Therapy Options at RDU

CBT in it’s simplest form is talk therapy that is aimed to help a person get closer to their goals by changing how they interact with their thoughts and world.  Many different kinds of therapy fall under the broad category of CBT.  

DBT is a very specific kind of CBT. It is protocoled, evidence based, and to be delivered in an “adherent“ way (as described in the research, and evidence based), needs to be conducted by an expert trained in DBT.  True DBT includes diary cards, phone coaching, weekly sessions, as well as a skills teaching component. There are several kinds of DBT.

Your therapist can help guide you into the most cost and time effective approach for you and your needs. 

Individual therapy focuses on you. You learn what you are doing that is working for you, what you may be doing that is getting in the way of the type of life you want to lead, explore past events, thought patterns, and behavioral patterns and learn how to manage urges and patterns so you can reach your goals. 

Family therapy focuses on the family unit. Family therapy is a safe space to meet with a skilled provider to explore needs, strengths, and weaknesses and help develop the skills and strategies to move forward as a stronger team. This type of therapy can be skill based or process based with more discussion and focus on individual's experiences during interactions. 

Group therapy can include the client, members in the client's family, or a whole family. The focus in group therapy  is on skill building. There are processing focused groups that exist in the world of therapy that allow for members to talk through their feelings and at RDU Therapy we focus on skill building for our group members. There is less of a  focus on what happened in your personal life and more of a focus on teaching the group new skills and strategies so they can take on life in a way that makes sense for them. For some, they will have their own therapist and participate in a group. Some groups do not require you to have a therapist. 

Every approach we use is evidence based and we do require intakes to make sure we are a good match for you and your needs. 

Below you will find a checklist. I ask all of the individuals we work with about the following items to see if they sound like they may benefit from DBT. Supersensor is not a diagnosis you’ll find in the official diagnostic books professionals use, yet it is a term that describes a cluster of behaviors and characteristics that describe a person who may benefit from DBT. The term as used by Francheska Perepletchikova  (2018),  the person who created DBT-C is explained in greater detail below. 

Supersensors tend to share several (rarely, all) of the following characteristics. 

• They avoid effort as tasks can seem overwhelming (finishing touches on a project, meet new people, learn a new skill). 
• When faced with emotions a supersensor may be hyper-reactive (higher energy level when emotions increase). 
• Sameness may be comforting to a supersensor and unexpected or desired change can be difficult (new school year, changes in routine). 
• They seek stimulation from others ("mom, I am bored", misbehave when waiting in line, may intrude on others' turns, act out while waiting, take items from others). 
• Sustaining attention takes a lot of effort for un-desired tasks (homework time may be very challenging, change the topic often in serious conversations), may blurt out or use their hands rather than words to solve problems. 
• Some may have sensitivities to sensory input (picky eaters, tags in clothes are bothersome, aversion to temperatures, flavors, sounds). 
• May require a lot of physical stimulation (have energy to spare after running around at the park, whereas other children may need down time). 
• All or nothing thinking ("I hate you", "I am never going to do that", "you never let me"). 
• Independent living tasks are avoided (brushing teeth, hair, wiping, putting away a dirty dish).

Adult DBT

Adults who may benefit from DBT engage in problematic behaviors that may or may not be risky, interfere with relationships, cause harm to self and  or others. These behaviors may result in conflict,  avoidance, substance use, unstable relationships, spending, and misuse of food. 

Teen DBT

Teens who may benefit from DBT engage in problematic behaviors that may or may not be risky, interfere with relationships, cause harm to self and  or others.  These behaviors may result in conflict with family/friends/teachers,  lying, avoidance of school/work/parents/friends , substance use, unstable relationships, spending,  sneaking out, misuse of social media, and misuse of food. 

Child DBT  

Children who may benefit from DBT engage in problematic behaviors that may or may not be risky, interfere with relationships, cause harm to self and  or others.  These behaviors may result in temper tantrums, outbursts,  conflicts with family/friends/teachers,  avoidance of chores/hygiene tasks/parents/friends, excessive gaming,  difficulty going to sleep alone, lying, hiding, spending, and misuse of food.