Are you seeking relief from painful emotions or difficult life experiences? Have you felt frustrated and hopeless about your relationships or your ability to control your behaviors? Or maybe someone has mentioned to you that DBT could help you lead a happier and more fulfilling life. However you have found us, we are glad that you are here. We are the Psychology Specialists of Maine Center for DBT, and we look forward to helping you find your path out of hell.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment that is recommended for people in chronic distress related to a range of difficulties including emotional and mood dysregulation, challenges in relationships, impulsive behaviors, uncertainty about values and goals, hopelessness, and/or self-harm behaviors and suicidal thinking. DBT helps clients make effective changes in their lives while also building acceptance for themselves and their experiences.
We offer comprehensive DBT services, including individual therapy with a DBT therapist, participation in a weekly DBT skills training group, skills coaching calls to implement new learning in daily life, and support and ongoing training for our therapists through regular participation in a DBT consultation group. Clients can engage with some or all of the components of this comprehensive program depending on their needs.
Are you interested in learning more about our individual or group DBT services? Complete an appointment request or call us at 207-607-4022.
**please complete an appointment request to be contacted about our DBT GROUPs**
Services
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy progresses through stages depending on the needs of the client. Clients often enter therapy at stage 1, which is aimed at stabilization. Clients complete the DBT skills training group during this stage and may use skills coaching calls with their therapist depending on their treatment plan. In stage 2, the focus is on resolving symptoms related to mood difficulties and posttraumatic stress. Final stages of treatment involve building a life that reflects the client’s values and supporting self-confidence and acceptance.
DBT is a naturally integrative treatment that blends principles of mindfulness, cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, trauma-focused therapy, and humanism. Therapy sessions tend to be structured with the therapist as an active participant.
Groups
DBT groups are a structured, skills training program that progresses through four content modules. The first is a core mindfulness module, which is brief and returned to between each of the other modules. The focus of this module is increasing nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. The other modules are emotion regulation (i.e., promoting emotional awareness and developing effective ways to manage difficult emotions), interpersonal effectiveness (i.e., building and maintaining satisfying relationships), and distress tolerance (i.e., strategies to deal with crisis situations and the intense emotions that accompany them). It takes about 9 months to complete all four modules.
The DBT skills group meets weekly for 1.5 hours. The first part of the group is spent reviewing homework and giving and receiving feedback. The second part of the group is devoted to learning new skills through didactic learning and discussion. New group members can start at the beginning of any module. The group requires active participation from all members, including completing weekly homework. Our skills group is intended for clients currently meeting regularly with an individual therapist who could benefit from supplemental emotion regulation and interpersonal skills training. The individual therapist does not need to be a DBT therapist.
MONDAYS 3:30 TO 5:00PM (women-identifying and non-binary) WITH DR. white
tuesdays 5:30 TO 6:30 (ALL GENDER 4-WEEK INTRo group) WITH DR. WALSH
TUESDAYS 9:00 TO 10:30AM (ALL GENDER) WITH DR. cogan
TUESDAYS 3:00 TO 4:30PM (women-identifying and non-binary) WITH DR. PARKER-GUILBERT
WEDNESDAYS 12:30-2:00PM (ALL GENDER) WITH DR. hansell
WEDNESDAYS 2:30 TO 4:00PM (ALL GENDER) WITH DR. hansell
THURSDAYS 9:00 TO 10:30AM (ALL GENDER) WITH DR. COGAN
Clients interested in learning more about our group DBT services should complete an appointment request or call us at 207-607-4022. All clients must complete an intake appointment prior to being admitted to the DBT group to assess goodness-of-fit and learn about the group.
Introduction to DBT Group
We offer a 4-week Introduction to DBT group for clients currently on the waitlist for a full DBT skills group. This 60-minute group introduces participants to core DBT mindfulness and distress tolerance skills. The goal of this group is to enhance skill use while on the waitlist and to ensure a smooth transition into the full DBT skills group.
The Introduction to DBT group meets weekly on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 and is open to all genders.
Professional Consultation, Training, and Supervision
Are you seeking additional support for your DBT practice or hoping to gain skills as a DBT therapist? Our team of experts can help with setting up a skills group, consulting around a challenging clinical case, obtaining advanced supervision in the practice of DBT, or offering a DBT training event for mental health professionals.
Contact Dr. Kate White at drwhite@psychologyspecialistsme.com for more information about fees and offerings.
Resources
Books
Podcasts
Apps and Links
Overview of DBT: https://behavioraltech.org/resources/faqs/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt/
Emotion Lists:
Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart Emotion List: 87-Human-Emotions-and-Experiences_1Page.pdf
Tracking Apps:
Mindfulness Apps:
Crisis Resources
Maine State crisis line: 988
National crisis text line: text HOME to 741741