Bellevue Hospital Center / New York University

INTENSIVE PERSONALITY
DISORDER PROGRAM
(IPDP)

DBT Skills Training

An integral part of the Intensive Personality Disorder Program (IPDP) and Dialectical
Behavior Therapy (DBT) is patient participation in DBT Skills Group.  These groups are
focused on Skill Training.  In the Skill Training Groups individuals are exposed to and
taught skills that are relevant to the particular difficulties experienced while suffering
with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

There are four modules that organize 4 groups of skills:
1)  Core Mindfulness Skills
2)  Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
3)  Emotional Modulation Skills
4)  Distress Tolerance Skills

Core Mindfulness Skills:  Individuals use techniques that enable he/she to be aware of
everything that is happening around (environment) and within (self).  The goal is to
create a lifestyle that focuses on participating in life with a high quality of awareness
and control of attention.  

Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills:  Individuals use techniques to effectively assert
oneself to ask for changes to be made, resist changes that someone else is trying to
make, learn to cope with interpersonal conflict, and work at achieving mastery of
interpersonal skills.  In summary, these are skills for obtaining objectives, maintaining
self-respect, and improving relationships.

Emotional Modulation Skills:  Individuals use techniques to identify, label, and
regulate current emotions.  Since difficulties in regulating painful emotions is key to
most behavioral difficulties, it is important to utilize skills that focus on identifying the
negative emotions, reduce the vulnerability that interferes with changing the negative
emotions, increase positive emotional events, stimulate mindfulness to current emotions,
and enable distress tolerance skills.

Distress Tolerance Skills:  Individuals use techniques that enable tolerance during
crisis situations and acceptance of life as it is in its current state.  The skills are
designed to help individuals get through life and survive when bad things are occurring
around them, without exhibiting harmful behaviors that will make the situation even
worse.  Being mindful, tolerant, and accepting of distressing situations is essential to
mental health and a large part of the process involved in accepting and being able to
make changes in oneself.     


Times & Meeting Places

The IPDP offers four DBT Skills Groups.

Three Basic DBT Skills Groups will be offered:
Every Monday                   Group 1        5:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
                                       Group 2        6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Every Tuesday                   Group 3        10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

The fourth DBT Skills Group is an advanced group:
Every Tuesday                   Group 4        6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.


Each DBT Skills Group will meet for 90 minutes once a week.  All DBT Skills Groups
are offered through the Mental Hygiene Clinic at Bellevue Hospital Center.

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