Family Service of Roanoke Valley currently offers separate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) programs for adolescents and adults, which are lead by a trained clinical team.

What is DBT?

DBT is an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral treatment developed by Marsha Linehan used to treat clients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. The treatment has been adapted for other disorders including dual diagnoses. Balancing acceptance and change strategies, DBT calls on the client and the therapist to accept reality while maintaining a strong conscious commitment to change. The approach requires mindfulness, dedication, and participation from clients in order to increase healthy skills and movement toward improving personal lives and functioning.

What to Expect from FSRV’s Comprehensive Program:

• Initial interview: designated to determine eligibility & fit for group
• Pre-treatment with individual therapist: helps build therapeutic relationship and looks at sustainability & preparation for group
• Four weeks for adolescents
• Eight weeks for adults

• Individual therapy: (provided by current therapist or one at FSRV)
• Skills group: psycho-educational group that consists of 4 modules for adults and 5 modules for adolescents
• Phone “coaching”: available from individual therapist or any DBT team member
• DBT Team: collaboration including weekly team consultations. Client’s individual therapist’s participation in team meetings is highly encouraged

Adolescent & Family DBT Group Information:
The open group is reserved for adolescents and their parent(s) / guardian(s). In addition to teaching DBT skills, a module called “Walking the Middle Path” is used to directly address the relationship between adolescents and adults. Clients are admitted every 4 weeks and will be expected to attend:

• for 16-weeks
• weekly individual sessions (50 minutes)
• weekly 2 hour group
• graduate group: weekly 1 hour group that is solely for adolescents who have completed the skills group to help reinforce & generalize skills learned

Adult DBT Group Information:
The open group is reserved exclusively for adults. Admittance into group is timed to be at the beginning of a new Mindfulness module.

• Core Mindfulness module: 2 weeks
• Each module: last approximately 6 to 8 weeks

Insurance Coverage:
Insurance coverage will be verified prior to acceptance for individual and/or group services.

Please call for entry dates into both groups.

For additional information about DBT groups, contact Vinnie G. Dabney, MS, Counselor at (540) 563-5316, ext. 3020 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For DBT service requests & intake, please contact our Intake Specialist at (540) 563-5316 ext. 3014