DBT Program

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) is a specialized type of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to identify and change negative thinking patterns and pushes for positive behavioral changes. The four components of DBT are: a skills training group, individual treatment, DBT phone coaching, and a consultation team.

What is DBT?

Is DBT right for me?

DBT specifically focuses on providing therapeutic skills in four key areas:

• Mindfulness: focus on improving an individual’s ability to accept and be present in the current moment

• Distress Tolerance: increasing a person’s tolerance of negative emotion, rather than trying to escape from it

• Emotional Regulation: strategies to manage and change intense emotions that are causing problems in a person’s life

• Interpersonal Effectiveness: techniques that allow a person to communicate with others in a way that is assertive, maintains self-respect, and strengthens relationships

Features of the DBT Program

24 Week Program

The Safe Harbor Behavioral Care program is based on a curriculum which is covered over 2 12-week semesters for 24 weeks in total.

DBT Family Groups

The DBT Program is excited to announce we will be offering to the family and support systems of clients who are currently engaged in the DBT Program. One of our DBT Informed clinicians will be hosting regularly scheduled skills groups specifically catered to educate and inform the support systems of clients currently engaged with the DBT program.  Providing this important context to the support systems of these clients can help the clients and their support to apply the DBT skills more effectively they are learning into their everyday life.  These groups will be held twice a month and family members have the option to attend. 

These meetings will regularly be held on:

• 2^nd Wednesday of the Month from 7pm-8pm.

•  4^th Thursday of the Month from 7pm-8pm.

Clinical Intakes and Evaluation Appointments

Clinical Intakes and Evaluations are conducted by a DBT informed provider whose role is to review results of clinical assessments with the client and collaborate with other members of the care team to determine the clients appropriate level of care.  

Customized Levels of Care

To allow for further growth and provide more customized care based on clients’ needs our program is working towards containing 3 levels within the program itself. These levels will inform the number of services received and the frequency of the services. A large function the clinical evaluation appointment and clinical assessments will serve is to help determine when clients are ready to graduate to the next level of the program.

• Level 1 – Weekly Skills Group, Weekly Individual session, and 2 text Check ins with DBT Informed Clinician.

• Level 2 – Bi Weekly Skills Group (Clients in level 2 must attend group at least once a month), Weekly Individual sessions

• Level 3 – Individual Only  

Full Battery of Clinical Assessments

DBT Specific assessments allow DBT providers and clients to evaluate symptoms and better interpret the progress made in several different areas throughout the client’s time in the program.

• DERS- Difficulty in emotional Regulation Scale 
• DBT cope skills Checklist 
• Adult Hope Scale and Child Hope scale 
• Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire 
• Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire
• NSSI Assessment we considered adding to (in BP)

DBT Screener

Safe Harbor has designed a screener that will help you determine if the DBT program would be a good fit for you. If you provide your information in the form at the bottom, one of our DBT coordinators will reach out to you to answer any questions you have about the program and see if it would be able to meet your needs.