DBT Skills Group:
Next start date: January 2027
Weekly virtual group program
Developed especially for teens & young adults
Next 4-month program starts January 2027
Thursdays 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Max 12 participants
$60 per 90-minute session (reduced fees available)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills:
Mindfulness
Emotion Regulation
Distress Tolerance
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
Middle Path (DBT-A module)
DBT Skills can be especially helpful if you are…
… struggling to maintain relationships with friends, family members, &/or intimate partners
… experiencing intense emotions that are difficult to regulate in the moment
… in recovery from addiction to substances or behaviour
… trying to manage self-harm behaviour (non-suicidal self-injury)
… coping with a diagnosis of BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder), BPD traits, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), or C-PTSD
… preparing for future therapy to process past experiences of trauma such as sexual assault or CSA (childhood sexual abuse).
Frequently Asked Questions:
A: Sure thing! We are happy to send the info to you so that you can support your teen or young adult with assessing whether the group will be a good fit. Ultimately, it will be up to your young adult / teen to decide whether they would like to participate. Assuming your young adult / teen is comfortable with it, parents are welcome to attend the Meet & Greet and to be included in reminders and homework emails.
A: Even if you have previously participated in a DBT Skills-Training Group, you will learn new information from the “Middle Path” DBT-A module, which is not part of the original DBT Manual. There are also different features of this group that you may find helpful:
- We keep the group sizes small so each participant can get lots of support
- We are a queer-friendly and gender-affirming group
- We provide added flexibility and accommodation for neurodivergent group members
- We develop our Group Guidelines collaboratively in the first session so members can ask for individual support needs to be met (e.g. folks with misophonia can ask to have a guideline of muting when eating!)
A: We are committed to helping folks access these group sessions for a reduced fee as much as we possibly can. Many of our group participants have taken part in the program at a very low cost. Another way we help with finances is offering smaller payment periods: instead of needing to pay for the whole program cost at the start, you may cover the costs monthly. For example, someone at a Reduced Fee rate of $20 per 90-minute group session would only need to cover 4 or 5 sessions per month ahead of time ($80-100 at a time).
Approximate week-by-week agenda:
| 12 week program: | Topics include: | |
| Orientation | Week 1 | Biosocial Theory, Thinking Mistakes |
| Mindfulness & Middle Path | Weeks 2 & 3 | Wise Mind, LovingKindness |
| Distress Tolerance | Weeks 4, 5, & 6 | Crisis coping skills – STOP & TIPP |
| Emotion Regulation | Weeks 7, 8, & 9 | Check the Facts, Problem-solving |
| Interpersonal Effectiveness | Weeks 10 & 11 | DEAR MAN, Validation |
| Interpersonal & Wrap-Up | Week 12 | DBT-A “THINK” Skill |
Group facilitation by Kris Cormier (they/she) MSW RSW.
Kris has many years of group facilitation experience. As a parent of young adults, they have especially enjoyed working with young adults throughout their career as a mental health professional.
Kris’s training includes CBT & third wave cognitive behavioural models: DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) & ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).
In 2025, Kris completed additional training in DBT-A (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Adolescents & Families), which forms the basis for this program. Our program’s handouts & material are primarily from DBT-A Skills Training Manual.
You can find more info about Kris & their extensive training & experience here.
Please email CTCTherapyCollective@Gmail.com to register for this group
Our next 4-month program entry point is January 2027
Program entry points every “term”: May, September, & January
Registration will close when the group has reached its cap of 12 participants. Participants can choose to stay for 1, 2, or 3 cohorts/terms of the 4-month program to continue to deepen their knowledge of the skills and to continue their weekly skills practice.