FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR ONLINE DBT SKILLS COURSE

LIVE ONLINE CLASSES & RECORDINGS

We offer live, weekly 90-minute classes, entirely online. This is not just a bunch of pre-recorded videos and lots of text that you need to muster up all of your motivation to read through. This is an immersive, supportive experience in real-time.

Course content is delivered by enthusiastic, knowledgeable instructors, so you’re engaged and not bored.
You won’t be bombarded with tons of extraneous, overwhelming, distracting materials: you’re here to learn skills, and that’s what you’re going to get.

Our lesson content is not limited to DBT skills but includes lessons that cover helpful information from other modalities, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), lessons on Neuroscience and supporting your nervous system, somatics, and so much more, equipping you with a toolbox of helpful skills to build the life you want.

You can ask questions each week in real-time by using the mic on your device, calling in, or typing into a chat box.

You can submit your homework each week for feedback.

Class is recorded, so if you live in a time zone that makes it difficult to attend, or if you have to work or have other life obligations, you can listen to the class each week when it is convenient for you.

YOUR CLASS LEADERS TRULY UNDERSTAND

Our classes are co-facilitated by Debbie DeMarco Bennett, BSc., CLC a peer in recovery from BPD who is also a certified life coach with personal and professional DBT experience, (Debbie leads by example. She’s been there!) and Kathryn Holt, LCSW, a compassionate licensed DBT therapist. Kathryn has extensive DBT experience and practices the skills in her own life.

Classes are taught by DBT Skills Educator and certified life coach, Debbie DeMarco Bennett, BSc., CLC and Kathryn Holt, LCSW, a licensed, Columbia University DBT-trained therapist.

Debbie is in recovery from BPD and attributes this to her hard work learning and applying the concepts and principles of DBT. She has extensive personal and professional experience with DBT and has been teaching DBT psychoeducational courses online since 2013. You can learn more about Debbie and her experience by clicking HERE.

Note: Classes are psychoeducational and not therapy.

We have been offering online DBT-informed psychoeducational courses since 2013.

No. Our classes are psychoeducational, not therapy or counseling. You do not need to have any formal diagnosis, BPD or otherwise, to attend and potentially benefit from the courses at DBT Path. Although Debbie often draws connections between the skills and BPD/being an emotionally sensitive person, that’s just because that’s her personal story.

Kathyrn and Debbie are really good at helping to address issues of concern for those studying the skills who have a different journey, such as depression, bipolar, PTSD, and eating issues. While we don’t provide therapy, we do teach the skills so that anyone can apply them in their lives as they make sense for them.

CLASS FORMAT

Each week, on the same day and at the same time (Mondays at 4 pm Pacific), we meet for 90 minutes.
{At 3:30 pm, class opens for an optional pre-class chat with your peers and fellow students around the globe.}

You will hear your instructors leading the class and see the course content (PowerPoint) on-screen.

INTERNET & DEVICE REQUIREMENTS

• Please have a reliable internet connection. (Ethernet/hardwired internet is best. In the least, we recommend having access to fast wifi.)
• Laptops are best. Some students like to use their tablets or smartphones. Whenever possible, please use Chrome browser for the best experience when accessing the class and course materials.
• Earphones/earbuds recommended to eliminate any echo should you choose to speak in class. (You are not required to speak in class. You can alternatively type your questions and responses in a chat box.)

If you’ll be using a Smartphone or Table to access the live class, please download the app “Intermedia Anymeeting” prior to your first class session.

Many students have other commitments that prevent them from regularly attending the online classes live/in real-time (at 4 pm Pacific/Los Angeles on Mondays) due to work schedules, school, family commitments, or because they are in a different time zone, such as in the UK or Australia.

For your convenience, classes are recorded and may be listened to at your leisure so you can stay caught up at your pace. Some students choose to take the course entirely by recording.

Our Facebook group is not like other Facebook groups you may have joined. It is not a free-for-all of triggering crisis posts all over the wall. Only instructors and moderators post on the wall, and students respond and converse on-topic to the post. Posts are skills-focused.

While participation is optional, we’ve noticed that students who opt-in to the Facebook group get added connection, conversation, and feedback throughout the week in our Facebook community. Don’t miss out!

We keep the title of the group and group image discreet for your privacy. If you use a different name on Facebook for your privacy, just let us know.

REQUIRED TEXTS

DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets  By Dr. Marsha Linehan

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook By Matthew McKay

Additional recommended books as supplemental reading during the course (not required):

Stronger Than BPD (written by your course instructor!)

Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder By Aguiree and Galen

You can register now by clicking the button below:

Tuition is on a sliding scale starting at $111 USD per month, and you select your sliding scale level when you sign up. The sliding scale is on the honor system, so we ask that you select the highest monthly amount that you can afford.

We also have options for paying 3-months at a time or 9-months in advance, and these options come with a tuition price break. {New as of January 2018}

Some students tell us that they have needed to stretch their budget in order to attend our courses because they realized they couldn’t afford not to study and practice these skills another day. Their lives begin to change, and the investment has been worth it. See our student testimonials page.

If the program is not right for you, you may cancel at any time for any reason by contacting us and asking us to drop you from the course.

Please note that there are no refunds for any tuition already paid.

Length of full program: 9 months: 3 modules, each module takes 3 months to complete

Managing Distress (3 months)
Regulating Intense Emotions (3 months)
Relationship Readiness (3 months)

Tuition is due on a monthly basis. Students may cancel at any time and for any reason. There are no refunds on any tuition already paid.

Many students choose to remain continuously enrolled and repeat the modules to stay in community and to have a weekly foundation for staying in practice with the skills.