You know you could use the support of a therapist. But you’re not sure what kind of therapy to choose. There are so many options: CBT, DBT, EMDR, ART, etc. You know what you’re struggling with, but what kind of therapy will help you the most?
We regularly get calls and emails from people trying to make sense of their therapy options. What kind of therapy will help them with the challenges they’re facing right now? Is Suffolk DBT the best fit for them?
We’ve developed this guide to walk you through the most frequently asked questions we receive, providing the details of two of the therapies available through Suffolk DBT, who they’re most effective for, and how they can help you. If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We welcome all questions and are happy to guide you in finding the best help possible to create a life that’s worth living!
Why choose intensive outpatient therapy?
For many people, a 50-minute outpatient therapy appointment every week (or even every other week!) isn’t enough support. Maybe:
- You’re dealing with too much emotional overwhelm, or your emotional overcontrol is controlling your life.
- Your personal relationships are really suffering.
- Your behaviors and reactions feel out of your control sometimes.
- Your life is regularly disrupted by your symptoms.
- You feel too alone in your experiences and are feeling lost between regular outpatient sessions.
- You just completed a residential mental health program, and you still need consistent therapy support.
Many of us need more time set aside in the week to focus on our mental health, and a DBT-based intensive outpatient program (IOP) can give you that time. An IOP gives you balance: more time in therapy throughout the week, and time every day to participate in your regular life.
The extra support of a DBT-based IOP can make a real difference in your ability to heal. You may be wondering: Is an IOP a good fit for you? What are IOP programs like, and what kind of DBT-based IOP should you choose?
What is a traditional DBT IOP like?
A traditional dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) IOP meets regularly during the week and gives you access to structured support that includes:
- Additional time each week with an individual therapist versus conventional outpatient therapy. There you can review your experiences and challenges with DBT diary cards, learn new DBT skills, and practice one-on-one with your therapist in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.
- Group therapy to practice your new DBT skills with others in the program before you try them out in everyday life.
- Between-session phone support with your therapist. When you run into a challenging situation, you can call your therapist to quickly review the skills and coping tools you can use in the moment.
- Family support and guidance, with sessions that help your loved ones to learn DBT skills and use them with you, reinforcing therapy success.
A traditional DBT IOP focuses on developing skills based on four main pillars to support you in handling emotional overwhelm without resorting to unhealthy or unhelpful behaviors. These skills increase your ability to cope with emotional challenges through:
- Mindfulness: staying present and non-judgmental in the moment
- Emotional regulation: naming, managing, and reducing vulnerability to emotions
- Distress tolerance: making it easier to make it through even the most difficult emotional experiences
- Interpersonal effectiveness: improving communication and relationship quality
Your therapists in the DBT IOP are also engaged in their own professional growth. They regularly consult with other DBT clinicians, making sure they can offer the highest-quality, most up-to-date care possible for you.
Who is a DBT IOP for?
An intensive outpatient DBT program is most helpful for people dealing with challenges in controlling their emotions or their responses to their emotions. When your feelings feel out of control, overwhelming, or like they’re dictating your actions, a traditional DBT IOP can help.
A traditional DBT IOP can help with:
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- ADHD
- Histrionic Personality Disorder
- Conduct Disorders
- Binge-Purge Eating Disorders
- Substance Use Disorders
- Impulsive or Emotionally Intense Behaviors
- Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm Behaviors
In addition to treatment for the above, Suffolk DBT offers a specialty RO-DBT track for individuals struggling with emotional overcontrol and perfectionism.
What is an RO-DBT IOP like?
Our radically open DBT (RO-DBT) intensive outpatient program has a very similar schedule to a traditional DBT program, including individual therapy, group therapy with DBT skills practice, family support, ongoing therapist consultation with other therapists, and on-call therapist support.
The key difference between an RO-DBT IOP and a traditional DBT IOP is the therapy focus. Instead of focusing on mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, RO-DBT focuses on:
- Openness: Remaining open to changes, the unexpected. Embracing flexibility when responding to challenges.
- Emotional expression: Instead of overcontrol, being open, honest, and genuine about thoughts and feelings, even if they’re uncomfortable or “imperfect”.
- Social connection: Letting go of social perfectionism and expressing yourself with more open, engaging social cues.
The goal of RO-DBT is to help people become more emotionally present, more engaged with their own lives (without trying to control outcomes), and more connected to others (and themselves!). Your time in individual therapy and group therapy will be especially useful in developing these skills. Your therapist and fellow IOP participants will show up to therapy with authenticity, openness, flexibility, and active expression of what they’re thinking and feeling, helping you feel more comfortable as you practice your own new RO-DBT skills.
Who is an RO-DBT IOP for? 
RO-DBT is designed to best support people who are overcontrolled in their relationships, self-perception, and emotional expression. When you constantly hesitate to express yourself fully, when you can’t get close to other people, and when your self-discipline is disruptive to living your life, RO-DBT can help you incorporate openness, acceptance, and flexibility into your daily life.
RO-DBT is also a great option for people who have completed a traditional DBT program and want to continue expanding their abilities. With DBT, they can better manage their emotions, and with RO-DBT, they can better express their genuine feelings in an open, authentic way.
RO-DBT can help people dealing with:
- Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
- Anorexia Nervosa (Once stabilized)
- Avoidant Personality Disorder
- Schizoid and Schizotypal Personality Disorders
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (particularly for higher-functioning individuals)
- Treatment-Resistant Depression
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Chronic Over-Control and Perfectionism
- Emotional Inhibition and Social Isolation
Is intensive outpatient DBT at Suffolk DBT right for you?
When you could use more support than a single session with a single therapist each week, a DBT IOP is right for you. Whether you could use support with emotional overwhelm through traditional DBT or with emotional overcontrol through RO-DBT, Suffolk DBT can help.
Our expert therapists can support you to develop the DBT skills you need to thrive, providing you with meaningful, non-judgmental individual therapy, group therapy, and on-call therapist support between sessions. You get so much more with a DBT IOP at Suffolk DBT, and when you’re ready, we welcome you to reach out. Now is a great time to get started on a life worth living!