RO DBT For Therapists
On-Going, Group CEU workshop
$67 / Session
24 or 30 CEUs*
On-Going
Weekly or 2x Monthly
In-Person
* CEUs are submitted for approval from GSCSW and LPCA only.
do you Struggle With ...
Feeling lonely and unsure how to truly connect with others?
Having intense food rules that make it hard to enjoy food?
Anxiety or depression that has not gone away with treatment?
Making or keeping meaningful intimate relationships?
Letting go of work or fixating on problems?
Needing control in many areas of your life?
If you answered “YES” to any of these questions or if you have other concerns about emotional wellbeing, then RO DBT may be helpful to you.
What is RO DBT?
Radically Open (RO) DBT is a treatment for people who have tendencies to overly control their lives. In order to feel safe and avoid vulnerability, overly controlled (OC) people hard work, self- sacrifice, avoid risk, follow rules and delay gratification. OC People tend be have very high expectations of themselves and others, tend to have a strong sense of wrong and right, and tend to have a high need for order and structure in a way that interferes with happiness, spontaneity, relaxation and relationships. OC people may feel like they are doing all the right things in their lives, and yet they are frustrated and confused that they still feel emotionally lonely, and they long for deeper connection in relationship.
RO DBT teaches us to be more flexible in our responses to life, question our actions and reactions through self- enquiry and enhance emotional vulnerability to create more intimate bonds with others. Following RO tenants helps to create “a life worth sharing” by enhancing intimacy and vulnerability. We learn the importance of social signaling, being vulnerable with others, increasing flexible responses and sharing needs to connect authentically with others. Most common RO DBT tools and building blocks for the treatment are self-enquiry, diary cards, behavior chains, and learning the RO Skills.
What type of RO DBT do I need?
There are three types of RO DBT; RO DBT skills training group, individual RO DBT, and RO DBT skills coaching. Usually a combination of RO DBT skills training group and individual RO DBT or RO DBT skills coaching are suggested for the best outcomes. The actual RO DBT skills that are the foundation of the RO DBT practice are taught in a group setting. RO DBT is based on using the skills, so RO DBT group is an essential part of your RO DBT Treatment.
What is a RO DBT skills training?
The group is a 30- week cycle that teaches all the DBT skills; mindfulness, radical openness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Each group lasts 1- 1.5 hours/ once a week and is structured beginning with Mindfulness (meditation), then Homework review is conducted to show how you are using your RO DBT skills to assess what is working and what isn’t working. Then, we teach the next skill, and Homework assigned for what to practice for the week.
What is individual RO DBT?
Individual RO DBT is used in conjunction with RO DBT skills training group to increase the level of care for clients with behavioral problems that significantly interfere with their quality of life and relationships. Individual RO DBT Therapy is highly structured and utilizes self- enquiry and a diary card to efficiently target the most important behaviors to address in therapy. Clients discuss life threatening behaviors (When applicable); therapeutic alliance ruptures, social signaling problems all using a structured format of behavior chain analysis. This is a very highly effective behavior change therapy.
What is RO DBT skills coaching?
RO DBT skills coaching is used when clients need individualized intentional focus in applying and understanding the RO DBT skills that are being taught in the group. Clients may find that RO DBT group alone does not provide the level of support that they need to really change the behaviors they are identifying as problems. RO DBT skills coaching helps clients get highly individualized support in understanding RO DBT skills, how to apply them in their lives, and gives one-on-one outside of group support for skills integration. Skills coaching with the RO DBT skills training group is a highly effective and efficient way to change and create a life worth sharing.
Workshop Description:
The RO DBT for Therapists group teaches each of the RO DBT skills experientially so that therapists can learn the skills from the inside out. We will cover roughly one skill per session, and the format will be like a traditional RO DBT group. The group will start with homework review, and then we will learn an RO DBT skill and assign homework to practice between sessions. We will use self-enquiry to deepen our self-awareness and a diary card. RO DBT for therapists is a great way to connect, learn RO DBT and work on your personal growth goals. Earn one CEU a week.
Cost: $67per meeting; 30 session commitment and CEUs.
RO DBT Consult Group
MONDAYS ( Weekly )
|
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
30 Session Commitment
30 CEUs
$67 / Session
Format: On-Going, Group, Virtual (Live Interactive Webinar on Zoom)
Presented by: Dr. Tara Arnold
RO DBT For Therapist
FRIDAYS ( 2x Monthly )
|
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
24 Session Commitment
24 CEUs
$67 / Session
Format: On-Going, Group, Virtual (Live Interactive Webinar on Zoom)
Presented by: Dr. Tara Arnold
When & Where:
- CEU Hours: 5 CEUs (see below for details)
- Format: On-Demand Webinar (“Asynchronous”) ~ At your leisure to be viewed at your own pace. You may pause, rewind, and fast forward at any point during the videos. You are in complete control of how you view this workshop. It also comes with a PowerPoint and references. There is a quiz at the end to ensure viewing and required by all CE approval organizations.
- Investment: $120 (provides lifetime access!)
- Instruction Level: Intermediate
- Presented by: Dr. Tara Arnold
Educational Objectives:
- Define basic Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) terminology.
- Discuss DBT concepts and their utilization in clinical practice.
- Describe the four skills training modules of DBT.
- Identify several DBT skills training exercises to be used in a group format.
- Apply validation strategies to help increase a client's readiness to change.
There are 3 main components of emotional health in RO DBT
1
Being receptive and open to disconfirming feedback in order to learn (receptivity and openness).
2
Flexible control-Flexibility to adapt to changing environmental conditions (flexible responding).
3
Intimacy with at least one other person (social connectedness).
What is Radical Openness (RO)? (Lynch, 2018)
- RO is developing a passion for going opposite to where you are.
- RO is actively seeking the things that make you uncomfortable in order to learn. Challenges our perceptions of reality- “We don’t’ see things as they are, we see things as we are”.
- RO involves purposeful self -enquiry to cultivate a willingness to be wrong- with an intention to change if necessary.
Who benefits from RO DBT?
People With ...
- Anorexia Nervosa
- ASD
- Treatment resistant depression
- Treatment resistant anxiety
- OCPD (Perfectionism, orderliness, and control)
- Cluster B diagnoses
- “People who tend to be serious about life, set personally high standards, work hard, behave appropriately, and frequently sacrifice personal needs in order to achieve goals or help others; yet they often feel clueless about how to join with others and establish intimate bonds”. (abct.org)
Am I Over Controlled?
Well, you may ask yourself, “Am I overcontrolled?”
So, here is a test, list of diagnoses for OC, and a checklist to see if the term fits.
Over -Control (OC) Assessment Questions (Lynch, 2018)
- Do you believe it is important to do things properly or in the right way?
- Are you a perfectionist–meticulous, driven to achieve, always striving to do your best at anything you try, and pushing others to do the same?
- Are you cautious and careful about how you do things?
- Do you prefer order and structure? Are you organized?
- Do you like to plan ahead? Do you think before acting?
- Are you able to delay pleasure or satisfying a desire that you have? Are you able to not act upon a strong and unreflective urge or desire?
- Do you consider yourself conscientious? Are you dutiful?
- Is it hard to impress you?
- Does it take time to get to know you?
- Are you likely to not reveal your opinion immediately but wait until you get to know someone better?
Ok, layman’s terms- what does sensitivity to threat mean?
Over controlled people are hard-wired to have a higher sensitivity to threat- we See threat faster and more frequently than most- milliseconds. More than even the average bear, They are constantly scanning the environment for threat and feel threat if not obvious safety. Being this sensitive to threat makes relationships and interactions with people feel even more risky and out of control because we focus on social comparisons and performance as well as fear of rejection.
What do you mean by low novelty seeking or risk taking?
Most OC people avoid novelty and risk taking, especially when they are not planned- harder to be perfect. Being spontaneous can be very challenging for OC people as they prefer structure and predictability.
Do you enjoy taking unplanned risk or do you prefer a predictable schedule, doing things you know well?
What is Inhibitory Control?
- Self -control that’s out of control.
- OC people have been praised for their ability to control their expression of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
- Inhibitory control means you can voluntarily inhibit yourself.
- Do you hide your emotions and not show them to others? Do you carefully consider what you say, can you resist acting on urges, do others think that you are always in control?
What about high detail processing?
People with OC coping styles see details that others do not. They also can have very strong urges to correct things in the environment or other people, regardless of the impact on the relationship. Noticing details can be a great characteristic for work life, but being overly focused on the trees versus the forest can make it hard to relate to others.
Treatment Themes & Target Behaviors in RO DBT Treatment:
What’s Involved?
Emotion Inhibition
- Inhibiting or masking expression
- Smiling when distressed
- Needing to feel or appear like I have control
- Never letting people see me distressed
Behavioral Avoidance
- Avoiding new things
- Avoiding ambiguous things
- Avoiding self-reflection
- Avoiding taking risks
- Being overly guarded or cautious
Rigid Behavior
- Needing to be correct
- Needing structure
- Rigidity in rules
- Perfectionism
- Obsessive Planning
Aloof & Distant Relationships
- Quickly abandoning relationships
- Deficits in self-disclosure and validation of others
- Taking secret pride in self-control
- Believing no one can understand me
- Taking secret pride in not being like others
Envy & Bitterness
- Holding onto grudges
- Making frequent social comparisons
- Feeling under appreciated
- Feeling resentful, cynical, resigned, or pessimistic
- Feeling like a martyr
- Having desires for revenge
References For Further Reading
- Hall, K., Astrachan-Fletcher, E., & Simic, M. The RO DBT Workbook for Eating Disorders: From Overcontrol and Loneliness to Recovery and Connection. New Harbinger: Oakland.
- Lynch, T. (2018). The Skills Training manual for Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Clinicians Guide for Treating Disorders of Overcontrol. Context Press.
- Lynch, T. (2018). Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Theory and Practice for Treating Disorders of Overcontrol. Context Press.
- Lynch, T. (2015). Radically Open DBT. Episode 39 www.cbtradio.org
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