Patricia Gardner-Goodof, MSW, LICSW

Founder and Executive Director Adolescent & Adult Training

Barbara Devine, MS, LMHC

Co-Founder & Business Manager Adolescent & Adult Training

An Overview

DBT is comprehensive treatment program developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, based on Dialectics and Biosocial theory. This treatment focuses on the reduction of self-injurious and impulsive behavior, increasing management of extreme mood dysregulation, improving cognitive distortions, and decreasing crisis-oriented and chaotic interpersonal relationships. DBT is effective in supporting individuals who experience chronic suicidal behavior, frequent hospitalizations and treatment resistant behaviors. Research demonstrates a broad based cognitive-behavioral treatment as the most effective for Borderline Personality Disordered individuals. Treatment is helpful for individuals who experience mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD, and those who are highly emotionally vulnerable.

Skills Groups:

Our program meets weekly for two hours per class.The program is 16-18 weeks in duration. Four modules comprise DBT skills training Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Interpersonal Skills effectiveness, and Emotion Regulation.

Mindfulness skills:

Incorporate Eastern spiritual training, relying heavily on Zen principles. It enhances a person’s ability to increase self-awareness, improve concentration, and self-regulate in the moment.

Distress Tolerance skills:

Teach effective strategies for tolerating emotional discomfort and painful events, when you cannot make changes in your current situation. These are crisis survival tools.

Interpersonal Effectiveness:

Is designed to help individuals who have discordant relationships, and cope with confrontation and conflict. Participants will learn alternative strategies to enhance the quality and satisfaction of communications and quality of their relationships.

Emotion Regulation:

Helps individuals modulate painful and intense emotions. This module assists people in identifying emotions and decreases the intensity of the emotional response.