PSCFL TO LAUNCH A RECOVERY-ORIENTED PEER-DELIVERED DBT SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM IN FALL 2024

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) non-clinical Skills Group Training Program at the Peer Support Coalition of Florida, Inc. (PSCFL) was developed in collaboration with the UF Health- University of Florida. Our trainers have been taught and mentored by Dr. Allison Ventura, PhD with the UF Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Ventura is one of only a dozen trained DBT clinicians in Florida and has been working with counseling, facilitating, and leading skills groups since 2005. Research data will be collected along the way from both Group Facilitators and the participants served as well to demonstrate efficacy of the model.

This training is the first of its kind to deliver DBT concepts and skills with the lens of recovery-oriented peer to peer delivery. 

The training program is comprised of evidenced-based DBT skills, including four modules with five sessions per module. In addition, this program separates the clinical therapy portion from the practical skills learning and practice. The goals of this training include:

In the context of dialectical thinking, which involves merging opposing ideas rather than adhering to an either/or mindset, individuals in this program are encouraged to adopt a both/and perspective. The primary objective is to achieve equilibrium by acknowledging and accepting oneself, including challenges, while also recognizing the advantages of change. This program guides freeing the mind from fixed perspectives, decreasing emotional intensity resulting from imbalanced thoughts and disputes, and accepting our present circumstances while striving for personal development. 

Mindfulness is another component of the training that consists of intentionally living with awareness of the present moment, waking up your mind from automatic or rote behaviors. It is the conscious awareness of the present moment whereas meditation is the practice of focusing your attention on one thing for an extended time. Practicing mindfulness involves noticing consequences without judgment, being present, and avoiding attachment to the past or future. It includes opening the mind by observing and focusing the mind through meditation. Mindfulness can be cultivated through various activities like meditation, yoga, or hiking. Instead of suppressing negative thoughts, participants of the Training Program learn how to observe them without avoidance to regulate emotions effectively.

After the training program is complete, you or your organization can offer a transformative Peer Specialist delivered group facilitation of DBT Skills that until now has not been accessible in this format.

Training Prerequisites: Minimum of 2 years delivering individual and group support services. 

If you’re interested in this course, you can request to join our waitlist. Training sessions begin during the Fall of 2024.

Click here to be added to our waitlist. 

QUESTIONS?  EMAIL events@peersupportfl.org.