DBT for
Adolescents
What is Dialectical Behavior
Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A)?
If your teenager struggles to manage their emotions, control impulsive behaviors, or develop and maintain healthy relationships, DBT-A can help. DBT-A is a specialized type of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy designed specifically for adolescents and their families that integrates strategies for acceptance – of themselves, their emotions, and the challenges they face – with strategies for bringing about change in their lives. The overarching goal of DBT-A is to allow your teen to build a life that is fulfilling, meaningful, and joyful rather than full of suffering. At NYCBT, our DBT-A program is specifically geared towards teens in high school (ages 13-18) and their families.
How DBT-A
Can Help Your Teen
DBT-A has been found to be effective for adolescents and their families dealing with a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems. DBT-A can be a good fit for teens who:
- Struggle to manage big or difficult emotions that can be intense, change quickly, or last for a long time
- Experience chaotic, unstable, or otherwise unhealthy relationships
- Have difficulty communicating with family members and peers, advocating for themselves effectively, or addressing problems without intensifying conflict
- Engage in impulsive, risky, problematic, or self-injurious behaviors
- Experience suicidal thoughts or behaviors
- Are confused about their identity
- Seem numb or detached from their lives
These issues may impact not only your teenager but also family, friends, peers, and community. By teaching new skills for coping with difficult emotions and painful experiences, as well as for communicating more effectively, DBT-A can help your teen maintain and improve relationships at home and with peers, reduce risky behaviors, and engage more fully and meaningfully in their life.
What DBT-A Includes
Individual Therapy
Your teen’s therapist will work with them to address the problems that they face, increase their use of the skills learned in DBT, and help them make effective choices while they work toward their goals. Individual sessions are typically once per week and guided by the treatment plan that you, your teen, and their therapist will develop at the outset of treatment.
Multifamily Skills Group
One of the central goals of DBT is for your child and your family to learn and develop skills to increase everyone’s ability to manage difficult thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that disrupt your teen’s life and impact the family. These skills are taught in an educational group format once weekly for 90 minutes. One parent or caregiver must be present with their child at each group.
Phone Coaching
Since most of life happens outside of the therapy session, your child will be able to receive real-time support from their individual therapist on an as-needed basis to address challenges that arise between sessions. By developing a specific plan of action rooted in DBT skills, your teen will learn to tackle problems more effectively and further enhance the skills that they learn in group and individual sessions.
Parent Coaching
Since parents and caregivers may also need help integrating DBT skills into their own lives and interactions with their teens, the comprehensive DBT-A treatment approach includes opportunities for you to meet with other therapists on our team for as-needed support in applying these skills and other parenting strategies.
Consultation Team
DBT requires that all therapists receive ongoing support and education within a team of other DBT therapists. These weekly consultation meetings are an integral part of any comprehensive DBT program and help ensure that your teen’s therapist is providing the most effective treatment.