Atlanta DBT Center

Alcohol and Drug Dependency Program

The DBT-S Program for chemical dependency is for patients 18 years and older and consists of a 28-week outpatient outline. Requirements are:

• A minimum of one individual DBT psychotherapy and coaching session per week
• Weekly DBT-S Skills Training Class:
  • One week of Walking the Middle Path
  • Nine weeks of Core Mindulfulness + Distress Tolerance + Relapse Prevention
  • Nine weeks of Core Mindfulness + Interpersonal Effectiveness + Relapse Prevention
  • Nine weeks of Core Mindfulness + Emotion Regulation + Relapse Prevention
• Relapse Prevention and Structure Skills:
  • Structure in work: Obtaining and maintaining healthy activities
  • Structure in love:  Developing healthy, meaningful relationships
  • Structure in time:  Developing and enhancing time management skills
  • Structure in place: Avoiding dangerous places and situations
• E-mail and phone consultation to the patient outside of sessions
• Medication management (if indicated)

Eating Disorders Program

Dialectical Behavior Therapy can be especially helpful in the treatment of eating disorders as it can help individuals determine stressful triggers that lead to disordered eating and find alternative methods of handling that stress. The practice of mindful eating is also discussed, increasing the awareness of an individual's responses to food, both emotionally and physically. Non-judgemental behavior is encouraged to help patient's decrease self-harming behaviors.

The Eating Disorder DBT Program consists of:

• Two semesters (27 weeks each) of skills training classes
  
• Weekly, one-hour individual therapy sessions
• Twenty, 90-minute EDS-DBT Classes
• One 1-hour individual EDS-DBT therapy session

DBT can be just as effective as a treatment method for eating disorders as it is for BPD, targetting not only the psychological aspect of the disorder, but also the physical and emotional aspects. A change in mindset and thought processes are the first step in recovery from an eating disorder, and the DBT for Eating Disorders program provides a well-rounded approach to recovery.