Equine-Assisted DBT Groups Now Enrolling!
First and Foremost: What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)? DBT is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan to help individuals with intense emotional dysregulation. Many individuals can benefit from DBT, including those who are grappling with depressive and anxious symptoms, engaging in self-harm or experiencing suicidal ideation, those who have PTSD or have experienced traumatic events or traumatic invalidation, and those who struggle to identify their key values and priorities to be able to “build a life worth living”. Individuals who are neurodivergent (ADHD, Autism, AuDHD) also greatly benefit from DBT. At its core, DBT is an inherently trauma-informed treatment, that looks to understand how an individual’s “biology” AND life experiences shape their current reality, and is about finding balance between acceptance and change. DBT skills help individuals learn how to manage their emotions, build healthy relationships, and live in the present moment. Core components include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
How Horses Fit Into Learning DBT Skills, and Why We Include Them:
All of our DBT groups are “unmounted,” though we will work with the horses through skills-based activities, groundwork, grooming, herd observation, etc.
Groups will follow typical DBT Skills Group structure: We will begin each group with a mindfulness exercise, then share our homework (how we practiced the skill we learned in the previous week), then move to learning the skill(s) of the week.
Many individuals who are seeking equine-assisted psychotherapy have found that traditional, “talk therapy” was not helpful or beneficial for them, reporting that the standard clinical setting feels too sterile, which makes it difficult to be vulnerable, focus on being present, and focus on the work. The ability to engage and interact with the amazing herd at Mane Stream provides the opportunity to engage in evidence-based treatment in a way that works more effectively for them, with hands-on opportunities to practice what we’re learning.
Including horses in treatment is a type of “experiential” therapy. Experiential therapy focuses on relearning behavioral, emotional and cognitive processes through actively “doing” instead of just talking; this type of therapy provides the opportunity to be "living through" experiences rather than only discussing them to gain deeper understanding and increase skill generalization.
DBT Modules:
Mindfulness: Skills that teach you how to practice staying present, effective, and nonjudgmental, and identify and recognize your own values to help guide decisions and behaviors.
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Skills that teach you how to identify your interpersonal goals and priorities, challenge interpersonal or relational myths you may have, set boundaries with others, self-advocate and assert your needs, maintain important relationships, maintain self-respect, how to validate yourself and others, and be able to “walk the middle path” and identify dialectics.
Emotion Regulation: Skills that teach you how to understand your emotions and how to understand where your emotions come from, how emotions are reinforced, and how to change the emotion process, how to reduce emotional vulnerability, and how to build a life you find worth living.
Distress Tolerance: Skills that teach you how to get through difficult or challenging situations without engaging in ineffective behavior or making them worse, how to self-soothe and compartmentalize when needed, how to activate the parasympathetic nervous system for regulation, and how to practice radical acceptance.
Groups are run by Liz Johnson, LCSW, and Lizzy Ellman, PsyD. Liz and Lizzy have years of experience as seasoned DBT therapists and equestrians!
Adult Groups: 3:00pm Fridays
Adolescent Group: 4:30 Fridays
March 7th-June 2025
Please contact us at liz@thebtcollective.com or at 551-264-1014 for more information and to enroll!