The Top 5 Benefits of Online DBT Group Therapy

When approaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), many people are surprised to find that online group sessions actively work on the skill development required to succeed. While it’s often presumed that DBT is most effective in a one-on-one setting, in reality DBT skills are best adopted in a group setting where members can actively practice their new skills and participate in discussion around common mental health challenges. 

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Benefit 1: Community & Accountability

For the majority of individuals struggling with mental health challenges, it’s easy to feel isolated and alone in the midst of overwhelming emotion, anxious thoughts, impulses, and behaviors. This sense of isolation can amplify feelings of shame or guilt and reinforce stigmas surrounding mental health conditions that keep individuals from improving. One major benefit of an online therapy group is that it brings a sense of community, accountability, and normalcy to your experiences. These groups keep you from feeling alone or isolated, and create a safe space to share and grow.

Benefit 2: Acceptance & Understanding

A foundational principle of DBT is the understanding that every emotion, behavior, and thought serves a particular purpose. Accepting your emotions and digging deep into your thoughts is part of the DBT process. Doing this in a group setting with your peers can help normalize the experiences you’re having and promote the acceptance and willingness to change required for DBT to succeed as a treatment protocol. 

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Benefit 3: Practical Application 

An online DBT skills group offers a safe space for you to engage with your peers in discussion and the practical application of the skills you’re learning in order to learn how to apply them in the moment. This can be a very empowering experience for those anxious about exploring their perceived limitations in the real world. In a group setting, members can also feel comfortable exploring healthy conflict and using these interactions to create therapeutic teaching moments for everyone involved. With the support of a qualified mental health specialist as your group leader, online DBT therapy creates a supervised, non-judgmental environment that can compel you to progress faster than you might on your own. 

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Benefit 4: Flexibility 

One major benefit of online DBT group therapy is that it offers flexible scheduling from the comfort of your own home. Online therapy is no less effective than in-person therapy, and brings the added accountability of attendance since you’ll be joining from your phone! The most important thing to remember when attending an online group is to minimize distractions so you can focus on your DBT skills training while participating in your session. Outside of this, you can just get cozy, relax, and improve your mental health and wellbeing in your own safe space. 

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Benefit 5: New Perspective

At its core, group therapy involves the process of gathering input from people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, worldviews, and experiences. In online DBT group therapy you’ll get the benefit of many kinds of perspectives from different personalities, which can help you create a more rounded and comprehensive view of the struggles you’re facing. Learning how other people handle issues and challenges can shed light on ways you might bring new strategies in to address your own problems. Your fellow group members can also share insight into blind spots you may have about yourselves - blind spots which, when unaddressed, could be holding you back.

Don’t forget that online DBT group therapy is fully confidential. Members are required to keep information shared in the group private to the group, and no one is required to share their name or personal identifiers in an effort to ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable sharing openly in a group setting. 

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Interested in learning more about online DBT group therapy?

Reach out today and a qualified mental health coordinator can answer your questions to help you decide if group therapy is right for you.

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