What’s Going On at In Step?

There’s always a lot going on behind the scenes at our practice that we thought you would want to know about. So, we’re starting a weekly update to provide you a glimpse into the inner-workings of In Step called, “What’s Going On?”.

Last week 10 therapists from our office attended a 2-day Intensive Training Certificate Course on Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Dialectical treatment aims to balance forces like acceptance and change, validation and problem solving, and is used with adolescents and young adults who experience suicidal thinking, extreme difficulty coping and are inclined to self harm.

Therapists using this technique focus on 4 key skills: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. Along with these and other skills that focus on acceptance and change, adolescents and young adults learn to tolerate emotional stress free from judgement and mitigate urges to self harm.

In Step offers DBT skills groups to middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults who struggle with self-harming behaviors and emotional dysregulation. We run a simultaneous parent coaching group that helps parents support their adolescents’ developing skills. More detailed information on this effective model of therapy, developed by clinician Dr. Marsha Linehan, is on our website.