ACBS Chapter Meeting: Using FAP to Help DBT Groups Thrive

Renee Hoekstra, PhD will be teaching us on the uses of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) for outpatient Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) groups:

As DBT groups develop over time, the needs of the group members change. Because DBT groups are content driven, leaders may struggle with meeting the demand for growth without losing the value of skills based learning. Introducing FAP encourages clients to consider how in-group behaviors are directly related to their current pain, and how awareness of these behaviors can evoke multiple opportunities for growth and change. FAP enhanced assignments maximize group cohesion and encourage in-group improvements while DBT skills maintain a safe fallback for structure and practicality. In this workshop I will share my best strategies based in FAP and DBT for clients who need more than “just skills.” In addition, I will encourage leaders to consider what their groups need, what it will take to get them there, and what options need to be created to keep their groups moving forward.