The Virtual DBT Group
Online Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Group
DBT stands for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. DBT is a structured treatment approach that uses 4 main components which are distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT is rooted in finding the balance between acceptance and change. We can accept and validate our feelings with the goal of changing how we react, process, and behave.
Distress tolerance will help you cope better with painful events by building up your resiliency and giving you new ways to soften the effects of upsetting circumstances.
Mindfulness will help you experience more fully the present moment while focusing less on painful experiences from the past or frightening possibilities in the future. Mindfulness will also give you tools to overcome habitual, negative judgments about yourself and others.
Emotion regulation skills help you to recognize more clearly what you feel and then to observe each emotion without getting overwhelmed by it. The goal is to modulate your feelings without behaving in reactive, destructive ways.
Interpersonal effectiveness gives you new tools to express your beliefs and needs, set limits, and negotiate solutions to problems—all while protecting your relationships and treating others with respect.
Each week, the group will speak about one of the four components and learn skills on how to use these techniques in their day to day life. Light homework will also be assigned to practice learned skills between sessions.
When is the group?
Mondays from 7pm-8pm
When is the group beginning?
Monday, September 23rd, 2024
Continues every Monday for 12 weeks through December 11th
Where are the groups being held?
Online, using Google Workplace Meet
Participants will get a link to join
Who is it open to?
Adults ages 21+
Cost
Copay/Coinsurance as determined by a client’s insurance, or $45 per week without using insurance
Group Leader
Olivia Schutz, LAC
Schedule (clients can join anytime until the third week)
Weeks 1-3: Orientation and Mindfulness
Weeks 4-6: Distress Tolerance
Weeks 7-9: Emotion Regulation
Weeks 10-12: Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
When is the group?
Wednesdays from 6pm-7pm
When is the group beginning?
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Continues every Wednesday for 12 weeks through February 19, 2025, skipping holiday evenings.
Where are the groups being held?
Online, using Google Workplace Meet
Participants will get a link to join
Who is it open to?
Adults ages 21+
Cost
Copay/Coinsurance as determined by a client’s insurance, or $45 per week without using insurance
Group Leader
Cynthia Velasquez, LAMFT
Schedule (clients can join anytime until the third week)
Weeks 1-3: Orientation and Mindfulness
Weeks 4-6: Distress Tolerance
Weeks 7-9: Emotion Regulation
Weeks 10-12: Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
Participants must also be in individual therapy (either at IPG or elsewhere) in order to attend our groups. If you are not already in therapy, you may additionally fill out our regular new client appointment form, to have you set up with an individual therapist as well.
To proceed with registering for group therapy, click on the link below. After filling out your application expressing interest, we will be in touch with you to have you fill out the special group therapy consent form and answer any questions you may have, and then connect you with the group leader for an orientation phone call prior to attending your first group.
Olivia Schutz, LAC
Group Leader
Olivia Schutz is a Licensed Associate Counselor and National Certified Counselor who earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology from The College of New Jersey. Olivia works with adults, adolescents, and children experiencing anxiety and depressive disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, life transitions, substance abuse, grief and parenting struggles. Olivia has previous experience working with clients both in outpatient, as well as a partial hospitalization settings, conducting both group and individual therapy. She utilizes a Cognitive-Behavioral, Dialectical-Behavioral and Person-Centered approach to process and teach individualized coping skills to clients so they feel heard and validated, and can successfully reach their therapeutic goals.
Email: oschutz@insightpsychgroup.com
Cynthia Velasquez, LAMFT
Group Leader
Cynthia Velasquez is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who received her Masters in Psychology from Kean University. Cynthia works with individuals and families who struggle with a variety of issues related to depression, anxiety, high risk behavior, addiction, trauma, and grief. Prior to joining IPG, she worked as a clinician and group coordinator at High Focus Centers’ Partial Hospital and Intensive Outpatient Programs, helping adolescents and adults learn coping skills, grounding techniques, and effective communications skills to manage their symptoms before they could move to a lower risk treatment environment. Cynthia is a compassionate and engaging therapist who strives to provide the highest quality treatment which empowers individuals to achieve their utmost potential.
Email: cvelasquez@insightpsychgroup.com
