DBT Program for Teens & Caregivers in Roanoke, VA
A comprehensive DBT program designed to help teens build skills and help caregivers learn how to support them.
When a teen experiences intense emotions, the challenges often affect the entire family.
It can be difficult for teens to know how to manage overwhelming emotions, and caregivers may feel unsure about how to respond when emotions escalate.
Our DBT Program for Teens and Caregivers provides a comprehensive, skills-based approach that helps teens and their caregivers develop practical tools for managing emotions, navigating conflict, improving relationships, and responding more effectively during difficult moments.
The program combines weekly individual therapy, a weekly DBT skills coaching group for teens and caregivers, and between-session phone coaching to help teens practice using DBT skills in their everyday lives.
A Full DBT Program Model
Learning DBT skills once a week is only part of the process.
Our program is designed to help teens learn skills, practice them, and receive support using them in real-life situations.
Teens participating in the DBT program are expected to participate in all three components.
1. Weekly Individual Therapy
Teens attend weekly individual therapy sessions with their DBT therapist.
Individual sessions provide a private space to work on personal treatment goals, understand patterns that may be contributing to emotional difficulties, and apply DBT skills to the teen's individual experiences.
The therapist and teen work together to identify challenges, strengthen skills, and build progress over time.
2. Weekly DBT Skills Coaching Group
Teens and their caregivers attend a two-hour weekly skills coaching group on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
The group is divided into two parts.
First hour: Peer Support
Teens and caregivers have an opportunity to connect with others who may be navigating similar experiences and challenges.
Second hour: DBT Skills
Teens and caregivers come together to learn and practice DBT skills for:
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Managing big emotions
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Staying mindful
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Coping with distress
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Working through conflict
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Improving communication
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Strengthening relationships
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Responding rather than reacting
Learning the skills together gives teens and caregivers a shared language they can use at home.
3. Between-Session Phone Coaching
One of the strengths of a comprehensive DBT program is the opportunity to practice skills when real-life situations happen.
Teens in the program have access to phone coaching between sessions. This allows a teen to reach out to their skills coach for support with using DBT skills in the moment.
For example, a teen may be experiencing a difficult situation at home, feeling overwhelmed by an emotion, or struggling to remember which skill might be helpful.
The purpose of phone coaching is skills coaching and support with applying DBT skills. It is not a substitute for individual therapy, and it is not an emergency or crisis service.
Why a Comprehensive Program?
DBT is about more than learning a list of coping skills.
The goal is to help teens develop the ability to recognize what is happening emotionally, tolerate difficult moments, respond more effectively, and build healthier relationships.
That takes practice.
The different components of our program work together.
Individual therapy helps teens work on their individual goals.
Skills group provides structured learning and practice.
Caregiver participation helps families develop a shared understanding and language around DBT skills.
Phone coaching helps teens apply those skills when challenges arise between sessions.
Together, these components create opportunities to learn skills, practice them, and use them in real life.
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, is an evidence-based treatment approach that teaches practical skills for managing emotions, coping with distress, improving relationships, and staying present.
DBT recognizes that intense emotions can be difficult to manage, and that simply telling someone to "calm down" usually isn't enough.
Instead, DBT teaches specific skills that can help teens:
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Understand and regulate emotions
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Tolerate distress
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Stay present and mindful
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Communicate more effectively
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Navigate interpersonal conflict
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Reduce impulsive reactions
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Make choices that support their long-term goals
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Build healthier relationships
The goal isn't to eliminate difficult emotions.
The goal is to help teens develop the skills to navigate those emotions more effectively.
Caregivers Are Part of the Program
Teen mental health doesn't happen in isolation.
Parents and caregivers play an important role in supporting teens as they learn and practice new skills.
That's why caregivers participate in the weekly DBT skills coaching group alongside their teens.
Learning together can help families develop a shared language around emotions and coping.
Instead of caregivers simply being told what their teen is learning, they have the opportunity to learn the skills themselves and understand how those skills can be used at home.
The goal is not to place blame on teens or caregivers.
It's to help the whole family build skills.
Skills for Real Life
DBT skills are meant to be used outside the therapy office.
The program helps teens practice applying skills to real-life situations such as:
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Conflict with parents or caregivers
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Feeling overwhelmed by strong emotions
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Arguments with friends or family
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Stress at school
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Difficulty communicating needs
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Feeling unable to calm down
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Repeated patterns of conflict
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Situations that trigger intense emotional reactions
Through individual therapy, group learning, and phone coaching, teens have multiple opportunities to practice using skills in the situations where they actually need them.
Who Is the DBT Program For?
Our DBT program is designed for teens, ages 13 - 19, and their caregivers who are looking for a structured, comprehensive approach to developing emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal skills.
The program may be appropriate for teens experiencing significant difficulties with:
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Emotional regulation
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Intense emotions
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Distress tolerance
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Interpersonal relationships
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Family conflict
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Impulsive or reactive behaviors
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Coping with stressful situations
A comprehensive DBT program may not be the right fit for every teen. An initial assessment can help determine whether this level of care is appropriate and whether the program matches the teen's needs and goals.
Program Commitment
Because the program is designed as a comprehensive treatment model, participation in the different components is important.
Teens begin the DBT program with four individual therapy sessions. This initial period gives the teen and therapist an opportunity to establish a therapeutic relationship, begin learning DBT skills, identify treatment goals, and determine whether the teen is ready to make the commitment required for the full program.
Teens are admitted to the DBT Skills Coaching Group after demonstrating a commitment to the DBT program during these first four individual sessions.
This approach helps ensure that teens entering the group are prepared to participate consistently, engage in skills practice, and make use of the support provided by the program.
Once admitted to the group, teens are expected to participate in:
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Weekly individual therapy
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Weekly DBT skills coaching group
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Between-session phone coaching
Caregiver participation in the weekly skills coaching group is also an important part of the program.
This structure allows skills to be reinforced across individual therapy, group, family life, and real-world situations.
Group Details
DBT Skills Coaching Group for Teens & Caregivers
When: Tuesdays
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 PM
Frequency: Weekly
Location: Mindful Mountain Wellness Center, Roanoke, Virginia
The group includes:
5:30 to 6:30 PM: Peer Support
Teens and caregivers connect and share experiences in a supportive group environment.
6:30 to 7:30 PM: DBT Skills Coaching
Teens and caregivers learn and practice DBT skills together.
Private Pay
The DBT Skills Coaching Group is available by private pay only and is not billed to insurance.
Please contact us for current program availability, fees, and enrollment information.
Building Skills That Last Beyond Therapy
Our goal is not simply to help a teen get through one difficult moment.
We want teens to leave treatment with skills they can continue using as they navigate relationships, school, work, family life, and adulthood.
By combining individual therapy, skills coaching, caregiver participation, and between-session phone coaching, the program provides repeated opportunities to learn, practice, and apply DBT skills.
Teens don't have to figure it out alone. Caregivers don't have to either.