My Favorite DBT Group Activity for Teens

Dialectical Behavior Therapy group is designed to facilitate many different activities that allow clients to experience things that they wouldn't otherwise experience in individual therapy. They are able to do activities with other teens that not only are productive for them individually, as a group reinforced the idea that they aren't alone in their struggles and they are not the only ones who are working on adjusting coping mechanisms to be healthier and happier. As such, there are many different activities we can do in DBT as a group. Personally, one of my absolute favorites is the thought challenge activity. 

There are many different subjects we can complete this activity around, but one of my preferred topics for this activity is relationships. It is a simple and straightforward activity that helps us identify thought distortions that are coloring how we think about and maneuver through the important relationships in our lives. The leading clinician will list off statements regarding relationships that are common to experience. Some of these statements will be true and others will be examples of thought distortions that are common in dysfunctional relationships. The group must decide whether they think each statement is true or false. 

There are several reasons I enjoy this exercise so much. For one, it shows the group that the thoughts they're having are much more common than they may feel. It demonstrates how pervasive these thoughts can be in society, and creates opportunities to discuss where they come from and why so many of us have them. This can be an extremely freeing experience, and reinforces the idea that it's not their fault that they're having these thoughts. The reason I enjoy it so much is because there are a few thought distortions around relationships that are so common and so pushed by society that most groups get it wrong and are very surprised to hear that it's a thought distortion. I love the opportunity to explain why and to go into the psychoeducation of what's happening in relationships that have this thought distortion. The group is almost always entirely unanimous and incorrect, and it can be a good bonding experience for them as well. Finally, I enjoy the fact that presenting it in this way allows each individual to examine thoughts they may not have even realized they were having. One of the hardest parts of thought distortions is identifying that we have them because they don't feel special or unusual; they are simply incorporated into our normal trains of thought, and sometimes aren't even conscious. By presenting them this way, group members are given the opportunity to identify what kinds of thoughts may be causing them stress in their relationships, which in turn allows them to address the thought. After we have identified whether the statement is true or false, we fix any false ones with truer statements. This allows clients to then work on reframing thoughts that may have been sitting with them for a long time. 

Because of all these benefits and because it's generally fun, this is my favorite activity to do in groups. If you would like more information on what DBT group is like, please feel free to reach out to Mindful Healing.