If you’ve ever caught yourself reacting before thinking, feeling overwhelmed by your emotions, or struggling to stay present in the moment, you’re not alone—and you’re not without support. Our Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) groups are designed to help teens and adults develop practical skills for managing emotions, improving relationships, and creating a more centered life. We’re excited to launch our first DBT skills module: Mindfulness, and we’d love for you to join us.
Whether you’re a teen navigating school stress and identity challenges, or an adult juggling work, family, and mental health, mindfulness is the foundation for change—and this module will show you how.
🌱 What Is Mindfulness in DBT?
Mindfulness is more than just deep breathing or meditation. In DBT, mindfulness is about becoming more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without judgment. It’s about being in the moment—fully—and choosing how to respond, rather than react. Mindfulness helps us access our Wise Mind, the part of us that blends logic and emotion to make balanced, intentional decisions.
Our four-week Mindfulness Workshop kicks off the DBT skills series, offering an experiential, supportive space to build the kind of awareness that creates lasting emotional growth.
What to Expect: Weekly Breakdown
Week 1: What Is Mindfulness Anyway?
We start by getting to know one another and building group trust, covering confidentiality and group expectations. Then we dive into the goals of mindfulness—what each member hopes to get from this practice.
We’ll unpack the concept of mindfulness using accessible language and examples. Many participants discover they’ve used mindfulness without realizing it—like tuning into music when stressed or focusing on their breath during anxiety.
The group then engages in a guided “Leaves on a Stream” meditation, a powerful visualization exercise that teaches you to observe thoughts as passing events rather than facts or commands. Afterward, we process the experience together.
Week 2: Discovering Your Wise Mind
This week, we explore the concept of the Wise Mind—the calm, grounded place where your emotional and rational sides meet. We reflect on real-life moments when we were in Emotion Mind or Reasonable Mind and begin to recognize how Wise Mind decisions feel in the body and mind.
We then introduce the “What” Mindfulness Skills—Observe, Describe, and Participate. You’ll learn how to tune into what’s happening inside and around you, describe it factually, and immerse yourself in the present moment through hands-on activities like mindful coloring.
Week 3: How to Practice Mindfulness (Even When It’s Hard)
The third week focuses on the “How” Skills—Nonjudgmentally, One-Mindfully, and Effectively. These skills help you respond with clarity and compassion, especially during moments of stress or conflict.
We explore how judgmental thinking impacts our emotions, and we practice letting go of these judgments. Group members participate in an engaging one-mindful activity (you’ll have to join us to find out what it is!) and reflect on how staying present helps us achieve our goals.
We end with a Loving Kindness meditation, an evidence-based practice shown to increase empathy, emotional resilience, and self-compassion.
Week 4: Integrating and Walking the Path
In our final session, we bring it all together with a Mindfulness Walk—an immersive outdoor experience where we practice observing the world with fresh eyes. We also explore two advanced skills:
- Walking the Middle Path – finding balance in our thoughts and relationships
- Skillful Use of Wise Mind – applying all we’ve learned to real-life scenarios
We close with reflection, feedback, and a preview of the next module in our DBT series.
Mindfulness is the heart of all DBT work—and it’s a skill anyone can learn. If you’re ready to feel more grounded, more present, and more in control of your emotions, we’d love to see you in our upcoming workshop.
We’re always happy to connect. Reach out to us at [email protected] to learn more or to share your interest.
