24-week structured online group

DBT Skills Training

A clinician-led group that teaches DBT’s four core skill systems through explanation, demonstration, repeated practice, homework review, and real-life application.

24 weeks of structured group learning
Mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness
Secure virtual access across Saskatchewan
Skills-only or combined with individual therapy depending on clinical fit

Start with fit, safety, and the amount of support you need

Complete one secure intake. A clinician reviews risk, current supports, treatment history, goals, practical access, and funding before recommending the most proportionate next step. Completing intake does not commit you to treatment.

Clinician-reviewed intake
Clear service recommendation
No referral required
No obligation to continue

Quick read

The essentials before you decide

Length

A 24-week group cycle covering all four core DBT modules.

Format

Structured teaching and skills practice rather than an unstructured processing group.

Best suited for

People who need a practical skill system for emotional intensity, impulsivity, distress, conflict, and relationship patterns.

Important fit question

Group alone may not provide enough support when risk or behavioural instability is high.

Fit and safety

Choose the level of support that matches the pattern

This service may be right for you if…

You want a complete foundation in the four DBT skill systems
You can participate respectfully and consistently in a structured online group
You are prepared to practise between sessions rather than only listen
Your current risk level can be safely managed in the recommended level of care

A different pathway may be safer or more useful when…

Frequent life-threatening behaviour or severe instability may require individual or comprehensive DBT
Acute mania, psychosis, intoxication, or medical instability requires appropriate medical care first
Guided Self-Help may fit when a weekly group is not realistic and risk is lower

Clinical rationale

DBT skills are trained—not merely explained

Knowing the name of a skill is different from being able to use it while flooded, ashamed, angry, frightened, or close to acting impulsively. The group uses repetition, homework review, troubleshooting, and application to help skills become more available under pressure.

Learn the skill

Understand what the skill is designed to change and when it is relevant.

Practise deliberately

Use examples, exercises, role rehearsal, and between-session assignments.

Generalize to real life

Identify barriers, refine the skill, and practise it in the situations that usually derail you.

Program structure

The four core DBT skill systems

The full cycle develops a coordinated repertoire rather than relying on one favourite coping strategy.

Mindfulness

Notice what is happening, return to wise-mind choices, reduce automatic judgment, and participate more effectively.

Distress tolerance

Survive crises and intense urges without making the situation worse, then return to longer-term problem solving.

Emotion regulation

Understand emotions, reduce vulnerability, change unhelpful emotional responses, and build positive experience.

Interpersonal effectiveness

Ask clearly, set limits, maintain self-respect, validate, negotiate, and protect important relationships.

Between-session and practical support

What the group experience is designed to provide

Clear expectations, respectful participation, confidentiality guidance, digital learning materials, structured homework review, and catch-up planning help participants stay engaged without requiring forced personal disclosure.

Structured participation

You are not required to reveal private details. Examples can be shared at the level needed to learn and practise the skill.

Learning materials

Handouts, practice tools, and the STG learning platform support continuity between meetings.

Missed-session planning

A missed session does not automatically become dropout. Expectations and catch-up steps are made clear.

Fees and access

Know the practical details before treatment begins

Group counselling currently ranges from $60 to $90 per session. Private plans may exclude skills-training or group formats. Public benefits do not automatically cover every group format, so coverage must be confirmed for this specific program before enrollment.

How care begins

A clear pathway—without guessing where to start

You do not need to know the diagnosis, program, or clinician before reaching out.

01 — Secure intake

Tell us what is happening, what you want to change, and any safety, scheduling, or funding needs.

02 — Clinical fit review

A clinician reviews the pattern, risk level, goals, diagnosis questions, and amount of structure needed.

03 — Clear recommendation

You receive a proportionate recommendation: individual DBT, a group, guided support, coordinated care, or another pathway.

04 — Begin with a plan

Care starts with explicit targets, skills practice, progress review, and a plan for support between sessions.

Common questions

What people usually want to know before starting

Do I also need individual therapy?

Not always. Some people use skills training alone; others need individual DBT so skills can be applied to personal targets, safety issues, and repeated behavioural patterns.

Is this a support or processing group?

No. It is a structured skills-training group. Teaching, practice, homework review, and application are central.

Do I have to share personal details?

No. Respectful participation is expected, but you are not forced to disclose anything you do not want to share.

What happens if I miss a session?

You receive clear expectations and catch-up options so that one absence does not automatically become “I failed, so I quit.”

Is this available across Saskatchewan?

Yes. The program is delivered securely online across Saskatchewan. Participants need a private location, reliable internet, and a plan for local emergency support.

Can it support bipolar disorder?

Skills can support distress tolerance, routines, relationships, and emotion management alongside appropriate medical care.

Related pathways

Get a fit, safety, and next-step recommendation before committing to a program.

The secure intake provides a clinician-reviewed recommendation; it is not a commitment to ongoing treatment.