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Make Your Therapy More Effective Unfortunately therapy and medications arent always enough. Sometimes feeling better is all about changing your thoughts and your behaviors. I teach coping skills that help participants to reduce intense and painful emotions, such as rage, panic, despair, and shame. Learning these skills can benefit people with a wide variety of diagnoses and difficulties: Borderline Personality Groups are kept small (up to 9 participants) and informal. I have weekly daytime and evening classes available in both my Roswell and Atlanta locations. Groups are designed to augment individual or family therapy. Groups are based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy and the work of Dr. Marsha Linehan (visit Resources & Links).
Frequently Asked Questions on the Coping Skills Groups What kinds of skills are taught? The coping skills I teach are divided into four categories: When are groups held? Buckhead location ( 3580 Piedmont Rd. Ste. 210 Atlanta , GA 30305 ) How long is the group? Groups meet weekly for 1.5 hours. I teach all of the above skills over the course of 24 weeks. Participants are not financially committed for the entire course, however. You and your therapist can decide how long you stay in the group. Some participants stay in the group for a year or more so that they learn the skills well and can use them automatically. How do I get started? In order to enroll in a group, you must complete an individual initial assessment with me. This takes an hour and can be scheduled for your convenience. After your assessment is completed and it is determined that you may benefit from the group, you can join any group that has openings. There is no need to wait for the “beginning” of a group; Participants join and leave groups when they are ready. What is the cost of the group? $110 for an individual intake assessment. If you leave a group and return later, you do not need to re-do this assessment.
Do I have to see a therapist while I am in the group? Yes. Group participants are required to also attend individual or family therapy while in the group. You learn coping skills in the group, but your therapist can help you utilize these skills in your everyday life. What happens in a Coping Skills Group? The group meets each week for 1.5 hours. We begin with a simple and brief meditation or relaxation exercise. Then we review homework. (Homework usually consists of practicing the skills for about 10 minutes several times in the week.) If someone doesn’t feel like sharing her or his homework, that’s O.K.; No one is forced to talk if they prefer not to share. Then we take a 10-minute break. After the break, we review one or two new skills. Questions are encouraged. I try to make groups fun and interesting. How big are the DBT Coping Skills groups? There are between 4 and 9 participants in any group. Will I have to share personal information in the group? The group focuses on teaching coping skills. You are in charge of how much personal information you choose to share. What happens if the group I want is full? If the group you want is full, you can complete the initial assessment and be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list is rarely longer than a month. What happens if my personal schedule changes and the group meeting Participants can change to another group at any time as long as there is space available. What is “Dialectical Behavior Therapy”? DBT was designed for individuals with borderline personality disorder. However, it is used for clients with other diagnoses. In DBT treatment, clients participate in weekly individual therapy and a weekly Coping Skills Group. The treatment itself is based largely in behaviorist theory with some mindfulness and cognitive therapy elements. What is “borderline personality”? The core feature of borderline personality is the presence of intense or out-of-control emotions. For people with borderline personality, life can be very painful. They might try to cope with their severe emotional pain by contemplating or attempting suicide, abusing drugs, and/or hurting themselves physically. People with borderline personality often feel panic or rage when important relationships end. Remember that the DBT coping skills can help you whether or not you have borderline personality. |
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