The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercizes for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. Authors are Matthew McKay, Jeffrey Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley. It was $21.95, or maybe your local library carries it. Mine has a copy on order.

I highly recommend DBT, it was a lifesaver for me. I felt the same as you before I started, and was barely able to leave my house to do anything besides work. My T gently, but firmly insisted that I go if I wanted to keep seeing her. Thank goodness she did. I hated it at first but eventually I grew to love it, and all the great people I met and the connections I made. DBT skills are so important to recovery, very helpful in learning how to manage emotions and distress. Give it time. I hope it all works out for you.

I went to the DBT group last night. As it happens, my T was trained by Marsha Linehan or by people who were trained by Marsha. I found the class to be very beneficial. It was awkward being the new person in the group. I realized quickly that I'm very judgmental and a snob when it comes to people. It's something that I will definitely need to work on. I plan on attending group next week. I also realized that I have extreme difficulty committing to groups (even groups of friends). I will usually go for a few weeks then I drop out. That will be more difficult (I think) because my T is leading the DBT group. It's another issue that I will have to work on in therapy. My T gave me a DBT workbook that we use in group. It's very helpful to get to practice the skills in group and read about them in between sessions.

I'd like to add that I was surprised that the DBT group wasn't very serious. Lots of joking around and talking during the whole group. I guess I was expecting something else, something a tad more serious. I wouldn't want to catch myself having fun now, would I?

That's great that you liked the group!

I am glad that you are finding the group beneficial. It is nice that you enjoy the people in the group. I hope you are able to stick with it.

BB

Good for you! I'm glad you are finding it more casual and not too serious. Mine was a little of both, which made it interesting and not so boring.