FAQ's

Q: What if I am not sure the program is right for me?
A: Our intake coordinator will likely be able to address most of your concerns in her initial contact with you. If you still have questions, please ask to speak to a clinician directly.

Q: Do you have scholarships or reduced fee payments for individuals in a financial hardship situation?
A: Quality treatment is an investment in your and your loved ones' well being for a lifetime. Although we do our best to keep our fees affordable and to accommodate hardships, we have found that people who are serious about treatment can become surprisingly creative; for example, people have refinanced homes, sought family, friend, and church loans or have cut back on other expenditures to pay for treatment. Many people spend more on vacations in a year than a full course of treatment would cost. Please do take the time in advance to be clear about the cost of treatment and how you will pay for it. Doing so will enable you to focus on getting the full benefit of the program without distractions or interruption.

Q: What if my loved one who needs this treatment won't come in?
A: You may schedule a consultation session with a clinician to get some ideas about how to approach your loved one about DBT or how to cope if he or she never chooses treatment. Of note: because consultation sessions are not typically covered by insurance they are usually an “out-of-pocket” expense.

Q: What if I don't have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) but have some of the same problems?
A: DBT is designed to help people who have various problems with or without the diagnosis of BPD. We believe in treating “behaviors in context”, not diagnoses, labels, or traits. If you identify with some of the problem areas, particularly if other treatments have not helped as much as you hoped, DBT is likely to be a good match for your needs. We also offer a variety of services to accommodate different types and levels of need.

Q: Can I continue to work with my current therapist while in the program?
A: We find that clients tend to have better outcomes when enrolled in only one therapy at a time. This may be because the DBT program is so intensive in nature that it requires your full focus and attention, or because other programs may conflict with various DBT interventions and protocols. Of note: being in “one therapy at a time” does not mean giving up your prescriber. However, we ask that if he or she was providing therapy and medications, that therapy be suspended while you are in the program and medication management only be conducted during appointments.

Q: Why are clients asked not to disclose specifics about their problem behaviors in group?
A: Clients in group are not allowed to go into detail about their problems and save this for their individual therapy session. They even use the term “target behavior” in group instead of describing the problem behavior they engaged in. This is done for four primary reasons. 1) Clients may become triggered by detailed reports of others’ problems, 2) clients may be supported by other group members and thus, inadvertently reinforced for their target behaviors, 3) going into detail about problems detracts from the primary goal of group, that is to learn and reinforce skillful behavior, and 4) disclosing about target behaviors in group can have a “contagion effect”.

Q: Will the person I see for the first session be my therapist?
A: In the majority of cases, you will see the same person from the time of your assessment to the time you complete the program. If you have concerns about your therapy or therapist, please try to address them with your therapist first. If the problem can’t be resolved directly, feel free to contact their supervisor or the program director. It is our hope that problems can be worked out and that you will not need to switch therapists, which can be disruptive to the therapy.

Q: As a parent of a teen, how can I be involved with my child's treatment?
A: Every fourth session, at least one parent (or primary caregiver) is required to attend. Parent Group attendance is also required in the DBT Teen Program. On occasion, telephone consultation with family members is encouraged. We also offer DBT family therapy when appropriate. (See “Services to Family and Friends” description on our website.)

Q: What if a parent is unable to attend the parent group?
A: Under some circumstances, we will substitute individual skills training for Parent Group. If this is also not feasible, we ask that your child refrain from participating in the program until parent involvement is possible.

Q: Who is responsible for checking my insurance?
A: You and/or the insured party are responsible to check on insurance benefits, such as session limits, deductible amount, co-pay, and renewal date. The intake coordinator, DBT therapists, and accounts manager will assist you when necessary.

Q: How do I get started in the program?
A: You will likely have one to four sessions with your individual therapist dedicated to assessment, developing a treatment plan that includes specific goals, and orientation to treatment. During this time period, if appropriate, efforts will be made to place you in a skills training group. There are a number of groups available, each of which have openings every four or six weeks (depending on the program you are in), so getting into a group quickly is usually not a problem.

Q: Can I do individual therapy only?
A: This is a complicated question that depends on many factors. Please discuss it with your therapist at the first session. However, generally speaking -- “standard DBT”, the form of DBT that is shown to be effective, involves all components of the treatment, i.e. individual therapy, skills training group, telephone consultation to the client, and team consult group. When we sway from offering standard DBT to people who are shown to benefit from the treatment, effective outcomes may be comprised. In addition, for many people, avoidance of group situations is due to social anxiety or because being around others triggers problematic interpersonal behaviors. Participating in group offers the opportunity to correct for these problems in the context they occur in, a very powerful and effective method to affect change. Of note: extensive problem-solving, coaching, and support from both your individual and group therapist is offered in the process.

Q: My teenager is easily influenced by others. Will he or she be exposed to things in group that will make them worse?
A: The Teen Program skills training group is conducted like Adult Program groups. The purpose of the group is to learn skills and encourage application where needed. The group is structured and conducted much like a school class – acquiring knowledge and learning skills are the goals. Although socialization, a sense of belonging, and support may occur, they are positive, but secondary “byproducts” of group participation. In addition, it is required that teens are monitored by a parent (or other responsible adult) prior to the group starting and directly following its end. There is no mid-way break in the teen group.

Q: Why do I need individual and group therapy?
A: Individual therapy focuses on “personalized problem-solving”. Here, problem behaviors are identified and targeted to change, information is gathered and analyzed as to what is causing these behaviors, and obstacles to change are explored and resolved. Group therapy focuses on teaching adaptive, skillful behavior. Individual and group therapy work together by teaching clients new ways to respond (group) and getting clients to respond (individual).

Q: Do I have to commit to 6 months of treatment?
A: “Standard DBT” as it is offered at Portland DBT Program is at least a six-month endeavor. If it is determined from your assessment that the standard program is the right match for you, we ask for an initial six month commitment with evaluation of progress every four weeks. If you are not progressing after four weeks, or do not see any possible benefit from continued participation, you and your therapist can problem-solve the situation and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.