I have been doing a lot more lurking recently, due to a few struggles that have come up.

Here’s the scoop:

I’m currently in an intensive outpatient program with an outside clinic (Mental Health Systems) for DBT stuff. It’s a very general group that isn’t tailored or all that sensitive to EDs, and now that I’m stepping further into recovery (ha…), I’m starting to feel some wear and tear forming. I talked to them yesterday about feeling like I need more tailored care, that the group wasn’t meeting my needs, and that I was feeling a lot of pressure to have problems in other areas in order to be understood. The last thing I need is something feeding my issues, especially when everything other than the ED is relatively under control. Sigh.

I emailed my therapist at EP and asked to start looking for DBT group options at any of the Twin Cities area locations. I still value DBT very much; the skills are a big help! I just need a community that relates a bit more and that can empathize a bit more with the struggles of EDs. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just digging my heels in and just want something new, but it seems like a reasonable solution. Gah, I just want DBT to stick around, even if it means a less intensive treatment. I’d benefit a lot more if the group was centered around EDs.

Does that make any sense or am I just bringing willfulness to my other group? They all seemed to support my pursuing this option, because it was coming from a wise-minded place, but I just want to know if DBT with EP is a helpful option at all. Has anyone partook in this option?

Key:

DBT - Dialectical Behavior Therapy
ED - Eating Disorder
EP - Emily Program

I don’t know a lot about DBT, alone or in conjunction with ED treatment, so I can’t offer anything helpful on that front. But I do want to tell you how awesome I think you are. Your self-awareness in realizing that you might need something extra or different to meet all your needs is amazing. Also, I admire how good you are at self-advocating, asking your various teams/groups/therapists for help and advice. WELL DONE!

My dietician regularly talks about DBT and DBT strategies in our sessions…you can pm me if you want her name!

I’m not participating exclusively in a dbt program…but it is used regularly in my sessions (my therapist is very diverse, we don’t focus only on one type of therapy, rather we do a mix—because that is what I need).  I wonder if you called and asked about dbt intensive stuff (or people who like using the dbt stuff regularly) if EP could give you a better recommendation of where to go from here.

DBT is actually been proven very successful in treatment of ED (according to my dietician)—I googled it one day, and found that to be true.

You’re making amazing progress!  Way to stick up for yourself—way to see your current needs and make plans to meet them how YOU need them (not just how the group wants to meet them)!  Good work!

Hey Ashe, I think you’re very smart to consider options. I think it’s good to question and make sure you’re getting what you need. Often, for me, when I’m in need of changes I usually need my therapist to knock me upside my head with it. So yeah, awesome for you for being so in touch with yourself and your needs to question.

DBT. I have done DBT at EP a few times. I really liked it. I found it very helpful in learning about myself and my eating disorder. It’s been a while since I’ve been in DBT group but when I was going we’d have weekly assignments that incorporated the DBT module from that week in relation to your eating disorder. Some weeks were a little more educational than others. Each week we’d start by checking in on the assignment that was “due” after that we’d learn the next DBT subject and get our assignment for the next week. I think that they repeated the core mindfulness modules more frequently than others since they are “core” to the rest of the modules. We also kept “diary cards” to track goals and skill use. If I remember correctly, we also checked in on those as well.

Sometimes we even got to watch Marsha Linehan videos! :) We would do behavior chains periodically and they would relate specifically to symptom use or urges to use symptoms (where could the chain have been broken, etc).

That’s about all I can remember about it at the moment. It really was helpful for me, I think that’s where I have learned to step aside from myself and observe my behaviors and understand better where they come from and how to handle them. It has also been a tool to call upon with my therapist in my individual therapy.

Hmm…

I have a lot to think about with this. My therapist walked me through a couple of options. One is the weekly DBT group that I think you’re referring to, tweedy. It sounds very helpful, but I’d need something more intensive. My therapist also told me about Mindfulness Based IOP at one or two of the EP locations. It’s basically a DBT group for eating disordered clients. That’s what I’m rattling around most exclusively, I think.

Right now, I’ve decided to see my therapist twice a week to go over DBT skills on an individual basis to supplement my IOP outside of EP. I’ve made such incredible progress since enrolling in a DBT program that I definitely want it to be part of my treatment plan!

Thank you for the input, m’dears!

Key:

IOP - Intensive Outpatient Program