DBT® Skills Classes for Adults and Teens

Learn how to manage your emotions, develop healthier coping behaviors, communicate more effectively, and build stronger relationships.

The power of DBT® Skills Classes

Austin DBT Associates has provided DBT® classes to many different groups (schools, courts, healthcare professionals, etc.). What we hear the most from our trainees is, “DBT® skills are something that we all need!” Our participants report they are pleasantly surprised that everyone can benefit from these classes.

Most clients who commit to DBT® classes in addition to individual counseling will see significant improvement in their lives.

Overview of the Adult DBT® Skills Class

In this class, adults will learn skills that are not confined to the clinician’s office. These mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills are designed to generalize to every aspect of your world (at work, school, home, friends, family, etc.).

Whether you’re struggling with a serious mental health issue or looking for some additional skills to solve a problem, we can all benefit from DBT® skills and this class is designed to support you in building the life you want.

Overview of the Adult RO-DBT® Skills Class

RO-DBT® is short for Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy®. RO-DBT® is an effective treatment for helping people manage excessive self-control. They may hide or mask their emotions in front of others and struggle with problems like perfectionism or rigidity that cause fall out and disrupt the quality of their daily lives.

In this class, adults will learn skills to increase openness, flexibility and social connectedness. Many people who struggle to manage their emotions can identify with both DBT® and RO-DBT® and may even vacillate between over and under self-control. A clinician can help you identify which treatment would be the most effective option for you based on your own self-control tendencies.

Adult DBT® Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Program

DBT-SUD® is short for Dialectical Behavior Therapy – Substance Use Disorders®. DBT-SUD® is a sub-type of Dialectical Behavior Therapy® that was developed for people who have difficulty regulating their emotions and for whom substance use is a primary problem behavior.

In addition to learning all of the standard DBT® skills: core mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance; in this class adults will also learn SUD-specific skills with an increased focus on observing and describing their urges to use and identifying what skills will help them to manage those urges each week.

Overview of the Teen DBT® Skills Class

Overview of the Teen RO-DBT® Skills Class

RO-DBT® is short for Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy®. RO-DBT® is an effective treatment for helping people manage excessive self-control. Teens who may benefit from RO-DBT® are often high-achieving and perfectionistic students who hide or mask their emotions in front of others.

This class is the only RO-DBT® group available to adolescents ages 12 and up in our area. In the class, teens will learn skills to increase openness, flexibility and social connectedness. Many people who struggle to manage their emotions can identify with both DBT® and RO-DBT® and may even vacillate between over and under self-control. A clinician can help your teen identify which treatment would be the most effective option based on their self-control tendencies.

Teen DBT® Substance Use Disorder Program

Substance use disorders (SUDs) often start early in life. It’s common for these disorders to develop in adolescence. Research has shown that early substance misuse increases the risk of developing a more severe substance use disorder in later life. DBT-SUD® is a sub-type of Dialectical Behavior Therapy® that was developed for people who have difficulty regulating their emotions and for whom substance use is a primary problem behavior.

This class is the first substance use specific DBT® group available to adolescents ages 12 and up in our area. In addition to the standard DBT® skills, teens will learn SUD-specific skills. The class will also allow an increased focus on teens observing and describing their urges to use and identifying what skills help them to manage those urges each week.

DBT® Parent/Family Skills Class

Learning to apply the same skills that your loved ones are learning in DBT® treatment improves treatment outcomes. This is because parents and other family members are empowered to model and reinforce effective behavior at home.

We are proud to introduce a one-hour, weekly virtual class that will introduce parents and other family members to the basics of DBT®, including skills from all four modules taught in our standard DBT® skills classes: core mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Parents and other family members will receive guidance from a licensed clinician to help them navigate difficult situations at home in a supportive environment with other parents and family members.

Our Rates for our Skills Classes

These rates apply to both in-person and virtual (online) skills classes.

Adult Classes: $65/weekly

Adolescent Classes: $80/weekly

What To Expect in our Skills Classes

If you choose to participate in group skills class, a group orientation session may occur prior to beginning the group. This is to orient you on the expectations of the experience and what is required of you. By preparing you for these skills training, you will get the most out of your treatment.