Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Group
A 6-session course starting 13th of August 2025
When: 17:30-19:00, Wednesdays until 17th of September
Where: Fredrikinkatu 20 B 10, 00120 Helsinki
Cost: 74€ per week – includes 1.5 hrs of group therapy and 45 minutes of individual sessions every week
Sign up to the DBT course
Do you often feel overwhelmed by your emotions?
Do intense emotions get in the way of achieving your goals, building and maintaining relationships?
Do you experience challenges in finding balance between your and other people’s needs, asking for what you want, and saying no?
In this course, you will learn:
- How to be more present and mindful – to respond with intention rather than reacting on autopilot
- A deeper understanding of your emotions and what they do for you
- How to manage intense emotions without making the situation worse
- How to express your emotions in a healthy way
- How to set clear and healthy boundaries
- How to maintain balance in relationships
Course Outline
- Session 1 – Orientation, Walking the Middle Path
- Session 2 – Mindfulness Skills
- Session 3 – Distress Tolerance Skills: STOP, Pros and Cons
- Session 4 – Distress Tolerance Skills: TIP Skills, Distracting, Self-Soothing, Improving the Moment
- Session 5 – Distress Tolerance Skills: Reality Acceptance
- Session 6 – Emotion Regulation Skills: Understanding and Labelling Emotions
- Session 7 – Emotion Regulation Skills: Myths, Checking the Facts
- Session 8 – Emotion Regulation Skills: Opposite Action
- Session 9 – Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills: Getting What You Want (DEAR MAN)
- Session 10 – Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills: Relationship Effectiveness (GIVE)
- Session 11 – Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills: Self-Respect Effectiveness (FAST)
- Session 12 – Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills: Factors in the Way
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
DBT encourages us to accept and change, but not suppress, difficult emotions, and to increase positive emotions. During the DBT group sessions, we will practice skills such as emotion regulation, effective connection and communication with others, mindfulness and distress tolerance. As opposed to talking through problems, DBT’s focus is on identifying external triggers to distressing feelings and learning healthier coping responses. We will gently and safely explore your thoughts and emotions, and where in your body you feel your emotions. We will investigate the interpretations of events that bring about distressing emotions, and how in turn these affect the type and quality of thinking. We will do this in small incremental steps, always checking you are comfortable with the process.
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy that combines behavioural therapy, mindfulness-based practice and acceptance-based philosophy and practice. Research has shown DBT to be especially effective for clients struggling with impulsivity, self-harming tendencies and difficulties in regulating their emotions, such as those with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT has also been used to treat clients with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders and ADHD, who have symptoms functionally similar to BPD.
DBT is not recommended for individuals with intellectual disabilities nor with treatment resistant psychotic disorders. Individuals who are unable to control open hostility toward others are also not suitable for these group sessions.
