Can DBT Help My Family?
DBT for Parents:
People who have difficulty regulating emotions often live in families where one or more people also have trouble regulating emotions. They hope to have better relationships and parents want to support their child and help that child or audlt thrive.
The trouble is that often more is needed than quietly sitting on the sidelines. parents frequently tell me that they feel helpless about their young adults struggles and want to help them meet important goals their child has set but don’t know how.
At san Jose DBT we help parents create a strategy for mental health care, and a strategy for helping create an environment that encourages open and helpful communication that is hinest but not critical and that helps keep conflict low. Parents learn how to regulate their own emotions and responses to frustrating situations and how to find resources to move things along.
At times it is necessary to work with both parents in Couples Counseling or involve other caregivers so that roles can be clairified and a plan developed.
As part of services at San Jose DBT, we encourage clients to involve their families in learning skills in order to improve communication, reduce arguments and misunderstandings, and increase closeness and intimacy. At San Jose DBT we will meet with a client’s family members if the client desires and if it can help treatment. We also have a network of DBT Therapists who can see your family members in separate skills training sessions.
Who Benefits:
- Family members (e.g. parents/step-parents, siblings/step-siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles)
- Partners (e.g. spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends)
- Friends (e.g. best friends, roommates, close colleagues)
For Parents, partners, and siblings whose loved one is in a comprehensive DBT program separate individualized couples or family sessions can help improve coping abilities by teaching family members the same DBT skills that their loved ones learn and use. In addition, These sessions also help family members understand the cycle of reactivity that can occur and how to change it!!
These individual sessions can be conducted by telephone or video with members of the family who are physically located in California. These coaching and consulting sessions teach “the language” of DBT, and behavioral problem solving which can facilitate a better understanding of their loved ones and how to support them. We teach family members:
- The biosocial model of emotion regulation disorders
- Education about DBT and how it works
- Emotion Regulation Skills
- Validation skills
- How to set realistic expectations for loved ones and yourself
- How to more effectively manage the family environment and crises that may arise
- How to observe your own limits
Call today at (408) 893-4032 for more information about how DBT skills can help your family