What Is DBT?
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based model of therapy that helps individuals accept their experiences and behaviours and to make positive changes to manage emotions and move forward in their lives.
Who Is DBT Best Suited For?
DBT is intended to help people who struggle with too little emotion or too much emotion, often referred to as emotion regulation challenges. If a person notices that their emotions interfere with their relationships, work, school, or life goals, DBT may be a beneficial therapy, as it is intended to help people accept their behaviours at the same time change unhelpful behaviours. Emotion regulation difficulties often emerge when people have had to survive adverse experiences in their lives, and/or suffer from depression, anxiety, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, or grief symptoms that do not get better with other interventions.
Do the STAR Family Health Team Mental Health Clinicians Use DBT As A Therapy Intervention For Patients They Are Counselling?
Every Mental Health Team Clinician at the STAR Family Health Team has done various training in DBT, however, DBT is best delivered on a weekly basis for approximately 30 -32 weeks.
With this in mind, we are pleased to be partnering with Dr. L. Cleto, a psychiatrist in Stratford, Ontario and his team of skilled facilitators to offer this program to the patients of this team.
The DBT skills program runs weekly in the Fall from October 2025 to the end of May 2026. It provides the participant with key information to understand themselves and to learn skills to achieve better emotion regulation. If you have a family doctor, a Nurse Practitioner or a Therapist and you feel this program can assist you to better manage your emotions and make positive changes in your life, you can enrol in the Fall 2025 program, which will start:
Wednesdays, October 1, 2025 – May 28, 2026
9:00 am – 12:00 pm,
Avondale church. 194 Avondale Ave, Stratford, ON
Also offered virtually is a weekly optional session on Monday afternoons, 1:00 – 2:30 pm. At this session, there will be an opportunity to review what has been presented in the previous class so that the participant understands and is able to use the information.
To register for the program, go to Dr. L. Cleto’s website, https://www.itssimple2021.com/ click on “News” (left panel of the Home page), complete the required forms and follow the other instructions under “Announcements/Notices”. Another way to self-refer is to call the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Huron Perth general intake line at 519-271-6819 ext. 501.
For more information about the course, please refer to the introductory video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18POs8dGdK0NkXI6FFgQgU8x0ZzyK3Pa4/view
If you have any questions, please email the DBT program facilitators at: itssimple2023@gmail.com.
Registration is now open. See the information above.
