Teen DBT Skills Groups

What is DBT?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an intensive therapeutic approach teaching social-emotional and resilience skills for life enhancement. It is an evidence-based treatment with skills that focus on mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness and communication, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance.

CHC offers therapeutic skills groups for middle and high school teens:

  • DBT Skills Group for High School Teens
  • Middle School Multi-Family Skills Group
  • Weekly DBT Applied Skills Group

DBT Skills Group for High School Teens

In this group, teens learn and practice DBT skills that they can use to regulate emotions and behaviors, enhance mood, improve relationships and engage in effective problem solving and communication.

High school-aged teens struggling with emotion regulation issues, past history of self-injurious behavior and/or suicidal ideation can join this group; participants must be seeing a regular outpatient therapist outside of group.

  • One session/week on a recurring weekday evening. Families must commit to 8 weeks minimum.
  • $1140 for 8 weeks of 1.5 hour sessions; financial assistance available
  • The group is facilitated by Patrice Crisostomo, PhD and Melina Foden, PsyD.
DBT Dialectical Behavior Therapy Infographic

Middle School Multi-Family Skills Group

This skills-based group is for middle school youth with difficulty regulating mood and behaviors and/or related relationship challenges. Parents and teens will learn a structured DBT curriculum that offer skills to support stress tolerance, strong emotions and communication. Parents will learn to support their teens using DBT skills, and will learn skills they can apply to their own lives too. This is a weekly group in a multi-family setting.

  • Middle school youth with difficulty regulating mood and behaviors and/or related relationship challenges can benefit from joining the Multi-Family Skills Group.
  • Tuesdays, 5:30-7:00 pm (in 12-week modules).
  • $1710 for the 12 weeks of 1.5 hour sessions; financial assistance available.
  • Facilitated by Emily Cree, PsyD and Erin Hoolihan, PsyD

Weekly DBT Applied Skills Group

  • High school age teens with previous DBT skills training can benefit from joining the DBT Applied Skills Group.
  • Tuesdays, 5:00-6:00 pm (in 4-week modules).
  • $380 for the 4 weeks of 1 hour sessions; financial assistance available.
  • Facilitated by Erin Hoolihan, PsyD

Visit the DBT Applied Skills Group page.

Get Started Today

If you are already being seen at CHC, please ask your therapist about joining the group. If not, speak with a CHC DBT Care Coordinator. Book a 15-min consultation or call or email a RISE Care Coordinator: 650.688.3675 or rise@chconline.org. Financial assistance is available.

NOTE: You or your teen may join telehealth sessions from anywhere within the state of California! However, if you are out of the state or country, licensure regulations do not permit us to provide clinical services to you. Anyone joining a teletherapy session must be located within the state of California at the time of the appointment.