For Families of persons with emotion dysregulation:
Family and friends can feel helpless when a loved one is experiencing extreme emotions and not know where to turn for support of their own. Understanding emotion dysregulation/borderline personality disorder is important in order to understand our loved ones who are struggling. It’s extremely important for families to learn DBT and other important skills and knowledge in supporting a loved ones recovery and success. Recovery is a journey for everyone involved. Families learning DBT skills can learn new ways of coping with their own feelings in order to be effective, lead by example and in moments of intense emotions can help loved ones remember useful skills to use in stressful situations. Click here for more information about these workshops….
Compassion in Chaos workshops/support groups run every Monday from 6:30 to 8:30pm EST consistently in an open group format. We learn skills each week and support each other. This group has both a psycho-educational and a support discussion component.
This group is online. We use zoom and send out a link prior to the start of each group within 1 hour of group start.
You will need to register for each group to secure a spot. Some groups are a series of two consecutive sessions.
This group is facilitated by Julie Hayden, MSW, RSW and Lucy Xie, MSW, RSW (Read about these two fabulous facilitators here)
Click here to go directly to groups starting starting in 2023
October 3, 2022 : Understanding mind states (Rational, Emotion and Wise Mind)
Our loved ones find themselves in emotion mind most of the time. In this session we will learn to understand ourselves and our loved ones through the lens of wise mind.
October 10, 2022 is Thanksgiving Weekend
Do you ever find yourself responding or reacting to your loved one in a way that seems to escalate the situation? The STOP skill put the breaks on potentially explosive situations, allowing us time to choose a more effective response. If we don’t know how to STOP, then it is very difficult to put any other DBT skill into practice. One moment of mindfulness can begin to break the cycle of reactivity with our loved one.
Emotions can still run high even when we learn to pause before responding. Enter the TIPP skill. (Temperature, Intense Exercise, Progressive Relaxation and Paced Breathing) This very effective skill teaches us how to use our own bodies to calm down so that we can access our wiser side. Working with our parasympathetic nervous system this skill can be crucial for those of us who have loved ones who are in frequent distress. Learn the skill and model it for them.
Expand your tool kit for positive distraction by learning to engage all of your senses to calm down. Learn how getting busy helping others, engaging your cognitive faculties, and purposefully engaging with pleasant distractions can go a long way to tolerating painful emotions. Encourage your loved one to do the same.
IMPROVE is particularly helpful for family members who may not be in crisis, but are finding the stress of supporting a loved one with emotion dysregulation to be straining their emotional resources. Learn how finding the meaning behind what you are doing in a tough moment can make all the difference, and practice guided imagery and self-encouragement.
The ABC skill is an emotion regulation skill that helps us to Accumulate the Positives in our lives for long term happiness. Does your loved one struggle to complete tasks and suffer from low self-esteem? The Build Mastery skill leads to greater self-efficacy and positive change. Sometimes our loved ones have events and situations coming up that they need to prepare for emotionally–we do too! Learn how with Cope Ahead.
Sometimes the most basic things like diet, exercise, sleep and medicine are the ones that get neglected. Our loved ones may struggle to take medication with regularity or attend health appointments; we may be struggling with our sleep hygiene and neglecting our own exercise and diet. The PLEASE skill emphasizes how planning and making time for these self-care activities is crucial for us and our loved ones.
December 5th – Mindfulness: Trending toward happiness through awareness)
Mindfulness is quickly becoming something everyone is looking for. We know from research that mindfulness can generate feelings of wellness, compassion and awareness. If we can practice mindfulness our lives and our challenges with a loved one with emotion dysregulation can greatly reduce the pain and suffering we may experience. Join us for a fun and informative 2-part series on Mindfulness December 5th and December 12th, 2022
Starting in 2023!
Cognitive distortions happen when we are in an intense mind state we call “Emotion Mind”. Do you find your loved one may think in black and white? Perhaps they take things more personally and view life generalizing to the past often? Viewing situations through a cognitive distortion is like looking through smudged glasses, and the facts can seem skewed. Join us to learn the most common distortions most of us experience in our everyday lives, and some tips for navigating them for ourselves and our loved one!
It is human nature to experience reality through our own lenses. At times, our personal biases can create interpretations of events that sway from the facts. Join us as we learn a step-by-step method for checking the facts of real-life examples. We will also explore ways we can proceed once the facts have been checked.
January 30 + February 6 – Two part series with Opposite Action: Sometimes the most effective thing to do is exactly the opposite of what our emotions are urging us to do
Most of us have had an experience where we let our emotions take the lead and were left feeling down about the resulting damage to our relationships or self-esteem. In DBT, there is a skill called Opposite Action that calls on us to do just that – take the Opposite Action to our emotion urge! Join us for this two-part series: in our first session, we will explore the ins and outs of what the skill is, when to use it and work through some examples. In the second session, we will learn how to use the skill step-by-step and workshop your real-life examples together as a group.
Part 1 – January 30th, 2023 click here to sign up
Part 2 – February 6th, 2023 click here to sign up
February 20th FAMILY DAY
February 27 , 2023 – It’s a basic emotional need to feel heard and understood. Effective validation can help us all get there! …What does “validation” really mean? and step by step how do we do it?
Let’s explore together just what the differences and similarities are between sympathy, empathy, and validation. Validation is NOT about agreement, endorsing or even liking what others are doing or saying. It is about validating the feelings behind the actions/words. We will have a fulsome conversation together to share our experiences on what does and does not feel validating in our lives, and talk about ways we might even be invalidating ourselves and our loved one. This session will help to set the stage for our following session if the concept of validation feels a bit confusing (as it does for many of us!)
March 6 , 2023 – Let’s further explore how we can validate our loved ones and ourselves!
Understanding what is and is not validation and self validation are key to deescalating difficult situations. We will also be spending time practicing validating each other with the skills we’ve learned.
Accepting life as it is is no easy feat! As we explore radical acceptance, we will discuss common resistances that we feel toward accepting our lives or situations, and how we can navigate them. We will have a fulsome discussion about why we radically accept and how we can move toward greater acceptance and peace in our daily lives. Acceptance plus resistance equals suffering. Together we will learn to suffer less!
Building on our previous session which explored the concept of Radical Acceptance, during this session we will explore some additional skills that can help us move toward acceptance. As a part of DBT’s Reality Acceptance skills, we will learn about the concepts of willfulness and willingness, how to recognize when wilfulness is present, and what we can do to continue moving forward.
Almost always, our decisions to take action are preceded by emotions which have led to urges. In this session, we will explore what types of emotions and urges the group often experiences and common resulting actions. Then we will learn and practice a new tool to help us evaluate the best way to move forward. Find out how our loved ones can manage making healthy decisions.
Sometimes our emotions are running very high and we’ve already used skills to determine that acting on that emotion urge would not be in alignment with our goals and values. Now what? In DBT, there is a skill called urge surfing that can help us to ride the wave until the waters calm. Join us as we explore strategies that can help us to urge surf and learn from each other what has worked in the past for ourselves and our loved ones.
April 10 – EASTER MONDAY
April 17th, 2023 and April 24 , 2023 – When difficult conversations need to be had, it helps to have a reliable framework for your approach.
In DBT, we have a unique and specific guide toward building Interpersonal Effectiveness. During this two-part series, we will learn the DBT approach to difficult conversations and introduce the foundational acronyms in this skill set. Join us in the first session as we learn what “DEAR” is all about and how to craft “DEAR” statements that are tailored to our priorities. These skills can help us to begin tough conversations with a plan and stick to our values! During session two, we review the DEAR acronyms, put what we’ve learned into practice and workshop your real-life examples.
As humans, we are meant to come from a place of ‘compassion’. When we are not coming from that place we are in “dis” ease. Find out how to exist in this more peaceful place of living. Together we will practice a loving kindness meditation and discuss how this type of meditation can leave us feeling. We will also guide you through a reflective exercise called the “DBT House” which will provide you with a map for our goals, values, supports, behaviours etc. This is the last session before we move into our Advanced set of skills.
Compassion in Chaos Drop-In Program, DBT 200 Advanced DBT Sessions
Past Sessions 2021
October 4th Crisis Analysis and Prevention: “How does this keep happening?!”
When our loved ones act out, it feels like they’re going from 0 to 60 in the moment; however, thoughts and feelings can go off the rails well before rage, self-harm, or substance use happens. Understand your loved one’s crisis moments for prevention and insight. Analyze your own chain
reaction to your loved one and see where you can improve. With Julie and Elizabeth.
October 11th: Thanksgiving Break
October 18th Understanding Emotions: Foundations of Mindfulness of Emotion
Why are emotions valuable? What is happening when your loved one has a strong emotion? Begin to build your awareness of your own emotions and understand the pitfalls of your loved one’s emotional reasoning. With Julie and Elizabeth.
October 25th The Iceberg of Emotional Reactivity: What’s Underneath an Emotion?
Our loved ones have certain emotions because they are trying to avoid others. We do too. Not understanding what we’re really feeling can sabotage relationships. Learn how to explore the feelings hidden beneath emotional reactions. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 1st React, Suppress or Be Mindful? Why and How to Choose Mindfulness?
What’s to gain by being mindful instead of suppressing or acting on an emotion? Learn how noticing emotions as sensations in the body can help us let the painful stories and judgments go. Learn the steps of Mindfulness of Emotion. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 8th Calm Amidst the Storm: A Meditation Training in Compassionate Attention
Learn how to safely allow a strong emotion about your loved one to be present without acting it out. Instead, mindfully surf it and send your self some compassion. This training is great for people who suppress emotions and those who “act out” emotions. Start a values inventory to
understand what matters most in your life. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 15th Check the Facts: The Power of Checking Our Negative Assumptions
Our judgments about our loved ones can send us spinning into a harmful reaction. Instead, we can Check the Facts and face our catastrophic thoughts calmly. Practice becoming aware of how your loved one is influenced by their negative distortions and judgements so you can help them. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 22 Cancelled
November 29th Change Unwanted Emotions and Urges: The Powerful Skill of Opposite Action
When we have emotions that don’t fit the facts followed by urges that threaten to move us away from our goals and values, the skill we turn to is Opposite Action. Learn Opposite Action for when acting on your emotion is going to cause more harm than good, so that you can be the one in the driver’s seat, not your emotion. Help your loved one learn to “act opposite”. With Julie and Elizabeth.
December 6th When It’s Just Not You: Solving Real World Problems to Change Emotions
Sometimes we’ve tried all kinds of “inner” solutions, and nothing is working! This can be because the source of our unwanted emotion is out in the world, not inside of us. DBT has a skill for this: Problem Solving. Help your loved one strategize and execute problem solving for more lasting emotional change and identify problems that need solving in your own life. With Julie and Elizabeth.
December 13th Core Interpersonal Effectiveness in DBT: The DEAR MAN Skills
Become mindful of your priorities going into a difficult interaction to avoid getting off track. Know which skill to choose to obtain your objective with your loved one—or with anyone! These skills are great for relationships of any kind, personal or professional. With Julie and Elizabeth.
December 20th DEAR MAN Practice: Putting Your Core Interpersonal Skills into Action
Rehearse the DEAR MAN skills to be ready for difficult, real-life scenarios. Learn how to combine the skills to maintain your self-respect while still validating your loved one AND getting something done! With Julie and Elizabeth.
January 16th – When we understand common thought distortions, we’re better prepared to understand difficult emotions.
2022
January 24 Validation is Oxygen, Steps 1-3: Listen, Reflect, and Check Validation is the ultimate tool for building relationships of any kind and deescalating conflict with your loved one. We will walk you through the first three steps and practice them together, because validating your dysregulated loved one takes repeated practice! With Julie and Elizabeth.
January 31 Validation Is Oxygen, Steps 4-6: Their Causes, Your Actions, and Being Genuine When we consider the causes behind our loved one’s dysregulation, validation flows more easily. Learn that validation is more than words: it’s actions. There is space in validation for our own radical genuineness: it’s a dialectic. With Julie and Elizabeth.
February 7 Self-Validation: Healing from Hurt While Supporting a Loved One
Invalidation is any message we get that we shouldn’t feel what we feel or be how we are. We may have internalized invalidating messages from our loved ones or in childhood. How can we begin to reverse the cycle? Our emotions will often stick around until we validate them and show them understanding—learn how to do this kind act for yourself. With Julie and Elizabeth.
February 14th: Valentine’s Day Break
February 21 Self-Compassion 101: Meeting Disappointment and Hurt with Self-Compassion
Meet difficult moments with your loved one with more self-kindness in three easy steps. Learn to feel less alone and more connected in the world. Disarm your inner critic with Mindful Self Compassion, a now widely studied and clinically practiced discipline. With Julie and Elizabeth.
February 28 At Peace with My Emotions: Radically Accepting Painful Stuff, Steps 1&2
Break the cycle of fighting where your loved one is current at—or any other issue that requires acceptance. Learn the first two steps for making space for a painful reality in order not to make it worse. See your negativity begin to lessen and melt away with radical acceptance. With Julie and Elizabeth.
March 7th Curious and Compassionate: Radically Accepting Painful Stuff, Steps 3&4
Continuing from last week, investigate what’s going on and learn to be curious instead of reacting when a strong emotion about your loved-one comes up. Continue to build your self compassion skills with step four of the training. Remember, more compassion for yourself means more compassion for your loved one! With Julie and Elizabeth.
March 14 Mindfulness of Thoughts: Becoming Less Reactive to Painful Thoughts
Learn to see thoughts as thoughts, NOT facts. This is the key to mindfulness! Do an exercise to become aware of the stories you are telling yourself and let them go—become more aware of your loved one’s judgments and interpretations. When we can watch a thought without reacting, this is the beginning of freedom. With Julie and Elizabeth.
March 21 Being Mind and Doing Mind: Combatting Caregiver Burnout with Being Mind
Do you feel guilty when you allow yourself a break? Are you burning out from the constant worrying about and caring for others? Learn how to recharge and savor simple moments of Being Mind, while still allowing for Doing Mind in one of the main Dialectics in DBT. With Julie and Elizabeth.
March 28 Behaviour Change: Give Up Unwanted Behaviours and Encourage New Ones
Learn reinforcement techniques to reduce unwanted behaviours and encourage wanted behaviours. Use reinforcement to build new healthy habits for yourself and encourage change in your loved one. Keep or renew those 2022 New Year’s resolutions! With Julie and Elizabeth.
April 4 The Dialectic of Addiction Recovery: Aim for the Best and Plan for the Worse
How does DBT approach addiction recovery, or cravings and slips of any kind? Help your loved one in their recovery and learn Dialectical ways to approach your own goals for personal behaviour change. With Julie and Elizabeth.
April 11 Mindfulness of Thoughts: Becoming Less Reactive to Painful Thoughts
Learn to see thoughts as thoughts, NOT facts. This is the key to mindfulness! Do an exercise to become aware of the stories you are telling yourself and let them go—become more aware of your loved one’s judgments and interpretations. When we can watch a thought without reacting, this is the beginning of freedom. With Julie and Elizabeth.
Tonight’s topic: Out of the chaos into a calmer compassion. At then end of this group we will help you walk away with more compassion hope and inspiration. These groups have been described as like “air” by those who attend.
Understanding our loved ones strengths and their gifts. We will be starting in WEEK 1 of our 24 week program . This is a great opportunity for you to start at the beginning of the program. This is a drop-in group and we strongly advise you come out to consecutive groups consistently as you will learn all the DBT skills by coming back each week. Skills build on skills before them etc. What the heck is DBT anyway? How does it help with BPD or what we like to call challenges with emotion regulation. In this session we will be explaining the complexity to the disorder and how it presents in our loved ones behaviour, thoughts and emotions. There is so much strength and courage in our loved ones and in ourselves. As peers we are a unique and special group. Speaking with others who truly understand our experience can be life saving. You are not alone. We will begin to look at things through the lens of Wise Mind. With Julie and Elizabeth.
October 3, 2022 : Understanding mind states (Rational, Emotion and Wise Mind)
Our loved ones find themselves in emotion mind most of the time. In this session we will learn to understand ourselves and our loved ones through the lens of wise mind.
October 10, 2022 is Thanksgiving Weekend
Do you ever find yourself responding or reacting to your loved one in a way that seems to escalate the situation? The STOP skill put the breaks on potentially explosive situations, allowing us time to choose a more effective response. If we don’t know how to STOP, then it is very difficult to put any other DBT skill into practice. One moment of mindfulness can begin to break the cycle of reactivity with our loved one.
Emotions can still run high even when we learn to pause before responding. Enter the TIPP skill. (Temperature, Intense Exercise, Progressive Relaxation and Paced Breathing) This very effective skill teaches us how to use our own bodies to calm down so that we can access our wiser side. Working with our parasympathetic nervous system this skill can be crucial for those of us who have loved ones who are in frequent distress. Learn the skill and model it for them.
Expand your tool kit for positive distraction by learning to engage all of your senses to calm down. Learn how getting busy helping others, engaging your cognitive faculties, and purposefully engaging with pleasant distractions can go a long way to tolerating painful emotions. Encourage your loved one to do the same.
IMPROVE is particularly helpful for family members who may not be in crisis, but are finding the stress of supporting a loved one with emotion dysregulation to be straining their emotional resources. Learn how finding the meaning behind what you are doing in a tough moment can make all the difference, and practice guided imagery and self-encouragement.
The ABC skill is an emotion regulation skill that helps us to Accumulate the Positives in our lives for long term happiness. Does your loved one struggle to complete tasks and suffer from low self-esteem? The Build Mastery skill leads to greater self-efficacy and positive change. Sometimes our loved ones have events and situations coming up that they need to prepare for emotionally–we do too! Learn how with Cope Ahead.
Sometimes the most basic things like diet, exercise, sleep and medicine are the ones that get neglected. Our loved ones may struggle to take medication with regularity or attend health appointments; we may be struggling with our sleep hygiene and neglecting our own exercise and diet. The PLEASE skill emphasizes how planning and making time for these self-care activities is crucial for us and our loved ones.
December 5th – Mindfulness: Trending toward happiness through awareness)
Mindfulness is quickly becoming something everyone is looking for. We know from research that mindfulness can generate feelings of wellness, compassion and awareness. If we can practice mindfulness our lives and our challenges with a loved one with emotion dysregulation can greatly reduce the pain and suffering we may experience. Join us for a fun and informative 2-part series on Mindfulness December 5th and December 12th, 2022
Cognitive distortions happen when we are in an intense mind state we call “Emotion Mind”. Do you find your loved one may think in black and white? Perhaps they take things more personally and view life generalizing to the past often? Viewing situations through a cognitive distortion is like looking through smudged glasses, and the facts can seem skewed. Join us to learn the most common distortions most of us experience in our everyday lives, and some tips for navigating them for ourselves and our loved one!
It is human nature to experience reality through our own lenses. At times, our personal biases can create interpretations of events that sway from the facts. Join us as we learn a step-by-step method for checking the facts of real-life examples. We will also explore ways we can proceed once the facts have been checked.
January 30 + February 6 – Opposite Action: Sometimes the most effective thing to do is exactly the opposite of what our emotions are urging us to do
Most of us have had an experience where we let our emotions take the lead and were left feeling down about the resulting damage to our relationships or self-esteem. In DBT, there is a skill called Opposite Action that calls on us to do just that – take the Opposite Action to our emotion urge! Join us for this two-part series: in our first session, we will explore the ins and outs of what the skill is, when to use it and work through some examples. In the second session, we will learn how to use the skill step-by-step and workshop your real-life examples together as a group.
February 13 + February 20 – When difficult conversations need to be had, it helps to have a reliable framework for your approach.
In DBT, we have a unique and specific guide toward building Interpersonal Effectiveness. During this two-part series, we will learn the DBT approach to difficult conversations and introduce the foundational acronyms in this skill set. Join us in the first session as we learn what “DEAR” is all about and how to craft “DEAR” statements that are tailored to our priorities. These skills can help us to begin tough conversations with a plan and stick to our values! During session two, we review the DEAR acronyms, put what we’ve learned into practice and workshop your real-life examples.
February 27 – It’s a basic emotional need to feel heard and understood. Effective validation can help us all get there! …What does “validation” really mean?
Let’s explore together just what the differences and similarities are between sympathy, empathy, and validation. Validation is NOT about agreement, endorsing or even liking what others are doing or saying. It is about validating the feelings behind the actions/words. We will have a fulsome conversation together to share our experiences on what does and does not feel validating in our lives, and talk about ways we might even be invalidating ourselves and our loved one. This session will help to set the stage for our following session if the concept of validation feels a bit confusing (as it does for many of us!)
March 6 – Let’s explore step by step how we can validate our loved ones and ourselves!
If some support in understanding what is and is not validation would feel helpful for you, we highly recommend attending our Feb. 27th session as well. During this session, we will dive right into specific and tangible steps we can take that will help us work toward being master validators! We will also spend some time practicing validating each other with the skills we’ve learned.
March 13 – When life feels out of control, radical acceptance can help to bring us some peace.
Accepting life as it is is no easy feat! As we explore radical acceptance, we will discuss common resistances that we feel toward accepting our lives or situations, and how we can navigate them. We will have a fulsome discussion about why we radically accept and how we can move toward greater acceptance and peace in our daily lives. Acceptance plus resistance equals suffering. Together we will learn to suffer less!
March 20 – Accepting reality as it is is not easy! Join us as we explore what it means to be willing.
Building on our previous session which explored the concept of Radical Acceptance, during this session we will explore some additional skills that can help us move toward acceptance. As a part of DBT’s Reality Acceptance skills, we will learn about the concepts of willfulness and willingness, how to recognize when wilfulness is present, and what we can do to continue moving forward.
March 27 – Pros and cons: Join us as we explore urges and emotion mind and learn a practical approach to decision-making.
Almost always, our decisions to take action are preceded by emotions which have led to urges. In this session, we will explore what types of emotions and urges the group often experiences and common resulting actions. Then we will learn and practice a new tool to help us evaluate the best way to move forward. Find out how our loved ones can manage making healthy decisions.
April 3 – Urge Surfing: Do you or your loved one struggle with addiction including substances, self harm and eating disorders? When emotions are high and we know acting on them isn’t effective, learning to surf can be our best option!
Sometimes our emotions are running very high and we’ve already used skills to determine that acting on that emotion urge would not be in alignment with our goals and values. Now what? In DBT, there is a skill called urge surfing that can help us to ride the wave until the waters calm. Join us as we explore strategies that can help us to urge surf and learn from each other what has worked in the past for ourselves and our loved ones.
April 10 – EASTER MONDAY
April 17 – Loving kindness meditation: Join us as we explore love and kindness and the 18 Science Based Reasons for doing it
As humans, we are meant to come from a place of ‘compassion’. When we are not coming from that place we are in “dis” ease. Find out how to exist in this more peaceful place of living. Together we will practice a loving kindness meditation and discuss how this type of meditation can leave us feeling. We will also guide you through a reflective exercise called the “DBT House” which will provide you with a map for our goals, values, supports, behaviours etc. This is the last session before we move into our Advanced set of skills.
Compassion in Chaos Drop-In Program, DBT 200 Advanced DBT Sessions
Past Sessions 2021
October 4th Crisis Analysis and Prevention: “How does this keep happening?!”
When our loved ones act out, it feels like they’re going from 0 to 60 in the moment; however, thoughts and feelings can go off the rails well before rage, self-harm, or substance use happens. Understand your loved one’s crisis moments for prevention and insight. Analyze your own chain
reaction to your loved one and see where you can improve. With Julie and Elizabeth.
October 11th: Thanksgiving Break
October 18th Understanding Emotions: Foundations of Mindfulness of Emotion
Why are emotions valuable? What is happening when your loved one has a strong emotion? Begin to build your awareness of your own emotions and understand the pitfalls of your loved one’s emotional reasoning. With Julie and Elizabeth.
October 25th The Iceberg of Emotional Reactivity: What’s Underneath an Emotion?
Our loved ones have certain emotions because they are trying to avoid others. We do too. Not understanding what we’re really feeling can sabotage relationships. Learn how to explore the feelings hidden beneath emotional reactions. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 1st React, Suppress or Be Mindful? Why and How to Choose Mindfulness?
What’s to gain by being mindful instead of suppressing or acting on an emotion? Learn how noticing emotions as sensations in the body can help us let the painful stories and judgments go. Learn the steps of Mindfulness of Emotion. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 8th Calm Amidst the Storm: A Meditation Training in Compassionate Attention
Learn how to safely allow a strong emotion about your loved one to be present without acting it out. Instead, mindfully surf it and send your self some compassion. This training is great for people who suppress emotions and those who “act out” emotions. Start a values inventory to
understand what matters most in your life. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 15th Check the Facts: The Power of Checking Our Negative Assumptions
Our judgments about our loved ones can send us spinning into a harmful reaction. Instead, we can Check the Facts and face our catastrophic thoughts calmly. Practice becoming aware of how your loved one is influenced by their negative distortions and judgements so you can help them. With Julie and Elizabeth.
November 22 Cancelled
November 29th Change Unwanted Emotions and Urges: The Powerful Skill of Opposite Action
When we have emotions that don’t fit the facts followed by urges that threaten to move us away from our goals and values, the skill we turn to is Opposite Action. Learn Opposite Action for when acting on your emotion is going to cause more harm than good, so that you can be the one in the driver’s seat, not your emotion. Help your loved one learn to “act opposite”. With Julie and Elizabeth.
December 6th When It’s Just Not You: Solving Real World Problems to Change Emotions
Sometimes we’ve tried all kinds of “inner” solutions, and nothing is working! This can be because the source of our unwanted emotion is out in the world, not inside of us. DBT has a skill for this: Problem Solving. Help your loved one strategize and execute problem solving for more lasting emotional change and identify problems that need solving in your own life. With Julie and Elizabeth.
December 13th Core Interpersonal Effectiveness in DBT: The DEAR MAN Skills
Become mindful of your priorities going into a difficult interaction to avoid getting off track. Know which skill to choose to obtain your objective with your loved one—or with anyone! These skills are great for relationships of any kind, personal or professional. With Julie and Elizabeth.
December 20th DEAR MAN Practice: Putting Your Core Interpersonal Skills into Action
Rehearse the DEAR MAN skills to be ready for difficult, real-life scenarios. Learn how to combine the skills to maintain your self-respect while still validating your loved one AND getting something done! With Julie and Elizabeth.
Also, it’s a good idea to put yourself on our mailing list so you will be updated on upcoming help for both you and your loved ones, in addition to community events. Click here to put yourself on our mailing list (We promise we don’t send out unrelated things!)
