A DBT skills group teaches four sets of skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. It runs much like a class. A leader teaches a skill, members practice it during the week, and the next meeting starts with how that practice went.
The aim is simple to state and hard to do: to give people reliable things to do in the moments when emotions are strongest and old habits feel most automatic. This guide explains what each module covers so you know what to expect if you or your teen join a group, or learn the same skills in individual therapy.
DBT skills are often used by people who struggle with self-harm or suicidal thoughts. If you are in danger now, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to the nearest emergency room. Mind Body Seven is outpatient care.
How a skills group usually runs
Groups typically meet once a week. The first half of a meeting usually reviews homework: each member says which skill they tried and what happened, including when it did not work. The second half introduces a new skill with examples, handouts and a short practice.
A few features set a skills group apart from other kinds of group therapy:
- It is structured and teaching-focused, with less open-ended discussion
- Members are usually asked not to describe self-harm or crises in detail, to keep the group safe for everyone
- In the full DBT model, members also see an individual therapist who helps them apply the skills to their own situation
- For teens, groups often include parents or caregivers, so the family learns together
Modules are taught in a cycle, so people can join at different points and repeat modules as needed.
Members are generally asked to commit to attending regularly and to practicing between meetings, since the skills only become useful under stress after a lot of repetition in calmer moments. Most people find some skills click right away and others feel awkward for a long time. Leaders expect that, and the homework review is a place to troubleshoot without judgment.
Module 1: Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the foundation the other modules rest on. In DBT it means paying attention to the present moment on purpose, without judging it. It is practical, and you do not need a meditation habit to learn it.
Core ideas include:
- Wise mind: the balance between "emotion mind," when feelings drive everything, and "reasonable mind," when you ignore feelings entirely. Wise mind uses both.
- "What" skills: observing, describing and participating in what is happening.
- "How" skills: doing those things non-judgmentally, one thing at a time, and in a way that works for your goals.
A typical exercise might be describing an emotion in plain words ("tight chest, hot face, urge to leave") instead of acting on it. Learn more on our mindfulness-based therapy page.
Module 2: Distress tolerance
Distress tolerance is about getting through a painful moment without making it worse. It is the module people often reach for first, because it targets crisis urges directly.
It usually covers two kinds of skills:
- Crisis survival skills: pausing before acting (a skill often taught as STOP), weighing the pros and cons of acting on an urge, calming the body quickly with slow, paced breathing, distracting with an activity, and self-soothing through the five senses.
- Acceptance skills: radical acceptance, which means acknowledging reality as it is, even when it is painful, so energy can go toward what can be changed. Accepting a situation does not mean approving of it.
Teens often find these skills easiest to start with because the results can be felt quickly. Members are usually encouraged to build a short personal list of the distress tolerance skills that work best for them, so they do not have to think hard about it in the middle of a crisis.
Module 3: Emotion regulation
Emotion regulation goes deeper than getting through a crisis. It helps people understand what emotions are for, notice them earlier, and lower their overall emotional vulnerability over time.
Common skills include:
- Naming and understanding emotions: what triggered a feeling, how it showed up in the body, and what it urged you to do.
- Checking the facts: asking whether the intensity of an emotion fits the situation.
- Opposite action: when an emotion does not fit the facts, acting opposite to its urge (for example, approaching instead of avoiding when fear is out of proportion).
- Taking care of the body: sleep, eating, movement and treating physical illness, since a tired or run-down body makes emotions harder to manage.
- Building positive experiences: adding small pleasant events and longer-term goals so life feels more worth showing up for.
Module 4: Interpersonal effectiveness
Many hard emotional moments happen with other people. This module teaches how to ask for what you need, say no, and handle conflict while keeping both the relationship and your self-respect.
It is often taught with three memorable acronyms:
- DEAR MAN: a script for asking for something or saying no clearly (describe, express, assert, reinforce; stay mindful, appear confident, negotiate).
- GIVE: skills for keeping the relationship strong (be gentle, act interested, validate, use an easy manner).
- FAST: skills for keeping self-respect (be fair, no unnecessary apologies, stick to your values, be truthful).
The module also covers how to decide how strongly to ask or refuse in a given situation, and how to build and end relationships in healthy ways. For families, this is where parents and teens often see the most change in day-to-day arguments.
The extra module for teens and families
Adolescent DBT usually adds a module called walking the middle path. It helps parents and teens step back from extremes, such as too strict versus too lenient, or "it's all my fault" versus "it's all your fault." It also teaches validation and simple behavior principles, such as noticing and reinforcing what is going well. Our post on DBT with adolescents explains how this fits the teen version of DBT.
Learning DBT skills at Mind Body Seven
At Mind Body Seven, our clinicians use dialectical behavior therapy in individual therapy, where skills from all four modules can be taught and practiced one-on-one and adapted to your life. We do not run a DBT skills group at this time, so DBT at Mind Body Seven is offered in individual sessions only. Clinicians who teach DBT skills include:
- Peggy Kaplin Zaloga works with adolescents and adults and teaches DBT skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Alura Bennett, LMHC, is DBT-certified and helps children, adolescents and young adults build emotional regulation and communication skills.
- Dr. Beth Wecksell, PsyD, has received intensive DBT training through Behavioral Tech and blends skill-building with deeper therapy for adolescents and adults.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room first.
FAQs
Is a DBT skills group the same as group therapy?
Not quite. A skills group is run more like a class, with a leader teaching skills, members practicing them and reviewing homework. Members usually do not process personal crises in detail there; that work belongs in individual therapy.
Do I have to share personal things in a skills group?
Groups usually ask members to share how they practiced a skill, without going into deep personal detail. Leaders often discourage describing self-harm or crises in the group, which helps keep the space safe for everyone.
Can I learn DBT skills without a group?
Yes. Many therapists teach DBT skills one-on-one in individual therapy. A group adds the chance to learn with peers and practice in a structured way, which some people find very helpful.
Do teens and parents attend skills groups together?
In adolescent DBT, groups often include parents or other caregivers so the family learns a shared set of skills. Adolescent programs also commonly add a module on family conflict called walking the middle path.
Does Mind Body Seven run a DBT skills group?
Not at this time. Our clinicians offer DBT in individual sessions, where all four skill modules can be taught one-on-one and adapted to you or your teen. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room.
