Denver Adolescent DBT Group Therapy

Targeted Skills Training to Help Your Teen Navigate Their Internal & External Worlds

Expert Clinical Support & Peer Connection to Create Positive Change

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is built on the premise of balance: accepting your teen as they are today, while equipping them with the practical skills needed to change unhelpful or harmful behaviors. In our adolescent groups, we foster authentic peer connection while teaching empirically validated DBT skills.
Facilitated by our doctoral-level clinicians and clinical psychologists, we work to create a welcoming space where teens can share openly—providing clinical support while appropriately challenging them to put new skills into practice. In this developmentally attuned, supportive group environment, they can learn practical tools for emotion regulation alongside peers with similar goals, helping them navigate this pivotal developmental stage with greater resilience and self-understanding.

Find the Right Support for Your Child

Reach out today to speak with Carrie Simpson, M.A., our intake coordinator, and learn more about how our adolescent DBT groups can equip your teen with practical, evidence-based tools for increased emotional resilience and well-being.
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Support for the Whole Family

Research consistently demonstrates that adolescents who have supportive and involved families experience greater success with DBT skill integration. This is why our program is designed to not only treat teenagers, but to partner collaboratively with parents/caregivers to support your teen’s growth and mental health.
We offer options to schedule additional family sessions and/or parent coaching sessions. Your teen’s group leaders will keep you apprised of the material covered each week and is available to provide guidance on fostering an encouraging, understanding home environment that supports their growth and change.
Our Adolescent Group Includes:
  • Weekly 80-Minute Skills Training: Focused on the four modules of DBT: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
  • Parent Communication: The middle and older teen groups receive weekly email updates to inform family members about the specific skills taught in group that week. The younger teen group has a parent check-in time at the end of each group for in-person guidance and updates related to skill integration.
  • Family Support Options: Personalized family DBT sessions and/or parent coaching sessions may be scheduled as needed to support your teen’s integration of skills (available for an additional fee).

What to Expect in a DBT Group Session

Mindfulness &
Skills Review

Learn a compassionate, step-by-step sequence to identify, name, and normalize survival responses. This beautifully shifts the client from self-judgment to understanding, creating a space where deep healing and connection can happen.

Observational Learning, Application & Support

Observing and discussing how other group members actively apply DBT skills to real-world scenarios provides both valuable modeling and helps our members feel less alone in their struggles. Our group settings are intentionally facilitated to help members expand their understanding of the skills in an empathetic, supportive environment.

Skill Acquisition & Next Steps

During the instructional portion of the group, a new DBT skill is taught each week. The material is presented in a way that is both accessible and encourages an in-depth understanding of the skill. Our clinicians encourage engagement with the material and provide ample time for questions. By the end of each group, you will have a new DBT skill to practice over the course of the next week and specific instructions for how to either deepen your understanding of the concept being taught and/or implement the skill into your daily life.

What to Expect in a DBT Group Session

Mindfulness & Skills Review

Learn a compassionate, step-by-step sequence to identify, name, and normalize survival responses. This beautifully shifts the client from self-judgment to understanding, creating a space where deep healing and connection can happen.

Observational Learning, Application & Support

Observing and discussing how other group members actively apply DBT skills to real-world scenarios provides both valuable modeling and helps our members feel less alone in their struggles. Our group settings are intentionally facilitated to help members expand their understanding of the skills in an empathetic, supportive environment.

Skill Acquisition & Next Steps

During the instructional portion of the group, a new DBT skill is taught each week. The material is presented in a way that is both accessible and encourages an in-depth understanding of the skill. Our clinicians encourage engagement with the material and provide ample time for questions. By the end of each group, you will have a new DBT skill to practice over the course of the next week and specific instructions for how to either deepen your understanding of the concept being taught and/or implement the skill into your daily life.
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
― Dr. Viktor E. Frankl

Doctoral-Level Expertise & Developmentally Appropriate Care

Every adolescent DBT group is led by a doctoral-level clinician or clinical psychologist who understands that your teen has likely been sitting in a classroom all day. That is why we don’t just lecture. Instead, we take a collaborative approach that honors your teen’s voice and autonomy. We thoughtfully create a supportive space where teens can share openly, receive direct feedback, and practice the tools they need to thrive in their relationships with others—and with themselves.

We also recognize that a teenager’s chronological age does not always match their developmental age, so we don’t use rigid placement systems. Our initial phone screening with parents/caregivers, followed by a thoughtful intake process typically involving both you and your teen, ensures they are placed in the most appropriate group (early, middle, or late adolescence); we will do our best to find a group where they will feel comfortable, supported, and able to thrive.
Connect with Our Intake Coordinator Today

FAQs:

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach focused on teaching highly practical life skills. It is built on the concept of “dialectics”—the ability to hold two seemingly opposite truths at the same time. In our adolescent groups, this means we accept and understand your teen as they are today, while simultaneously giving them the clinical tools to make the meaningful changes they need to navigate their future.

DBT is incredibly versatile. While widely considered the premier treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and self-harming behaviors, it is also highly effective for teens managing anxiety, depression, impulsivity, eating/substance disorders, and ADHD (as well as other presenting concerns/challenges). Ultimately, it is designed for any adolescent (including high-achieving students overwhelmed by school stress/anxiety, teens navigating identity shifts, changing family dynamics, or those that may be struggling with social dynamics) who could benefit from structured tools to improve emotion regulation and well-being.

Highly effective. Decades of clinical research demonstrates DBT’s efficacy for teaching emotion regulation. Because it accelerates learning through peer modeling and real-time behavioral rehearsal, the group format is the clinical gold standard for mastering these skills—especially for teenagers, who often learn best alongside their peers. Most clients achieve the best outcomes by completing the full curriculum (roughly 45 weeks), with many choosing to repeat modules to hone their skills.

It is incredibly common for teens to feel hesitant about starting therapy. We prioritize making them feel as safe and supported as possible, emphasizing an approach where they have control over what they share. By placing them in a developmentally appropriate group with peers facing similar challenges, we often find that the group environment itself makes them feel more comfortable. Our teen group participants routinely recognize that they are not alone and that group is a space to build their own capabilities, not a place where they will be judged or lectured.

As compared to other local DBT groups, we have uniquely small groups. To ensure optimal facilitation, allow for individualized feedback and to get rid of anxiety about opening up to peers, we cap our groups at 8 members. This ensures each teen gets the individual attention and space they deserve.

Our adolescent DBT groups meet once per week for 80 minutes. We find this steady rhythm provides ample time for comprehensive skill instruction while giving your teen adequate opportunity to practice applying the tools to their academic and social lives between sessions. Please visit our Availability and Fees page for the specific times and locations for each age-bracketed group. Because we understand the demands of the academic calendar, holiday observances and school breaks are navigated collaboratively on a group-by-group basis to best accommodate our members’ schedules.

Our adolescent groups are held in-person at our office in Denver, held in-person at 1660 S. Albion St. suite #602, Denver, CO 80222.

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